Rating: 
Summary: No plot, but who cares?!
Review: Although the most climactic moment in the book was when Ishamal, a giant gorilla, was evicted from his apartment, I was entranced by the way the characters in the book spoke and thought. Upon finishing the book, I could not help but think "Well I'll be, it's about time someone made the obvious conclusion that humans are standing in their own muck!" I felt horrible to think that I too was a part of the problem. I now find myself using the terms "taker" and "leaver" quite liberally, and finding myself in quite a spot when I can't really explain their meanings. All I can say is "Read Ishmael. He'll tell you."
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking but ultimately incorrect
Review: I did not give this book three stars because of its plot, characters, etc., because this is less a novel than a logical argument. I gave this book three stars because, although it is very thought provoking, I think the logic is fatally flawed. Here are a few examples:1) One of Ishmael's basic assumptions is that humans are just like any other animals in the natural environment. Apparently reasoning ability doesn't really count for anything. In my opinion, some kind of cultural expansion is inevitable for a rational species. When you become rational, you realize that food equals survival and that death means permanent absence from this world; therefore, you work to get as much food as possible and prolong your existence as much as possible. And if hyenas could reason, I'm pretty sure they WOULD eradicate their lion competitors to get more food. They're not acting out any unbreakable law of nature; they just haven't figured out that fewer competitors means more food for them. 2. He says that only our current Taker civilization is assimilative and aggressive. What about Chinese culture? They had an agricultural society which assimilated many other cultures in Asia before they even saw an Indo-European (Taker). 3. Apparently he's insinuating that the widespread Leaver agricultural society in ancient Europe was the "correct society" that was advanced but not assimilative. Why was it widespread, then? A culture begins in a certain location and, as he states, other peoples are usually not happy about adopting a new culture. It seems to me that a culture must be assimilative to be widespread, so his argument about this prehistoric culture does not seem compelling. 4. He says that the agricultural civilizations in North America (Aztec, Inca) abandoned their way of life when they realized it was "against the law." Actually, they were probably wiped out by smallpox and Spanish conquistadors. And they were definitely assimilative; the Aztecs and Incas both subjugated many surrounding tribes. Of course, an Ishmael devotee would accuse me of being a slave to Mother Culture. This is another problem I see with this book's logic: it is stated in such a way that any logical counter-argument can be dismissed as the product of cultural brainwashing. However, Ishmael apparently didn't realize that many of his ideas are not radically anti-Western, but rather commonplace among environmentalists and postmodernists. I must admit that this novel is very thought-provoking; for example, Ishmael's interpretation of Cain, Abel, and the Garden of Eden is very interesting. However, it didn't even come close to changing my life as it has apparently changed others, because the logical flaws were just too great.
Rating:
Summary: Reminded me of a book I'd have to read for school.
Review: My book club chose this book as our next read. I was quite reluctant to start - it reminded me of something I had to read in class. You sure can't be tired while reading this - cause you'll doze off. As soon as the gorilla started talking, I was like "Are you kidding??", but I eventually put that feeling aside and enjoyed the book. There were some things I hadn't really thought about or thought I cared about. I really liked the new interpretation on Genesis. I still feel a little powerless, even if I know the world is doomed.
Rating:
Summary: Yet another who loved it...
Review: Yes, I confess, I loved ISHMAEL (as well as Daniel Quinn's other works)and feel that reading it was a life-changing experience for me. I read it in the summer of 1993 and as a result not only were my eyes opened to many of Mother Culture's myths but I learned (from other readers) of many other books/web sites etc...pertaining to the same topic. Like other readers, it was a relief for me to know that I am not the only one who felt there is something wrong with the way we Taker humans live our lives. Reading ISHMAEL is like a slap of cold water to the face--it really wakes you up to some truths about our culture & society. I have recommended it to many friends & family members & almost all have said they enjoyed reading it, and some have even furthered the process by recommending it to their friends & family.
Rating:
Summary: Read It!! Order copies for your Friends!!! Pass it along!!
Review: The book was an optional reading assignment for a Native American Studies class at the U of M - Missoula. Ishmael proposes answers to questions long pondered by philosophers and anthropologists. Are the answers viable? Do they make sense? The questions beg for each reader to search within his own point of reference and belief system to determine to what degree Ishamel suggests the truth. The most significant point that the book makes for me is to challenge the arrogant belief that homo sapiens are the most highly evolved species on earth. For 15 months now, I have had a much different perspective on the course my life has taken. I have purchased the book and gifted several of my friends with a copy. I suggest others do the same. Not your standard new-age read.
Rating:
Summary: Most important analysis of humanity & history ever written
Review: As a sixteen year old, I feel lucky to have read Ishmael when I did. "My eyes were opened"... yes, it's said over and over again when people read literature of this sort and caliber. But myself, I found it the perfect reaction. There is something wrong with what the history texts say, or at least the way they say what they do... Ishmael helped me realize that. But more than that, there is something wrong with everything you hear. The news, the cinema, the vast majority of books, your parents, your friends- after reading Ishmael, you experience what it's like to be a stranger. Someone who has read Ishmael among billions who haven't! What do you do except hope that others join you? Luckily, many have, and most of those who have like what they hear. Of course, critical reviews like the one from Kirkus Reviews can't tell you any of this. They say things like, "he's too preachy". Or, "his storytelling abilities are lacking",! ! but what else can they say? Can the reviewer write a review like "this book changed my life like no other of the thousands I've read... in fact, all other books seem somewhat meaningless compared to Ishmael"? Of course not, if the reviewer intends to retain his employment. This book, in my view, should be required reading for the entire human race. Daniel Quinn's views of Genesis, of the Agricultural Revolution, of environmental destruction, and of human cultural myth are timeless. They are ideas that must be presented to you and I, to humanity. They are ideas that challenge us to rethink everything we've ever held as dear... but most importantly, they are ideas that could save us. The only bad thought that sticks in my mind after Ishmael is "what if I had never read it?"
Rating:
Summary: A can't-put-down read and a won't-let-go challenge
Review: _________________________________________________ I met "Ishmael" almost three years ago... July, 1995, Lake City, Colorado. I had managed to escape to the Rockies for two months of primitive camping and cabin building after leaving California (on my way to Tennessee). "Ishmael" was the perfect follow-up to "The Source" by Michener, and "Zen & The Art..." by Pirsig. It fully opened my eyes to the fact that there really is another way to build a society. It has taken me the three years since to discover that Ego is my greatest obstacle to stepping out in courage. Emerson wrote: "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide...The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried". Thanks--in part--to "Ishmael", I now know I can choose to break away from the current illusion of life I have constructed, and listen to that small but powerful voice within. I choose to stop dreaming and start creating. Besides, I am beginning to think that the year 2000--and whatever chaos could reign for a brief time--might provide a window of opportunity for new models of community to be considered by those who have the job of building a brave, new world. I'm headed back to the Rockies to start over. Thanks, "Ishmael", for not going easy on me.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, superb, Genius at its best
Review: If you have never read a book in your intire life, if this is the last book you will ever read, it will change your life!!!! Nothing even comes close to the spiritual journey your mind will embark on. There is NO OTHER book after this one. You will never look at humankind the same way again. "Forget everything you have ever learned - it's all a lie" - and then think every thought you have ever had all over again...supreme!!! Where was the world when it was published? Why didn't life stand still, why did the clocks keep on ticking? World, where were you when your destiny could have changed? Read, listen, comprehend...and tell everyone you know about this book.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life like none other.
Review: I think that the sooner this book is required reading in our schools, the better. It cuts through our comfortable myths of superiority and self imposed godhood and exposes mankind and it's suicidal roller coaster ride of waste and abuse of the only home we have, and it's inhabitants, for what they are, in a kind and thoughtful manner. Reading the reviews of those who invalidate the book you see how uncomfortable they are with the undeniable truths in this book. The repetitive nature of it's storytelling helps it to be all the more memorable and effective, like when we are taught to look both ways before crossing the street. I will read all of the books Mr. Quinn writes if they prove to be as wonderous as this. If thinking hurts you, don't read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Enlightening and dizzying at once...
Review: Like Robert Pirsig's "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and "Lila", Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael", "The Story of B.", and "My Ishmael" prompted me to climb mountains that were higher than any others I had ventured up before. The view their peaks afford is magnificent and disturbingly enlightening. The expansion of awareness they enable is immediate and initially overwhelming. And the prospect of the spiritual transformation they encourage is uplifting and positively dizzying. For despite the sense of liberation and clarification such mountains can bring to those who climb them, the air at their summits is thin. Before too long I felt the need to descend back to where I started my ascent, that is, into the valley, where life is ultimately lived. My consolation is that I returned a different person, and even though I have no idea how, when, and to what extent that change will affect life in the valley, I know it will somehow, sometime, in some measure. Moreover, I plan to climb those mountains again, and hopefully others like them.
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