Rating: 
Summary: Quinn makes you question your assumptions.
Review: I think this is a very important book. How many people go about from day to day without questioning the basic reality of thier lives? I have always had the feeling, since I was in elementary school, that things just aren't quite right, as the narrator in Ishmael confesses. Ishmael is a series of conversations between a man and an ape called Ishmael. It is very reminiscent of Plato's Republic, although with different subject matter. Ishmael wants the narrator to figure out Why Things Are the Way They Are. Very impressive topic. The book's chapters divide the discussion and events up temporally. The ape starts off by demonstrating that cultures are enactments of stories, that these stories tell us how we got here and why, and that we almost never think about these stories or realize they exist. He then divides humanity into two basic cultures, the Takers and the Leavers. The Takers include almost everyone in the world today: any agriculturally-based culture that considers the earth its property to do anything with. Leavers are nomadic hunter-gatherers or pastoralists, who do not consider the earth their own property. He discusses why the Takers hate the Leavers and have destroyed them whenever they come in contact. Most importantly, he discusses the inherent contradiction in our culture. Something along the lines of: the Earth is ours to control, because we are supreme beings; however, because we are flawed, we can never control it correctly, so things like war, poverty, etc happen. I think this is totally true--the emphasis on environmental protection in the 90's was on environmental management. The environment doesn't need management; it has been fine for 5 billion years without us. Quinn points out that there is nothing wrong with humans; we are perfectly suited to living on the plante Earth. The problem is that we try to DOMINATE the planet, and drive out any life form that is in competition with us. He takes great pains to explain the Christian creation story. Quinn discusses the Takers culture, then he discusses the Leaver culture On the whole, This book doesn't present any new evidence; What it does is make you think about all you have ever learned about human existence, culture, science, economics. Everything. I found myself trying to decide if I agreed with him or not and why. The book is a challenge to those willing to think. Obviously the book isn't about negociating a way between 2,3, or 4 points of view; it's about Quinn presenting his view. It's about urging you to consider the basic foundations of society. I don't think he necessarily promotes the deconstruction of civilization, he would like a new kind of civilization based on ecology and ecological principles. My one criticism of this book is that he doesn't provide a bibliography. I would like to read the work of some of the anthropologists, historians, etc that he alludes to. I think the prose is as clear as it can be given the breadth of the subject he is trying to discuss.
Rating: 
Summary: are you willing to listen to a different story?
Review: I have read all of Daniel Quinn's books, with the exception of his newest, After Dachau. Maybe I am just slow to catch on but that is what it took for me to "get" what Daniel is saying. With Ishmael, his first book, I began to understand that it was going to take a certain commitment to understand Daniel's message before I gave up and called it 'dumb'. So I read and re-read passages, underlined, dog-eared pages, went back and re-read again. Then I read My Ishmael, then Providence (essential for getting to know something about the man, Daniel Quinn), then The Story of B (my personal favorite) and finally Beyond Civilization. I will never see the world the same as before reading these incredible books. I have no desire to 'go back'. I give them to folks because that is what it is all about...saving the world from humans by getting humans to listen to a different story. Some of those folks tell me the books are depressing. I am always surprised by that. I have come to realize tho that they have lost faith in humanity's ability to enact anything different than what we are already consumed by or worse yet, they see nothing wrong with the story we are living. They don't see the hope in his books, the possibilities, the humor. If you are willing to listen to a different story, I encourage you, very strongly, to read his books, all of them! With each one his message expands. One person I gave Ishamel to asked me if it was a book he'd heard about..about a gorilla that could talk. I told him that is like saying Moby Dick is a story about a whale! If you care about the future of man, the future of the earth, if sometimes you are troubled by those unpleasant feelings of not being proud of being a human, and defintely if you are one of those folks who think that humanity is the ultimate product of evolution....read these books!
Rating:
Summary: Ishmael Lives
Review: Ishmael has touched me in a very special way, answering my lifelong questions. The book is classified as fiction. In my mind, the only part of the book that is fiction is the Gorilla and yet in my heart he too is real. Although Mother Culture did her job on me, I've known for a long time that something was not right in this Taker story. In my heart I have been a Leaver for a long time but was lost in this Taker world, until Ishmael found me. Thankyou Daniel Quinn for Ishmael. With Hope, Joseph Sciarrotta
Rating: 
Summary: dumbest book ever
Review: I'm sad to say that I actually spent money on this book. I did manage to finally slog my way through the trite passages on how humanity's only hope is achieve the simple nobility of the savage/tribal lifestyle, but that was after my fourth or fifth attempt. I really had a hard time getting past the telepathic ape schtick. So let me just say this: Quinn makes some very interesting observations about humanity and our evolution as a society and comes to a conclusion that is so simplistic that for the most part seems like a rational and revolutionary way to approach life - i.e., take care of the earth and each other. Who would have thought? But it falls apart when you realize that his clarion call for change cannot realistically happen without the complete decimation of modern society. Sorry Quinn, it just ain't gonna happen. What he gets at is good, and nice to hear. But it sounds vaguely familiar... Oh yeah! He just repackaged the core teachings of Jesus and other religious leaders and prophets and wrapped them up in a new image. Unfortunately that image is a telepathic ape. Nothing is more annoying that retyping the 10 Commandments and selling it as Chicken Soup for the Simple Minded. And the least enjoyable part of the book is that it is so poorly written. His style is utterly smug and pompous, coupled with a terrible grasp of narration and no sense of how to nurse a good storyline. Ultimately it just sucks. I guess maybe someone could read this book and have a life changing moment when they realize that they should probably be responsible for how they take care of things and the people around them. But after they realize that, I hope the next step to self-actualization is the realization that they have just been fleeced a fair amount of cash to read a trite exposition of nothing new.
Rating:
Summary: This will change the course of your life.
Review: I can pinpoint the moment that my life went in a new direction to the moment that I picked up Ishmael from the shelf. Eagerly awaiting the new book!!
Rating:
Summary: yawn
Review: This is a classic example of the sort of "pop philosophy" book which excites people who have never read anything else. If you're a teenager who hasn't read any philosophy, history, science, or anything else really, then read this book! You'll be blown away, I promise. Literate people, stay far, far away. This book will waste time better spent on something with more substance.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not life-changing...
Review: The numerous complaints by readers of Quinn's narrative and/or writing abilities are a bit frivilous. Quinn himself has admitted he's not the world's best writer. This book is a book of ideas, and ideas only. If one approaches it with an open mind, it can potetially be thought-provoking. HOWEVER, I have some serious gripes regarding his main argument. First, the reader has to accept Quinn's basic argument that "modern civilization is bad". If one does NOT agree with this argument, then the rest of Ishmael is basically beating a dead horse. I do not think modern civilization is inherently evil. I think we as a species face ALOT of problems, and I too would hate to see gorillas and chimpanzees go extinct, but in general "modern civilization" is slowly but surely headed in the right direction. I agree with other reviewers that Quinn can be a bit hypocritical and self-congragulatory in his writing. Quinn asserts that he is not arguing that the human species itself is bad or evil, only our culture. Yet throughout reading Ishmael, I couldn't help but feel guilty at being a member of "Taker Culture" in which, to paraphrase Quinn, I wake up every morning and begin destroying the world. And where, in any of Quinn's writings, are there any concrete examples of "walking away" from Mother Culture? Hey let's all go start "Tribal Businesses" like Quinn and his wife! In summation, an interesting read, but read with a critical mind.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes we need to be reminded of what we already know
Review: The thing that struck me the most about this book is that it discussed things I already knew and thought I believed in but that somehow hadn't affected me as much as they should have. (ex: that humanity is far older than recorded history; that humans are not the center of the universe or its ultimate purpose, but simply another one of its fascinating creations; that our lifestyle is proving relatively unsuccessful seeing that we're on the brink of annihilating ourselves after only 10,000 years when some australopithecus species lived for millions of years) Those are really profound thoughts if you think about them, but like most people, I would go back to work the next day as if they didn't matter. Then, on a whim, I bought Ishmael to read (which is impressive because I almost never read fiction). It must either be Quinn's presentation or his unrelenting line of attack, but reading those same thoughts in the context of Ishmael has changed me in such a way that I will never be able to go back. I guess it's like when a friend or relative dies, and it doesn't impact you until years later when it hits you out of the blue and leaves you bawling for days. Quinn is like Michaelangelo. He doesn't add anything relatively new. He simply pulls out what is already there and presents it in a way that you can't ignore and that will amaze you. As I've found from reading other reviews and passing this book onto others, I'm not alone. A word of caution, though: Quinn is an enigma. He's here to wake us from our slumber, but he's not going to do the work for us. He's not a savior or even really a prophet. He's just telling us what we already knew, but keep forgetting. Ishmael is encouragement on those days when we think what we do doesn't matter. But now that we are awake, it's time to act and awake others. With that being said, I actually liked The Story of B much better as it goes deeper and is more engaging, but since it assumes some things from Ishmael and Ishmael is more quickly digestible, I would suggest starting with Ishmael. But by all means start...
Rating:
Summary: Life changing
Review: While the text of this book isn't the *easiest* to read, the message within makes it more than worth the effort. This was a life-changing book for me. I've read it several times and I have *never* read any other book more than once. Quinn's other books are equally profound including: My Ishmael, Providence, The Story of B, and others. I'm eager to read his newest book, After Dauchau.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Important Book I've Ever Read
Review: This book is phenomenal, and it has truly changed my life.
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