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Summary: Quinn's ISHMAEL is not a bible . . .
Review: Quinn has not so much written and presented a new slant on the problems of global ecology and human overpopulation with ISHMAEL; rather he has compiled together several theories and intertwined them with his own. While Quinn's presentation is a very alluring and empathetic one, and for all intents and purposes DOES provide the reader with a viable and stimulating analysis of the state of things, it is after all nothing new and is hardly a position held solely by Quinn. I give ISHAMEL four stars not because it is by and far the greatest piece of anthropological anlaysis ever to grace the shelves, but for the simple reason that as a FICTIONAL text, it does much in the ways of entertaining, enlightening, and stimulating the reader into delving into their own research. For the sake of sanity, let us stop the senseless debate over whether or not Quinn has performed his duty as an anthropologist. Arguing that ISHMAEL is not factual or analytical enough for the COMMON READER is both foolish and arrogant. Neither Quinn nor anybody else has ever argued that his work should be taken as the sole bible of anthropology. It is an excellent introduction to modern social and ecological theory and should be left at that.
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Summary: Great thought provoking book but no solutions...
Review: This book was great in some of the random rants it went into. I really enjoyed being exposed to these new ideas. My only complaint is that it never really answers the question "What can I do?" It gives a cop out answer about spreading the word and never really tells you what you can do to solve the problems it brings to your attention. A great book though...thought provoking and eye opening.
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Summary: OUTSTANDING!
Review: Those that review this book and critcize the fact that Quinn hasn't explained everything to their satisfaction aren't getting the point. THIS BOOK IS A WORK OF FICTION. Do not delude yourself into thinking that this is some sort of anthropological textbook. It is merely entertainment. It also happens to be exceptionally thought provoking. Quinn no more tells his reader to be more ecologically conscious than Agatha Christie suggests that we all begin solving murders. I ripped through this book in two days and found it entertaining and enlightening. Take your pseudo-intellectual reviews elswhere, this is outstanding fiction.
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Summary: OK But now what?
Review: I read a bunch of reviews on this page before I read the book, and I fall somewhere in between those who rave for it and those who rave against it. The material contained here is no great revelation for anyone who is aware, and the format it is delivered in is sort of weak. At this point we don't need anymore books that raise awareness of the mess we are all in, we need books that grab us by the collar and shake us and say, "OK idiot, you know the world is a mess so stop being wasteful and make some real concrete changes in your life and this is how you do it". This book simply nudges us in that direction. Nonetheless, for readers who have never been introduced to the ideas represented here, I suppose it can be a revelatory experience.
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Summary: Inspiring! Finally a positive vision!
Review: This book gives us a positive, inspiring vision of our worldwide problems. I am absolutely, completely, and in all other ways shocked and dismayed that the reader from California who wrote the April 3 review actually thought that Quinn was saying that humans are fundamentally "bad." This is COMPLETELY OPPOSITE to what Quinn is saying. In fact, this is the only book I've ever read that showed me that humans are NOT fundamentally flawed beings - that idea is one of many myths which the book dispels. Ishmael brings us GOOD news!
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Summary: Excellent - The negative reviews are misleading
Review: I read this book, and while it was excellent, several of the ideas weren't new to me, and I did disagree with a few point. However, none of the negative reviews I've seen have been remotely accurate. -Every- point they've raised is addressed in Quinn's first book. Don't expect a perfect book, but if you read it without prejudice, you won't be dissapointed.
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Summary: What was Quinn thinking?
Review: Or WAS he?!? I had to read the sequal to this book for a class last semester, however, it was very thought provoking. . . i.e. I never thought it was going to end. The Prof. was pitched the class at the last minute and this was on the agenda. Luckily, she finished before we did and was so unimpressed that we didn't even have to take the test! This book is to positive solutions as twinkies are to bicycle repair. If you really want to feel ecologically progressive, buy a book on solar power! Take a walk! Plant a tree! Just don't sit on your butt wasting time on this book when you could be DOING something about the problem!!!
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Summary: Not bad. . . Not GOOD, but not bad. . .
Review: My views on this book may seem a bit jaded, but to be honest I'm just getting tired of hearing how "bad" humans are. I'm proactive when it comes to the ecology, but this book makes it clear that the only thing humans can do to improve this world is go away. Sorry Dan, not gonna' happen.
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Summary: This book changed my life!!!!!!!!!!1
Review: I bought Ishmael at a P.S. 87 school fair. I went to the fair hoping to find nothing more than a few new shirts and a few trashy romance novels, but by buying and reading Ishmael I ended up receiving SO MUCH MORE. I have always loved to read and bought lots of books at lots of school fairs, but I had never read a book that changed my life so profoundly. I am SO glad that I took the time out of my Saturday morning to go to the fair!!! Ishmael is a deep and profound book that not only EXPLAINS to us the problems of the world but also shows us how to "enact a different story" to SOLVE the problems. It is a book that makes you THINK about things you have probably taken for granted all of your life. Do not read this book if you are perfectly content with the MESS our society is coming to today. Do not read this book if you do not like to THINK HARD about important issues. Do not read this book if you are not at all OPEN to CHANGE. But if you are ready to go about reading this book with an open heart and an open mind, then DEVOUR IT AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!! It will change your life forever. I PROMISE.
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Summary: lets look at the big picture,shall we
Review: Ok,maybe the story is not a pinnacle of classic literature, but that was clearly not what Quinn wanted. Its not the story,its the ideas.The ape as the teacher was simple,we can learn alot from an ape;apes arent poisoning the planet! dont read into it too deep,ok people. as for the ideas,alot of people thought about all these things,they just didnt collect the ideas and publish them. The adam and eve story did impress me though. I give this book and the sequel five stars because Quinn summarized alot in a positive manner in a pure little story. His influences are easily seen if you read Sade,or Huxley or Nietzche. open your minds and read!
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