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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I. Love. This. Book. Enough so that I will need to have a real paper copy, probably forever. Enough so that I will recommend it to anyone who I think has the patience to read it. And speaking of patience, as a person who recently went to school to be a writer (which is as close to "writer" as I'm comfortable defining myself--lack of gumption, maybe?), I couldn't help but notice how very patient Pirsig is with himself. ZAMM is a complicated piece of thinking, which may culminate in this paragraph:
"Phaedrus remembered a line from Thoreau: 'You never gain something but that you lose something.' And now he began to see for the first time the unbelievable magnitude of what man, when he gained power to understand and rule the world in terms of dialectic truths, had lost. He had built empires of scientific capability to manipulate the phenomena of nature into enormous manifestations of his own dreams of power and wealth--but for this he had exchanged an empire of understanding of equal magnitude: an understanding of what it is to be a part of the world, and not an enemy of it."
This is a paragraph which could only come after 486 pages of leadup and explanation and well-crafted narrative and perfectly articulated terms. You have to admire the ambition of this author, and you have to be in awe that he achieved it so beautifully. To be sure, the patience and commitment required of the reader here, while surely just a fraction of what it must have taken to write it, is great--but so worth it. Because it's not just that reading ZAMM renders obscure-seeming paragraphs like the one I quoted above into easily understood material; I mean, Pirsig isn't on some kind of high horse. On the contrary, he aims to be as low to the ground as he can be: riding cross-country with his son, on a machine he--and we--can understand.
"Phaedrus remembered a line from Thoreau: 'You never gain something but that you lose something.' And now he began to see for the first time the unbelievable magnitude of what man, when he gained power to understand and rule the world in terms of dialectic truths, had lost. He had built empires of scientific capability to manipulate the phenomena of nature into enormous manifestations of his own dreams of power and wealth--but for this he had exchanged an empire of understanding of equal magnitude: an understanding of what it is to be a part of the world, and not an enemy of it."
This is a paragraph which could only come after 486 pages of leadup and explanation and well-crafted narrative and perfectly articulated terms. You have to admire the ambition of this author, and you have to be in awe that he achieved it so beautifully. To be sure, the patience and commitment required of the reader here, while surely just a fraction of what it must have taken to write it, is great--but so worth it. Because it's not just that reading ZAMM renders obscure-seeming paragraphs like the one I quoted above into easily understood material; I mean, Pirsig isn't on some kind of high horse. On the contrary, he aims to be as low to the ground as he can be: riding cross-country with his son, on a machine he--and we--can understand.
I first read this book in high school and didn't get it. That is, I didn't get why people raved about it. I think I must have read it too literally and focussed too much on the superficial events narrated.
Something drew me to give it another go. This time I listened to what the author was trying to say. So I got it, I think. Do I get why people raved about it back in the eighties? I guess so. It has an interesting, if not unique, way of blending together accounts of the physical world alongside philosophical reflections and the protagonist's inner and self searchings. Does it do more than this? I'm not sure it does. I kept trying to "interpret" the writing for something meaningful or transcendental. I got close on a couple of occasions but I can't say it's changed me or changed the way I think about the world.
But it was oddly compelling - almost relaxing - and I'm glad I read it through to the end.
Something drew me to give it another go. This time I listened to what the author was trying to say. So I got it, I think. Do I get why people raved about it back in the eighties? I guess so. It has an interesting, if not unique, way of blending together accounts of the physical world alongside philosophical reflections and the protagonist's inner and self searchings. Does it do more than this? I'm not sure it does. I kept trying to "interpret" the writing for something meaningful or transcendental. I got close on a couple of occasions but I can't say it's changed me or changed the way I think about the world.
But it was oddly compelling - almost relaxing - and I'm glad I read it through to the end.
A daunting read. Its scope -- three stories of complete different sorts in one -- is near maddening. It's a good thing that it is so by design, and though the reading may descend towards that near maddening level for those of us not quite experts at logic, it's a good thing that this is an intended feature, not a bug.
A culture-bearing book for the world strikingly resonant to this day. Must read and read carefully.
A culture-bearing book for the world strikingly resonant to this day. Must read and read carefully.
For a classic I was clearly expecting more!
A simple short story built on an introduction to various philosophical lines of thinking, on which it's possible to reflect on a lot of things. In accordance with the story though, it requires the reader to do that work themselves.
A simple short story built on an introduction to various philosophical lines of thinking, on which it's possible to reflect on a lot of things. In accordance with the story though, it requires the reader to do that work themselves.
A winding story about discovery, family, philosophy and mental illness.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When this came out I'm sure it was amazing and ground breaking. Now it just feels done. Not a bad read. I think I would have gotten some wonderfully inspiring moments and insights if I had read this when I was in high school. It's one of those books that I think set the ton for a generation of books after it and because I read some of those books and have had those discussions the book isn't really my thing now.
I will say I had many high school boys, around 11th grade, say they loved the book and it changed them. I might teach it someday or suggest it for a summer reading list.
I will say I had many high school boys, around 11th grade, say they loved the book and it changed them. I might teach it someday or suggest it for a summer reading list.
Original, yes. coherent? Maybe not. Writing quality? Not exemplary.
Repackaging western philosophy and eastern beliefs into this amalgam of philosophy x scientific treatise on reality and morals. It’s neither here or there on both points. But I can see how it can resonate with some that find the sources of the author’s ideas harder to digest.
Repackaging western philosophy and eastern beliefs into this amalgam of philosophy x scientific treatise on reality and morals. It’s neither here or there on both points. But I can see how it can resonate with some that find the sources of the author’s ideas harder to digest.