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Summary: A wonderful new look at the Cain & Abel story of Genesis
Review: As I started this book, I felt sure it would be tree-hugger nonsense. (I count myself as a tree-hugger, but cringe at much that is written in support of my views.) That opinion didn't change much in the first hundred pages.However, once the book began explaining the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis, that story absolutely came alive for me, and I began figuring who else in our church might benefit from reading Ismael. The author says little of Old or New Testament faith, but appears to assume Biblical religions support "Taker" philosophy. My religious training, on the other hand, emphasized our "dominion" of the Earth is just that of a steward who will be held accountable. Highly recommended, but in the spirit of the book, perhaps we should read it in a library, rather than killing trees to print new copies.
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Summary: If a book could change your life, Ishmael would
Review: I don't know how to explain why i liked ishmael. It took me three entire days to recover after reading it. Now that i have read it, I can see evidence of Mother Culture everywhere, and I am waging a little one woman war against her everywhere i can. I think that anyone who is extremely fed up with modern day environmental literature- we're going to hell because, doom and gloom sell!!!- should read this book. People complain about the way it is written (That it's repetetive and boring and bleah) but it isn't. You must understand that it is written the way it is written so you can learn something. You've been invited to sit in on an interactive lesson (not a lecture) and in the process of reading this book, its almost as good as if you were the pupil yourself. So read it with an open mind, and accept the creativity and well planned writing style. Then go and save the world.
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Summary: And if Quinn armwrestled Ishmael...?
Review: Okay, truth be told, Daniel Quinn has some interesting points. Nothing too groundbreaking if you have any common sense and an anthropology/history class or two. But does he really have to be so damned preachy? I had some hopes for this book before I started reading it. It was highly recommended by someone I respected, so I gave it a chance. Even after the same damned message was beat into my head page after page. Man is the problem, dating back to when we dropped out of the trees and first made fire. Whatever. Mr. Quinn, if we stayed hunter-gatherers, would you have ever had a chance to write your little books? You would have been dead by age 20. Your cavalier attitude makes me drop to my knees and thank God for technology.
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Summary: The World of Ishmael
Review: "Teacher seeks pupil, must have earnest desire to save the word." These words have captivated the attention of millions around the world who have read Daniel Quinn's Novel Ishmael. Not only is this book well written, it offers new perspectives about looking at our society and civilization. I look at life a whole different way now that I have read this book.
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Summary: Mind opening experience
Review: Ishmael is one of the best books I've read in my life. It's not a book to read and be entertained by if you have a small mind, it's a book to read and entertained by if you can see past the story, and get to the meaning. Who cares if it's a gorilla being the teacher, he's absolutely right about every thing that he says. We are destroying the world. The takers are the ones who can't see the message in the book, all they see is repetition and a gorilla. The leavers understand, they know and care about what's really going on. They understand Ishmael. Save the world, be less concerned about yourself, be a Leaver. If you can see past the story, and know that the book has a really powerful message, you're one step ahead of every ignorant person who can't.
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Summary: Enough Already, I know we are bad people!
Review: This book has some interesting veiwpoints, but come on! To repeat the same things over and over and over seems like a waste of the trees we're trying to save! I don't understand how people can rate it a 10, I personally fell asleep four times in two pages. If you want to be told what a terrible rotten person you are by a smelly gorilla, then this book is for you. But I personally feel that your time could be much better spent picking up something that is actually entertainment!
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Summary: Quite mind blowing
Review: It really changed my perspective and brought up a lot of interesting points. Quinn "teaches" us what we already know but won't admit: our culture, convinced of its own majestic supremacy, by right of possession of this planet's resources and instruments and dominance over perceived lesser species continues to fail to see that it is vitiating its position for the sake of progress all the while cutting down the totem pole upon which we've come to depend to maintain that level of 'achievement'.
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Summary: A very important book that changes people's minds
Review: After reading ISHMAEL, my views of looking at the world changed completely. Before I read the book, I knew there were innumerable problems in the world but I never thought about it carefully. In the book, Ishmael makes us understand the solutions to the countless problems and how to save the world by thinking in a different way. He explains 'how things came to be this way' from the beginning of the human race, pointing out problems and the outcomes. It was an amazing book full of great knowledge and philosophy. I encourage MANY people to read the book.
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Summary: Got me thinking, but a little repetitive
Review: Daniel Quinn brought up some interesting points in Ishmael. It was kind of repetitive in the way that many of the same points kept being brought up. Practically the whole book is a conversation between a gorilla and a man. At some points, I thought the book was boring because it kept going on and on about the same topic. Otherwise, some things Quinn pointed out really got me thinking about the people and the world they live in.
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Summary: Takers Leavers & The Bible
Review: This book was a great eye-opening book. It makes you realize how much the world needs our help. We need to stop and start a new culture before it is too late. WITH GORILLA GONE IS THERE HOPE FOR MAN?
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