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Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
 

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit

by Daniel Quinn

The narrator of this extraordinary tale is a man  in search for truth. He answers an ad in a local  newspaper from a teacher looking for serious  pupils, only to find himself alone in an abandoned  office with a full-grown gorilla who is nibbling  delicately on a slender branch. "You are the  teacher?" he asks incredulously. "I am  the teacher," the gorilla replies. Ishmael is  a creature of... (read more)

Top tags: fiction,  philosophy,  spirituality,  anthropology,  environment (all tags)

Discussions

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  • Rajaram V

    rajaram v said:

    “Hmmm... well, I woul'nt quite call it philosophy but an idea that challenges us to question the path our species has taken and why the planet earth had 3 billion humans in 1960 and 6.6 billion now and growing... For more meaningful philosophy that puts it in its right place as nothing more than just another concept as the rest of this.... read Ramesh Balsekar..”

    posted Wednesday, June 25 2008
  • tracey s

    tracey s said:

    “Dyetay, I bought my copy of 'My Ishmael' on Amazon.com. It's interesting, when reading it you almost feel as if it should have been read before Ishmael. All of us who procreate should read this and think about the life we leave behind for those who will inherit the earth after we're gone.
    Extremely thought provoking. Love them both equally.”

    posted Thursday, May 15 2008
  • DyeTaY

    dyetay said:

    “yeah, I really like and love this book, I read it for a school paper for my philo class and I'm really thankful to that professor because it opened my mind a good deal about life and mankind. I didn't know there was a sequel, I doubt if they are for sale here in the philippines”

    posted Saturday, May 10 2008
  • Kiki68

    kiki68 said:

    “Maybe the idea of this book is admirable (although I would question that as well), but I found it quite dull and very poorly written. Not a good book or read. Everyone is entitled to their opinion! I don't consider myself a "negative nancy" at all--I am a very positive person who did not like this book, that's all. This book is though!”

    posted Saturday, May 10 2008
  • nutmegballs

    nutmegballs said:

    “If you liked "Ishmael", try "My Ishmael" and "The Story of B", both by Quinn. They are "sequels" in the sense that they further explore the ideas laid out in the first book, and they are excellent, whether read for philosophical reasons, or simply for enjoyment.”

    posted Saturday, May 10 2008
  • Laura N

    laura n said:

    “im also extremely surprised to see so many negatives. i think this book is brilliant. to each his own indeed, but the negative nancies shouldnt deny that the description of mankind is dead on.”

    posted Wednesday, May 7 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Jennie P

    jennie p said:

    “Wow, I'm surprised to see so many negative reviews. I thought this book was amazing - absolutely compelling. Even if you don't agree with all of it, there's some profound food for thought here. Found it great to see our 'big picture' articulated so well and very important to consider the elements of fear in our culture that result in our selfish, anxiety ridden behavior. How happy is our culture making us REALLY? Think this book points out some fundamental points that deserve serious consideration.”

    posted Tuesday, May 6 2008
  • The Artist FKA Hoopidy Fly Pimp Mac Daddy Re-Kleiner O-19er Coming In For A Landing Boy He's A Hella Fresh Taco Bell Connoisseur

    the artist fka hoopidy fly pimp mac daddy re-kleiner o-19er coming in for a landing boy he's a hella fresh taco bell connoisseur said:

    “i couldn't have said it better myself.”

    posted Tuesday, March 25 2008
  • Angelina S

    angelina s said:

    “Totally agree. Ishmael is the kind of nonsense that some dopey teachers make you read in high school and then give you a C on your cleverly scathing paper because they expected you to have some sort of profound, mind-blowing experience (never happened to me, well, actually, yes it did). I'm not a big fan either, but to each his own, I guess. I should probably re-read it as an adult before trashing it, but oh well.”

    posted Tuesday, March 25 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Kiki68

    kiki68 said:

    “I found this book laughable. When I saw it won the "illustrious" Turner Tomorrow award after reading about 8 years ago, I decided to do some research to see what other books have been awarded this fine recognition. Guess what? No one else ever has! It was given out one time only!

    I consider myself a very liberal minded person, as well as an animal lover and feel time would be better spent reading 1984, Brave New World or any James Herriott if you really want to read something life changing about our world and its future. I found this book rather silly, although I understand there are some who found it very profound. Guess I just didn't get it, but I did try and made an honest effort--I would not recommend it to others... ”

    posted Monday, March 24 2008
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