Daniel Quinn asserts that there are two types of living beings: Takers and Leavers. While I accept the premise of his hypothesis, I found the book insufferable. I was unable to relate to a book whose great teacher is a gorilla who communicates telepathically with his human student. More importantly I took exception to the theme that people of the Abrahamic faiths are takers as a direct response to their religion.

In homage to Quinn's theory, I choose to "leave" Ishmael. ( )

Ishmael is looking for a student, a student that wants to change the world. He finds one in our author and together they delve into the history of man, the universe, and our current culture. They cover everything from why we do the things we do, to how things got to be this way, to how we are living against the laws of nature. We follow the author through not only a quest for knowledge, but an emotional quest that teaches him about himself and makes him take a close look at what he believes. This is one of those books that stays with you forever, and has the potential to change how you think about the world around you.

This is definitely a book that is going to make my own personal list of ‘Must Reads”. If I could give a book 6 stars, then I would give this one 6/5. I read it twice, back to back and was just as awed when I finished the second time as I was the first.

It’s given me a new motto in life “You can’t change how people act without first changing how they think.” ( )

A good read to make you think about the sentience of other species, how they might interpret what humanity does, and why humanity is progressing as it is. ( )

Are you the sort of person who hears other people discussing books and finding yourself wondering how they can even form opinions on stories? I mean, either you like it or you don't, right? Well, if that's you, then read this book, The Giver, and Siddhartha (if that sounds like too much, substitute Jonathan Livingston Seagull for the latter). Once you've done that, you'll feel all sorts of strange emotions and ideas swirling around inside you and you, too, will be able to talk about how a book made you think.

Then, you should watch Donnie Darko (which will become your favorite movie), and you can talk about how movies make you think, too. Soon, you'll be readin' and thinkin' and talkin' up a storm. It's just like a dog who eats grass so he can understand horses. ( )

The old joke says that the world is divided into two kinds of people, the kind that believes that the world is divided into two kinds of people, and the kind that doesn't believe that. The book that brought that to mind is Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. I am told there are Ishmaelites out there who think this book is the be-all and end-all. On the cover of my edition, a reviewer divides his reading into pre and post Ishmael. I am sorry to say I am not joining the Ishmaelites. The author presents his ideology, moderately interesting, akin to Coelho's The Alchemist. The Socratic figure in the dialogue is a gorilla. How cute. The world, we are told, is divided into Takers and Leavers. Hmmm, O.K. It would be nice, we are urged, if we all turned into Leavers, from our present stance of Takers. Lovely. Thanks. The next act to audition today, ladies and gentlemen, will be singing an original composition entitled "All we are saying is give peace a chance." ( )