Mutant Message Down Under: A Woman's Journey into Dreamtime Australia

by Marlo Morgan

book data

1520 ratings, 3.71 average rating, 349 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		28%
4		34%
3		23%
2		8%
1		5%

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published

March 6th 1995 (first published 2004) by HarperCollins

binding

Paperback, 192 pages

isbn

1855384841 (isbn13: 9781855384842)

description

Mutant Message Down Under is the fictional account of an American woman's spiritual odyssey through outback Australia. An underground bestselle...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1780)

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Lauren rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

03/13/07

Wish I could give it no stars. It was a bunch of crap and completely a waste of time to read. What would have been excusably poor writing if the book was truly an autobiographical tale as she leads her readers into believing is however inexcusable as a completely fictitious story in which it is clear that the author has very little insight into the culture and lives of the Australian Aborigines. As a health professional myself, it is clear from several medical descriptions in the book that s...more

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Kathy rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

04/21/08

bookshelves: book-club

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Kathy by: local book club selection

another selection from my local book club - we seem to be on a spiritual/philosophical kick this year. The reviews I saw were either scathing or glowing, so this should be interesting.

Update after reading it: Maybe I just don't have what it takes to appreciate this type of book. The author goes on a totally unplanned (from her perspective) walkabout with a band of Aborigines in Australia (the Real People), who have chosen her to be a messenger to other "mutants". They have deci...more another selection from my local book club - we seem to be on a spiritual/philosophical kick this year. The reviews I saw were either scathing or glowing, so this should be interesting.

Update after reading it: Maybe I just don't have what it takes to appreciate this type of book. The author goes on a totally unplanned (from her perspective) walkabout with a band of Aborigines in Australia (the Real People), who have chosen her to be a messenger to other "mutants". They have decided to let their own race die out but want to share their wisdom before they go. The prose was simple to the point of sounding childish, sprinkled with awkward phrases (e.g., "the patient was open and receptive to receive wellness"; "I began to appreciate, not take for granted, the ability of renewal after a night’s sleep"). Perhaps the author was deliberately matching her writing style to the simple, uncluttered world view of the Aboriginal characters, but I found it distracting. The book was full of improbabilities and contradictions, as when she was able to understand conversations in their native language in one chapter and had to rely on an interpreter in the next (perhaps the role of the interpreter was implied in some cases and stated in others?). The wisdom being shared seemed overly simplistic and clichéd. I struggled to finish.

I could probably have placed this on the same mental shelf as The Alchemist or The Little Prince; that is, a moral message communicated as a fable or parable, so that the improbabilities didn't matter. But the author says in her intro that it is based on her actual experiences, and frequently draws parallels between native wisdom and her own training in medical science. She also includes a testimonial letter from an Aborigine elder at the end, certifying it all as a true representation of his people's value systems and insights.

The last sentences of the book are: "I intend to spend the rest of my life using the knowledge I learned in the Outback. Everything! Even the magic of illusion!" So perhaps it is truth communicated in a parable. Or not true at all, only illusion. Perhaps I am too left-brained to appreciate it. But it didn't ring true to me.

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Julie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

05/25/08

This book is awesome! It's a non fiction about a woman who spends 3 months on a walkabout with Australian Aborigines. It will change your whole perception of American culture.

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3 comments

Tim rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

09/04/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: someone with wanderlust

This is a really great story about an American woman taken on a walkabout through the Australian Outback by one of the last remaining Aborigine tribes. She tells of her adventures and finding her purpose in life, but mostly of her amazement of the Aborigine culture, which is truly astounding. The writing's not great, but she's not a writer. It gets a tad preachy at the end if you don't like to be lectured about the environment. That's supposed to be the whole point of the book, but I appreciated...more

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Kimber rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

10/16/07

I was told the book was an autobiography so I started reading it that way. Right away my sceptical mind determined it was fiction. On the back in very fine print it does say fiction but the author wants you to believe that it is a real journey that she took. I think she may have had a better response to her ideas if she hadn't been trying so hard to sell the idea that the 'walkabout' was real. With that out of the way I really did like the book.

There were chapters that I just skimmed bec...more

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Allyson added it (review of isbn 0060723513)

11/04/07

recommends it for: naive fools and idiots

This book is one of the most offensive pieces of tripe I have ever read. Apart from being appallingly written, her white cultural superiority is difficult to ignore and her misappropriation and lies about the culture and heritage of Australian Indigenous people is horrifying. Her romanticism of a proud culture is nauseating and if anything, only serves to perpetuate the orientalist myth of 'other'.

Ignore this book and any other books she may have written giving 'insight' into Australian Indige...more

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~mj. rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

11/07/07

I really liked the story and was extremely intrigued by the details marlo gives and descriptions of what happened to this woman while hiking. So I decided to look up more info on the internet and found out that at one point she sold the rights to make a movie for $1.8 million and it was protested by several elders of aboriginal tribes. The reason being is that the story never happened and she made it up and based most of it on native american legend. Made me want to return the book.

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Shannon rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

09/25/07

this might be the worst book ever written. I know that it was somewhat controversial due to its content, but to be completely honest I couldn't even be bothered with the content. I've seen essays written by 5th graders with more of a grasp on English grammar. The poor writing quality was too much to get past so the content didn't even matter. I hardly even put a book down before it's finished... I made an exception for this one though! yuck.

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Debi rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

12/07/07

bookshelves: favorites

Read in April, 2004

recommends it for: everyone

This book changed my life. When I read this book, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to become an aboriginal person and learn how to live peacefully within the world. It blew my mind to think of a world without disease. This book opened up the possibility of what life could be, one where life did not constantly revolve around the next fear to conquer. Relaxing into the flow of the universe, I learned that all is truly well.

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Raquel rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

11/26/08

The story piqued my interest and the book came recommended from my sister. What a disappointment. First of all, Marlo Morgan's claims are way off kilter. Secondly, her writing is as good as mine was in the third grade. I do give her points for trying to convey peaceful, happy, self-centering messages, but overall the book is a flop.

After reading the book I researched Marlo Morgan and found out that she merely worked for four months in a pharmacy in Queensland, came back to the United Sta...more

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Diane rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

11/21/08

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is reminiscent of Native American religion and at the same time totally new age in it's message. With messages like 'be kind to the earth', 'we are all connected', etc. the messages strike a cord within the common bonds of humanity, but because the author purports that the account is an actual one, and when you learn that it is totally fictional, I at least, felt lied to and then I didn't enjoy the message as much. Perhaps if read as a work of fict...more

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Kari rated it:

05/14/08

Read in May, 2008

It was ok, but didnt love it. I have read many other books that have inspired me more. Fiction or not, it was a bit slow. I wouldnt read it again.

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2 comments

Natalie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

07/17/08

A beautiful, powerful, simple, real, spiritual book that is easy to read. One of my top 10 of all time... so far!

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1 comment

Michelle rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

09/30/08

Complete load of tripe written by someone who spent too much time in the sun.

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Kim E. rated it:

03/07/08

Utterly ridiculous. Those are the only words I can muster.

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Nicky rated it:

06/16/07

Read in March, 2003

nice easy read but it sticks with you

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Pamela rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

09/24/08

Read in January, 1985

recommends it for: Everyone who can read

If i could only recommend ONE book for someone to read, regardless of gender or age, it would be Mutant Message Down Under. It is a true account (in small chapter doses!) of Marlo Morgan's unique and spiritual experience in the Outback of Australia with an Aborigine Tribe. I love this book because it touches those who read it on a soul-level. Normally, I would not be as interested in a book about surviving the Outback, but this book is so much more!! It is a testiment to faith, to fate, and to...more

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Emily rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

09/20/08

Read in September, 2008

I have read this book three times in my life. The first time I had no expectations. With the second and third (this time) reading I had the thought that the book would be stupid and hokey. But oh man, I love it. It totally makes me want to clean out my house and get rid of all my stuff so that I can just enjoy life and the moment.

The author gets semi-kidnapped by some Australian Aborigines. They go on walk-about across the Outback. I feel my skin getting pink and sunburny just thinki...more

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4 comments

Abby rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

08/03/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 1994

Oh my gosh! I have just experienced a major heartbreak. I read this book when I was in 7th grade, and I always thought it was a true story. I loved it. I imagined I was the author. I read it twice. I also wrote a book report about it for my 7th grade English class.

Then I just read the first line of the book description, where is says "MMDU is a fictional account..." What?! It didn't really happen? I am crushed.

It's about an American writer who does to Australia to supposedly ac...more

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Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723513)

06/15/08

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Lisa by: book club

I couldn't decide whether to mark this book as fiction or nonfiction. The author said she based the book on her experiences, but is writing it as fiction. She is a doctor, but would have made a good lawyer. Maybe those people who have recently gotten in trouble for memoirs that were less then truthful can learn a lesson from this author.
This book is easy to read and sure to spark a discussion about what is real and what could possibly not really have happened. A good example of what is not rea...more

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