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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Though at times it read almost as a conspiracy theory it definitely gets you thinking about the way we live as a “civilized” society. It makes you reconsider some cultural ideas that we take for granted as fact. It’s a fairly quick read and worth the time in my opinion.
I believe this was my third time reading this book in the course of my lifetime. This time I was promoted by a friend who had picked it up for the first time and was wrestling (in the good way) with the framework shift that occurs. Wanting to more fully participate in the conversation I pulled it from my shelf and read it as well.
It continues to speak wisdom and challenges me both as an individual and now as a pastor to acknowledge and be aware of the story I am telling and living out. Quinn provides an accessible prose which delves deeply into the core complexities of our culture that appear to be driving us to the brink of self-annihilation. Sometimes we get so caught in the symptoms of our society and trying to "fix" those, that we forget to look at our culpability in the perpetuation of our own destruction.
What I love about this book is how it shifts my thinking. Unfortunately, it's never a one and done sort of enterprise. I can't read this book and be "fixed" or utterly transformed forever. Instead it required a lifetime of shifting small things, language, values, what I teach my children, how I speak about and understand God, humanity and our relationship to creation that have the capacity to shift our trajectory as a people.
I will say I was frustrated by Quinn's rather antiquated language choice of "man" for the universal "humanity." In the discussion of the creation of Taker Culture it makes sense as that is clearly patriarchal, but in all other instances it's a nuisance. It's not necessary and it feels intentional. In a book arguing for a shift in culture it would make sense to model inclusive language. Frustrating yes, but it doesn't discount the challenge and the insights of Quinn or his characters...at least not for me.
"Ishmael" is a profound and worldview altering novel I would highly recommend.
It continues to speak wisdom and challenges me both as an individual and now as a pastor to acknowledge and be aware of the story I am telling and living out. Quinn provides an accessible prose which delves deeply into the core complexities of our culture that appear to be driving us to the brink of self-annihilation. Sometimes we get so caught in the symptoms of our society and trying to "fix" those, that we forget to look at our culpability in the perpetuation of our own destruction.
What I love about this book is how it shifts my thinking. Unfortunately, it's never a one and done sort of enterprise. I can't read this book and be "fixed" or utterly transformed forever. Instead it required a lifetime of shifting small things, language, values, what I teach my children, how I speak about and understand God, humanity and our relationship to creation that have the capacity to shift our trajectory as a people.
I will say I was frustrated by Quinn's rather antiquated language choice of "man" for the universal "humanity." In the discussion of the creation of Taker Culture it makes sense as that is clearly patriarchal, but in all other instances it's a nuisance. It's not necessary and it feels intentional. In a book arguing for a shift in culture it would make sense to model inclusive language. Frustrating yes, but it doesn't discount the challenge and the insights of Quinn or his characters...at least not for me.
"Ishmael" is a profound and worldview altering novel I would highly recommend.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Abridged audio book version. (Would've preferred the full version, though.)
Loved the central conclusions of the book on the different relationships between "leavers," "takers," and the world. Liked the biblical retellings. Didn't love the Socratic method by the end of the book. Didn't like the mischaracterization of ecosystem stability and animal behavior to support unnecessary premises or the lack of comment on genocide/implied promotion of mass starvation in the population problem.
This book is unapologetic in its criticism of our dominant culture. After naming the problem in a creative way that I hadn't seen before, I felt a lot of hope and direction. This book is written with confidence- it wouldn't work without this conviction, but that same conviction could be off-putting to other readers. The dynamic between Ishmael and the narrator was occasionally grating, but the substance of the book was engaging and meaningful enough to enjoy the read.
This book is unapologetic in its criticism of our dominant culture. After naming the problem in a creative way that I hadn't seen before, I felt a lot of hope and direction. This book is written with confidence- it wouldn't work without this conviction, but that same conviction could be off-putting to other readers. The dynamic between Ishmael and the narrator was occasionally grating, but the substance of the book was engaging and meaningful enough to enjoy the read.
3/5. I tried so hard to read this with an open mind and fictional undertones and I liked it. I liked the plot, I liked the character of Ishmael, I liked the flow of the story.
I hated everything Daniel Quinn though… I had to resort to an audiobook cause the writing cadence drove me crazy. Then, the main pupil character is such a shallow minded idiot. It relies on such a black and white, pessimistic, one sided view of the world. I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes.
I hated everything Daniel Quinn though… I had to resort to an audiobook cause the writing cadence drove me crazy. Then, the main pupil character is such a shallow minded idiot. It relies on such a black and white, pessimistic, one sided view of the world. I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes.