Ihmael

he.who.forgets · July 2009

Just curious to see whose read this book by Daniel Quinn and get your thoughts. I've known that it was a bit of an inspiration with the Yield album, specifically Do the Evolution and just got around to reading it. Very intriguing book. Although a little impractical to think that our society could revert back to primitive times but interesting all the same. Guess I'm just posting this cuz I know nobody else that's read this book. Thoughts?

HeavyHands · July 2009

he.who.forgets wrote:

Just curious to see whose read this book by Daniel Quinn and get your thoughts. I've known that it was a bit of an inspiration with the Yield album, specifically Do the Evolution and just got around to reading it. Very intriguing book. Although a little impractical to think that our society could revert back to primitive times but interesting all the same. Guess I'm just posting this cuz I know nobody else that's read this book. Thoughts?

This thread should probably be in AET, but... you should really read "The Story of B." Subscribe to them or don't, Quinn has some pretty interesting takes on world history.

he.who.forgets · July 2009

thanks, i figured after posting that it should have been in a diff category. oh well

vedderfan10 · July 2009

he.who.forgets. forgot.the."s"....

HeavyHands · July 2009

he.who.forgets wrote:

thanks, i figured after posting that it should have been in a diff category. oh well

No worries.

I've always thought that "The Story of B" would translate very well to a suspenseful movie, but I've never been able to figure out how you could cover so much complex information or philosophy in 1.5 - 2 hours of film.

Stephen Flow · July 2009

IShmeal is in my to read pile currently.

the wolf · July 2009

HeavyHands wrote:

he.who.forgets wrote:

thanks, i figured after posting that it should have been in a diff category. oh well

No worries.

I've always thought that "The Story of B" would translate very well to a suspenseful movie, but I've never been able to figure out how you could cover so much complex information or philosophy in 1.5 - 2 hours of film.

and thats the sad part, our instant gratification society that needs the whole plot put right out there in the first 15 min. of a movie. hell, even a song needs to grab them in the first 10 sec. now.

i remember watching 12 angry men in school thinking it was the biggest piece of shit film ever. by the half hour mark i was on the edge of my seat !! still to this day one of my favorite films. it was a slow build. something we cant, or dont have much anymore. can you imagine if the godfather would have come out today ?!?!? people would say it sucked because they would have to invest waaaaay to much time into it to let the plot play out.

sad.

cosmicdavej · July 2009

I read Ishmael in college in probably 1995 and it was a transformative read and is capable of being paradigm shifting. I went on to read Story of B, which I agree is the best of all and the most compelling story, tying things in with religion and Christianity. I recall making custom bumper stickers that read "B-Leaver" . Brings a chuckle to me now. Anyway, I heartily recommend the books. My Ishmael is interesting as well and focuses on tribalism. I've also read Beyond Civilization, Tales of Adam, and a couple of his other works. I would say that Ishmael is basically teachings in the form of a conversation. There is not much plot at all. Story of B takes the teachings to another level, and uses a compelling story and plot that may be more accessible to many readers.

Can't wait for LA and SD!

he.who.forgets · July 2009

cosmicdavej wrote:

I read Ishmael in college in probably 1995 and it was a transformative read and is capable of being paradigm shifting. I went on to read Story of B, which I agree is the best of all and the most compelling story, tying things in with religion and Christianity. I recall making custom bumper stickers that read "B-Leaver" . Brings a chuckle to me now. Anyway, I heartily recommend the books. My Ishmael is interesting as well and focuses on tribalism. I've also read Beyond Civilization, Tales of Adam, and a couple of his other works. I would say that Ishmael is basically teachings in the form of a conversation. There is not much plot at all. Story of B takes the teachings to another level, and uses a compelling story and plot that may be more accessible to many readers.

Can't wait for LA and SD!

Thanks for all the feedback. i will certainly have to check out Quinn's other works you mention here.

ponner1us · July 2009

I think this:

Seems that needlessly it's getting harder
To find an approach and a way to live

sums it up nicely. I think it's a very interesting view/take on "life," but short on practical solutions. But all in all, a great book.

QuadrupleDeke · July 2009

http://allendowney.com/essays/quinn.html

Link is to an essay a former professor of mine wrote, explaining why Ishmael is his least favorite book of all time. He is a brilliant man, so whether you like the book or not the essay is probably worth a read.

cannotstaylong · July 2009

Going along with the Yield connection/inspiration, you should check out The Master and Margarita. "Pilate" was supposedly inspired by this book, and I remember reading somewhere that more of the album was as well.

mkeen411 · July 2009

This is a great book. I read My Ishmael and The Story of B also. Daniel Quinn has some very interesting ideas and takes on humanity but all three of these books are essentially the same idea with different story lines.

I would recommend reading the last bit of The Story of B since these are basically all the teachings of each book.

brainofe · July 2009

I read it and I liked it, made me feel like i wished i was born in a different place and time. oh well, back to buying prepackaged food.

Ihmael

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