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Title: My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn ISBN: 0-553-37965-8 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 06 October, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.35 (74 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: My Ishmael Review
Comment: I really enjoyed reading My Ishmael. It has a very unusual point of view and opens up new ideas. It is good for people to read who want a new outlook on the changes of human culture and how it has changed throughout history. It talks about how humans have a negative effect on the earth and how it is possible and necessary for the human culture to change.
Rating: 4
Summary: Save the Planet, and Tie-up Loose Ends
Comment: Daniel Quinn's My Ishmael is the third installment in his "Save the Earth" trilogy (Ishmael, The Story of B, and finally, My Ishmael). In this book, Ishmael, the telepathic gorilla, attempts to seal up some of his many loose ends found in Quinn's previous two installments by relaying his knowledge to a 12 year-old girl. I liked the first two books enough to keep on reading, however, Quinn's style takes a grain of salt to take it all in.
The entire concept of the Quinn's books are to convey to the reader that we "civilized" humans have developed, and entrenched ourselves, in a system of living that is doomed to fail. It's not an anti-capitalism, pro-socialist treatise per se, however, most of the tenets of capitalism could be found flawed in Quinn's assessment. Basically, Ishmael (Quinn) has determined that native peoples have survived for hundreds of thousands of years longer than "civilized" peoples because: a) tribal cultures don't lock up their food so that you have to buy it (this locking up of food results in poverty, war, and dissent, according to Quinn); b) hunter/gather societies (with some agriculture) have been able to sustain their likelihood without disrupting family, wealth (in tribal terms), prosperity, and the environment.
Contrary to this, are the tenets of our "civilized" society. They lock up food (a substance that should be free to all humans just like air or water) and place it in the power of the wealthy who then redistribute it to those who can pay for it. This basic concept (capitalism, essentially) spawns a vast array of problems: poverty for those that can't afford to pay for the simple necessities of life (no tribal system would allow any of its members to go hungry, simply because that would mean the degradation of the tribe); family degradation, war over who owns what, and crime in general because basic necessities are no longer open for the taking. Also, this "civilized" system can only grow and live if it constantly consumes (with no regard to replacing that which it consumes). So, on this note, Quinn is quite right; we cannot continually consume. There is simply not enough resources to sustain our population (and what do we do when we run out of resources? Traditionally, we destroy or displace other populations to gain their resources).
So, we're all supposed to revert to some grand-scale tribal system (also known as socialism to some)? The 12 year-old girl asks exactly this. Ishmael (Quinn) makes a strong point here that he has never suggested such a thing. He is merely pointing out the flaws, and suggesting a starting point to fixing the problem. I can buy that on some levels, but mostly, he is suggesting that tribal systems are better than our current system, which is true on many levels, but a tribal system of living would be impossible with over 6 billion people on the planet (which, to Quinn's defense, he poignantly acknowledges).
Overall, it's a good read even if it leaves the reader with a million more questions (which I supposes is the whole point). Quinn leads the reader to believe in each of these books that his message is complete when in fact, it is far from it. He leads one to believe that he's done his job as a "Save the world" teacher when in fact he leads much to be desired. However, with that said, Quinn's book is definitely worth reading (start with the first book Ishmael). Even his conclusions are naive, they raise some vital questions about where our culture is heading. With all his flaws, Quinn is a must, if only to get you thinking in a completely different direction: can we continue to consume without replenishment, and while capitalism has proven extremely fruitful, is there a better form of capitalism that is more conducive to global prosperity on all levels?
Rating: 2
Summary: Pre-chewed food
Comment: I borrowed "My Ishmael" from my seatmate on a transcontinental flight. The style is pedantic and ponderous, offering a few simplistic concepts repeated with only narrative variation rather than any sort of logical progression. This book will appeal to those looking for simple, quasi-mystical answers to to personal feelings of need and inadequacy. I hope it makes people feel better because it certainly won't inform them or teach them to think more critically.
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Title: Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn ISBN: 0553375407 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Story of B by Daniel Quinn ISBN: 0553379011 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 03 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Beyond Civilization : Humanity's Next Great Adventure by Daniel Quinn ISBN: 0609805363 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 07 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Providence by Daniel Quinn ISBN: 0553375490 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 May, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Man Who Grew Young by Daniel Quinn, Tim Eldred ISBN: 1893956172 Publisher: Context Books Pub. Date: 15 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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