Rating: 
Summary: A longtime favorite
Review: I read this book for the first time about 15 years ago. I have read it at least 6 times and have told many, many people about it. The Kin of Ata reaches in deep and pulls at the heart and soul. It reminds us all of the journey we are on. It re-awakens you and reminds you to listen to your dreams. ...Nagdeo to you Ms. Bryant
Rating:
Summary: The most haunting novel I have ever read...
Review: I read this book in Mexico at a friends house while on vacation. Its the most significant thing of that week. Gave me an incredible insight into the nature of dreams, and causes an incredible paradigm shift between what is real and important, and what is not. Fascinating little culture that haunts the memory with unforgettable imagery. A most important and unique book! Linda Schiller-Hanna
Rating:
Summary: penetrating truth
Review: I read this book in my "mysticism, meditation, and madness" class. It was the beginning of my spiritual rebirth. The truth is hard to dispute and Bryant delivers it in such a way as to entertain and continue to penetrate my ideas. loved it.
Rating:
Summary: penetrating truth
Review: I read this book in my "mysticism, meditation, and madness" class. It was the beginning of my spiritual rebirth. The truth is hard to dispute and Bryant delivers it in such a way as to entertain and continue to penetrate my ideas. loved it.
Rating:
Summary: timeless classic
Review: I read this book over a year ago and still think about it almost every day. It is written in a style that grabs you from the start and keeps you interested all the way through. It is very thought provoking and illustrates a utopian society very well. The deeper lessons within the story really stand out. It is a book you could read several times and learn something new each time.
Rating:
Summary: timeless classic
Review: I read this book over a year ago and still think about it almost every day. It is written in a style that grabs you from the start and keeps you interested all the way through. It is very thought provoking and illustrates a utopian society very well. The deeper lessons within the story really stand out. It is a book you could read several times and learn something new each time.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings about this mostly great book
Review: I was very psyched to read this book and was thrilled to have been given it as a gift. I thought the idea of the Atan culture and the people of Ata were amazing- so many good ideas about how to create a happy, well-run society with value and love for every diverse person. I agree with the many reviewers who urge people to read this book for a life-changing, or at least a perspective-broadening experience. I think we can all learn valuable lessons from the wonderful people of Ata. For a similar type of story, I also recommend Marlo Morgan's Mutant Message Down Under. My main critique of the story is that it is told through the eyes of a lying, thieving, raping, sexist, murdering, privileged, white man, and though he supposedly was changed by his experience on Ata, I never could grow to like him or develop any empathy for him. He later forms a "relationship" with a woman, Augustine, on Ata and I could not bring myself to believe that the characters really shared any love. It seemed like Augustine just went along with whatever the raping, thieving, slime-bucket guy wanted. I wondered about that aspect of Augustine's character and what the author intended to convey by portraying her that way. Perhaps I need to read it again and ponder that, as well as the question of why Ms. Bryant chose such a reprehensible main character to tell her fascinating story. Read it for yourself and see if you find the answers.
Rating:
Summary: utopian wanderings & dreaming the dreamers
Review: I wonder if utopian fiction appeals to us because in our hearts we know that we, humans, are capable of being so very much more than we have been able to manifest so far during out stay on earth. Obviously one of the problems with 'being so much more' is knowing what that "much more" would look like and how we could find our way there if we did know where we wanted to go. Well Dorothy Bryant has some ideas about that. First she gives us a character that obviously doesn't have a clue what a life worth living might look like. He is a mess...possibly a 'success' by some cultural standards, but a failure as a worthwhile person. And, for most of the book he goes on doing ugly outrageous things. Meanwhile we are introduced to another way that is tied to dreaming, sharing dreams, living in accordance with dreams. Behavior that leads to success is tied to respect, to concern but not judgment, to honesty: and maybe most important even to acceptance of a jerk like our protagonist as having a purpose. This may all sound simple. It is...but it's not. That is part of the beauty of this book. It folds layer upon layer of complexity into the pages. It gives you plenty to think about. It is not an action packed book. It is an idea book. But it is also a mystery. Then again it is science fiction and it is philosophy. It is certainly worth reading. It stays with you. Has Bryant got good ideas or not? Probably she does -- but in line with her thinking you would have to consider it yourself and then talk it over with others to answer that question. In part, she seems to believe the everyone has something that s/he is suppose to do with his/her life and finding that will give a person's life the meaning it is meant to have--and that if each of us, working together, could get that piece in place we would discover a social order that might be said to be better than any we've created so far. But then, in the end, you are left to ask how much of the story --and how many of her ideas-- are a dream.
Rating:
Summary: utopian wanderings & dreaming the dreamers
Review: I wonder if utopian fiction appeals to us because in our hearts we know that we, humans, are capable of being so very much more than we have been able to manifest so far during out stay on earth. Obviously one of the problems with 'being so much more' is knowing what that "much more" would look like and how we could find our way there if we did know where we wanted to go. Well Dorothy Bryant has some ideas about that. First she gives us a character that obviously doesn't have a clue what a life worth living might look like. He is a mess...possibly a 'success' by some cultural standards, but a failure as a worthwhile person. And, for most of the book he goes on doing ugly outrageous things. Meanwhile we are introduced to another way that is tied to dreaming, sharing dreams, living in accordance with dreams. Behavior that leads to success is tied to respect, to concern but not judgment, to honesty: and maybe most important even to acceptance of a jerk like our protagonist as having a purpose. This may all sound simple. It is...but it's not. That is part of the beauty of this book. It folds layer upon layer of complexity into the pages. It gives you plenty to think about. It is not an action packed book. It is an idea book. But it is also a mystery. Then again it is science fiction and it is philosophy. It is certainly worth reading. It stays with you. Has Bryant got good ideas or not? Probably she does -- but in line with her thinking you would have to consider it yourself and then talk it over with others to answer that question. In part, she seems to believe the everyone has something that s/he is suppose to do with his/her life and finding that will give a person's life the meaning it is meant to have--and that if each of us, working together, could get that piece in place we would discover a social order that might be said to be better than any we've created so far. But then, in the end, you are left to ask how much of the story --and how many of her ideas-- are a dream.
Rating:
Summary: A magical journey with eternal significance
Review: Imagine waking from an car accident, injured badly - but healed. By who? Mysterious shamans who move in shadows, showing you all the love and sympathy you've lacked in your hollow life. Imagine finally seeing their faces. Beautiful people of all races and mixes between, speaking a foreign language with their lips, but a universal language with their smiles. Imagine then being well enough to see your surroundings - see that while your accident occured in a desert, you are now surrounded by water! This is the genesis of ATA, and by the time you close the book you will find your heart similarly healed - and when you are able, you will see that your surroundings are not what they once were. You only have to want it and believe in it. We're waiting for you! Nagdeo.
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