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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The narrative elements are intriguing but nothing special and the philosophical insights are convoluted streams of consciousness.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read ZAMM in high school, and something about it stuck with me. I just finished reading it again, and I am amazed that it was assigned to high school students. Yes, the book dives deep into western philosophy which is the basis for our western education, but the philosophy is often thick and swampy, and to make matters worse, it is the philosophy of a madman. A man who can't stop thinking, can't shut off the analysis for even a moment. We, the readers, get dragged through the mire of this madness, with very little reprieve.
Despite the madness and rambling, there is something I find intriguing and enlightening about ZAMM. There are nuggets of truth to be uncovered in these writings, you just have to dig deep, or perhaps, more accutartely, sift through the sludge that is brought up, while working to keep a distance from the madness.
Despite the madness and rambling, there is something I find intriguing and enlightening about ZAMM. There are nuggets of truth to be uncovered in these writings, you just have to dig deep, or perhaps, more accutartely, sift through the sludge that is brought up, while working to keep a distance from the madness.
Couldn't finish the book. The first part was decent, but when he gets off the motorcycle he lost my interest.
If you want to know what all the hype is about regarding "one of the most influential books of the past half-century", give it a read.
If you're wondering how zen concepts can possibly apply to your everyday life, or if you're a fan of philosophy, and how it's shaped today's society you'll probably really enjoy this book. This is the kind of book you can spend time thinking about long after you read it.
Unfortunately, it is tedious. This book is anything but exciting, so don't expect the story of a motorcycle journey, the travel tale takes a backseat to the second story. Dense philosophical discussion is difficult to follow for non-philosophers (although the concepts can indeed be life-changing), and despite the title, zen is actually not mentioned particularly (the concepts are inferred in the text).
I found this book to interesting, but it was difficult to read. I'd have to say, I didn't particularly enjoy the story, but I recognize how the concepts can inspire someone to change his or her life.
If you're wondering how zen concepts can possibly apply to your everyday life, or if you're a fan of philosophy, and how it's shaped today's society you'll probably really enjoy this book. This is the kind of book you can spend time thinking about long after you read it.
Unfortunately, it is tedious. This book is anything but exciting, so don't expect the story of a motorcycle journey, the travel tale takes a backseat to the second story. Dense philosophical discussion is difficult to follow for non-philosophers (although the concepts can indeed be life-changing), and despite the title, zen is actually not mentioned particularly (the concepts are inferred in the text).
I found this book to interesting, but it was difficult to read. I'd have to say, I didn't particularly enjoy the story, but I recognize how the concepts can inspire someone to change his or her life.
This is one of those books where I dislike every character, and not in an entertaining way.
The narrator seems to think that he's wiser than his friend John because he's decided to teach himself to maintain his own motorcycle, while John has instead bought a reliable new bike (a decision which the narrator ascribes to a "romantic" fear of technology). He points out some of John's rookie mistakes, and related frustrations (trying to start the bike with the choke on when it was warm).
But his method doesn't seem to be any better. He fails to notice that he's out of gas and has to abandon his bike because it won't run. He strips a screw and can't complete a repair. More seriously, he endangers himself and his passenger by starting a long road trip with a badly worn tire, and somehow manages to destroy his chain guard along the way. Over the course of the trip in the book, the narrator sends a significant amount of time doing maintenance and fixing problems that John simply doesn't have.
I've tried both of these approaches. I've owned a motorcycle that required a lot of maintenance. Sure, I learned lot about how motorcycles work, but it was also a waste of time to be constantly needing to fix it. I gave it away (okay, sold it for $1) and replaced it with a much newer model that requires almost no maintenance. That's not me being afraid of technology, it's me liking riding better than wrenching.
I didn't find the philosophy in the book any more convincing than the arguments about motorcycles.
The narrator seems to think that he's wiser than his friend John because he's decided to teach himself to maintain his own motorcycle, while John has instead bought a reliable new bike (a decision which the narrator ascribes to a "romantic" fear of technology). He points out some of John's rookie mistakes, and related frustrations (trying to start the bike with the choke on when it was warm).
But his method doesn't seem to be any better. He fails to notice that he's out of gas and has to abandon his bike because it won't run. He strips a screw and can't complete a repair. More seriously, he endangers himself and his passenger by starting a long road trip with a badly worn tire, and somehow manages to destroy his chain guard along the way. Over the course of the trip in the book, the narrator sends a significant amount of time doing maintenance and fixing problems that John simply doesn't have.
I've tried both of these approaches. I've owned a motorcycle that required a lot of maintenance. Sure, I learned lot about how motorcycles work, but it was also a waste of time to be constantly needing to fix it. I gave it away (okay, sold it for $1) and replaced it with a much newer model that requires almost no maintenance. That's not me being afraid of technology, it's me liking riding better than wrenching.
I didn't find the philosophy in the book any more convincing than the arguments about motorcycles.
I've been meaning to read this for 20 years. It's a favorite among all of my best friends, ya know, the ones who all swapped books and authors and favorites of everything in high school, combining all of our personalities into echoes of one another. Somehow this just never made it into my rotation. No one lent it to me. I never just picked it up at a bookstore randomly, surprisingly. I was ecstatic when I realized it would fit the travel square of my book bingo card this year. I initially digitally downloaded it from the library, then about 30 pages in ordered the book to own for myself. It was clear that quickly that I will be referring back to this one regularly.
I doubt I can say anything about this book that hasn't already been said, but I will say this one was important to me. It's been awhile since I've read one of *those* books, the kind that shifted my whole paradigm on how I process life. I found this book entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking, exciting, meditative, sad, and joyful. I will read this again with a highlighter in hand very soon.
I doubt I can say anything about this book that hasn't already been said, but I will say this one was important to me. It's been awhile since I've read one of *those* books, the kind that shifted my whole paradigm on how I process life. I found this book entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking, exciting, meditative, sad, and joyful. I will read this again with a highlighter in hand very soon.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
oh my god i'm so glad i'm done with this book. for the rest of my life, i will cringe when i hear the word "quality." there was enough good stuff in it to make me finish it, but i should have read the book instead of listening to the audiobook so i could skip over all the insanely dull philosophy shit.