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Summary: Excellent Piece of Work
Review: I have read this book twice and continually give it to many colleagues, family, and friends as a gift. This shift in perspective is urgent and necessary. We need a green revolutionary leader.
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Summary: A journey of the mind...
Review: A journey into one's imagination; think about what the world would be like if we could all have conversations with animals. Perhaps our perspectives about the planet would change. Daniel Quinn's novel Ishmael raises pertinent questions about our role in the environment and offers alternative ways of thinking about relevant issues in today's world. The plot is simple: Teacher seeks pupil that had a desire to save the world. Well, of course all of us want to save the world, but how can we? In this book, the character Ishmael brings new meaning to changing the world. Not only do we need to save the planet, but we also need to save each other from destroying the planet. We may think that the little we do for the earth won't make a difference. However, if one person can change their mind and their behavior, perhaps it will have a snowball effect. Ishmael teaches us to be a new kind of trendsetter. By reading this book, one learns what the world should be like. It is not yet too late to change it. The question isn't, "What can we do?" the question now is, "Who wants to start the revolution?"
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Summary: Ishmael
Review: I thought this novel was very tedious to read.There was really no plot to story line
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Summary: This book changed my life!
Review: Ishmael is the most incredible book ever. It explains the reason why we are here, which is the hardest thing you can possibly do. This book showed me that there is hope for the human race, if we can all learn from eachother and fix our destructive habits. Ishmael changed the way i see the world.
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Summary: I found some truths.
Review: Mr. Quinn has a message. It's interesting how as I read the book there was a thread of familiarity as if I was hearing something that I already knew. It's a blinders off experience. "Buy" as much as you like, there are truths to be found.
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Summary: An external view of our society today
Review: We are what we have experienced. It is amazing how Daniel Quinn steps out of our view of society as participants into an external view of where we were, where we are and where we will be.
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Summary: An interesting book that makes you think
Review: Ishmael is a pretty good read. Despite being in a way, more of a collection of essays and thoughts than a novel, it challenges you and makes you question your way of thinking. The concept of the many conversations which take place in the book is so unique too. I won't give away how they do it, but a gorilla (Ishmael, a big, loveable character with quite a story to tell) and a man go on a long journey of discovery through a very different means of communication. I don't really agree with most of Quinn's ideas displayed in Ishmael (having a great faith in God tends to keep me away from all these the "End of Man and our Planet Worries"), but I do agree, Ishmael is a worthwhile read which will make you think and ask a few questions.
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Summary: What if Dan Quinn met Ayn Rand?
Review: I must have been living in a cave the past 9 years (as one reviewer said of those unfamiliar with Ishmael). Just yesterday my wife and I listened to the Audio Cassette version while on a trip. Since it was abridged we were no doubt spared some of the repetition of the book mentioned by many of the negative reviewers. It didn't hurt that the reader, Anthony Heald, was excellent. We found the book good mind fodder and spent quite a few miles discussing it.I was especially facinated by his interpretation of the Cain & Able Story, and the Trees in the Garden. But being a student of the Bible I was troubled with his selective, uncritical use of the Genesis Story. There is much in the Story that does not support his thesis that this was "leaver" propaganda. I was also facinated by the wide range of reviews the book elicited. And somewhere in my scanning of nearly all of them(over 200!) I remembered the wide range of reactions to the works of Ayn Rand. I also found her books to be good mind fodder, and also found a lot to question. Rand has a following that could only be called "cultlike." Many claim that her books changed their lives; there are Ayn Rand clubs and chat rooms neary 50 years after her books were written. Sounds a lot like the readers of Ishmael. So I wondered, what would happen if Ayn Rand, with her ego-centric, self-actualization, materialistic, the-individual-is-all-that-matters, etc. philosophy met Dan Quinn (i.e. Ishmael)of the back-to-the-leavers, earth first, group consciousness, etc. philsophy? What if Ayn Rand (or one of her characters) was the one who answered the ad in the newspaper? Ishmael would have had a worthy opponent! She would NOT have been the weak man with the straw house arguments that Ishmael so easily blew down. There would have been fire works! No stone would have been left unturned as they went at each other's arguments... tooth and nail! As it was, we were left with many unaswered questions. We were left with the dawning awareness of huge, gaping holes in Ishmael's arguments, and no real antagonist, not one, to even raise our questions. That's my main criticism of the book: a lot of questions that popped into my head were not addressed. I will check out his other books to see how thorough Mr Quinn's work is, and how much intellectual honesty he has. As a 58 year old, who has been long concerned about our stewardship of the Earth, I am already sceptical that there will be a fair debate.
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Summary: A Different kind of book
Review: This is a book for anyone who wants to be challenged by ideas that are against everything that we as a human race know. It is extremely mind expanding and enlightening. That is why it is such a great book. It makes you think.
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Summary: Opens your eyes
Review: This is the best book I've read in a long time, but that doesn't matter. I've recommended this to everyone I know that I think can handle it, because everyone should read it. Some people will have a hard time with it and won't understand it, but everyone should try. There are so many things that Takers "know" is true, and each time Ishmael explained how these are myths, it was hard to believe that I hadn't realized it. In other words, his explainations opened my eyes and will open yours too, and that's why everyone should atleast try to read this. It's an important book and finally puts the truth in a new light. Excellent, excellent, excellent, is all you need to know. Please read this, everyone - you won't regret it.
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