My Ishmael
by Daniel Quinn
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1728)
Read in February, 2006
My Ishmael is, of course, the sequel to Daniel Quinn's novel Ishmael. This book focuses on much the same subject matter as the first book. Namely, that the agricultural revolution gave rise over time to the modern-day Taker culture. With this rise the Taker's put forth the attitude that they were in control of their own destiny and chose to live in a seemingly unnatural way. They decided for themselves to conquer the world without care of the consequences to all other life. Quinn's main assertio...more
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It's not that I didn't like this book. I did. But, instead of writing this book in a form which uses dialogue between the characters, Quinn should have simply written a discourse on his beliefs of the world. While his theories and ideas were extremely interesting, the dialogue became tiresome very quickly. I had to put the book aside because, honestly, it started to irritate me.
So, Mr. Quinn, if you are reading this, spare us the monotony of boring dialogue and just write a dissertation ...more
So, Mr. Quinn, if you are reading this, spare us the monotony of boring dialogue and just write a dissertation ...more
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Read in February, 2001
More of the message. My Ishmael takes place in parallel with Ishmael, but focuses on his teachings with a 12 year-old girl. I didn't place a five-star rating here mainly because the lesson is essentially
the same. But the content is on a different slant, since, as Ishmael points out, everyone will take something different from their sessions.
A lot of very interesting ideas in this outing, particularly with the roles of schooling in the Taker (our society). If you are unhappy or unfulfilled ...more
the same. But the content is on a different slant, since, as Ishmael points out, everyone will take something different from their sessions.
A lot of very interesting ideas in this outing, particularly with the roles of schooling in the Taker (our society). If you are unhappy or unfulfilled ...more
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Read in March, 2008
I didn't love this book...but I didn't hate it either. It was very thought-provoking. The beginning was very confusing for me and maybe that is because I haven't read Ishmael before reading this one. I hated how the girl, Julie, just "happened" to read a newspaper advertisement to be a pupil and just "happened" to want to get to be a pupil and find Ishmael. I don't think it would really work that way in reality and I hated the way the first part of the book went. I didn't ...more
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Read in September, 2000
recommended to Stacey by:
Jim Keenerrecommends it for: anyone looking to save the world, or at least their tiny space in it.
My Ishmael is a continuation of Daniel Quinn's book, Ishmael. Although it acts as a companion piece, it is not necessary to read the series in any particular order. I prefer My Ishmael to its predecessor because the main character, (other than the telepathic gorilla), is a young girl and, as I read this in my twenties, it was easy to relate to her views on humanity and modern culture.
Also, like Ishmael, this book helps readers to question their place in the world and the views of humanity an...more
Also, like Ishmael, this book helps readers to question their place in the world and the views of humanity an...more
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Ishmael from the perspective of an adolescent girl. A more enjoyable read than the original novel but you should read Ishmael first for perspective.
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Read in January, 2003
recommends it for:
everyone
This and the book Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn, really fit together very nicely to expand on the philosophy. I don't think it matters which one you read first. Both books are thinly disguised fiction, and in reality they are philosophy books. Ishmael is a gorilla teacher. Yes, a gorilla who teaches one receptive person at a time about finding the ways our world works and looking for the myths we are taught. My Ishmael deals with a teenaged girl, where Ishmael has an adult male as the student of...more
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Very thought provoking look at what true sustainability might look like, presented as a bizarre dialog with a telepathic ape.
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It's about people, it's about the planet, it's about possibilities. Assume nothing and open your mind to Ishmael.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Everybody
Out of the Ishmael trilogy, this was my favorite. Julie Gerchak, the pupil, is a significantly more interesting character than Alan Lomax (the main character from Ishmael). Also, this book touches on significant aspects of our society that were left untouched in both Ishmael and the Story of B, such as schools, the economy and war. I felt that My Ishmael did the most to inspire me to start thinking, planning and talking about alternatives to our collective misery by offering some positive jum...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
People who liked Ishmael
If there were half stars on this rating system, I'd have given it another half star cause it was DEFINATELY better than its predecessor, Ishmael. That is probably because the main character, 12 year old Julie Gerchak, kicks Alan Lomax's butt. She's much more interesting and amusing and, well, much brighter than Alan. As a result, her lessons with Ishmael are much more fast-paced and her chemistry with Ishmael is also more intriguing. It was more interesting than the original, but a lot of wh...more
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