was very bored with this book and didn't really get anything new out of it. i don't think quinn presented the material very well either. the book basically consist of a series of conversations between some pretentious guy and an ape. whatever. ( )

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." ( )

Ishmael, a mountain gorilla, advertises for a pupil, and when the pupil arrives, leads him in a philosophical discussion concerning the fate of the world. Ishmael posits that there are two different cultures operating on Earth, Takers and Leavers. "Civilized" humans, those of us with jobs and houses and refrigerators and computers, are Takers. "Primitive" cultures such as the aboriginal peoples of Africa, Australia and the like, and all animals on Earth are Leavers. Takers, much as their name implies, wrest everything they want, indeed what they believe they are entitled to have, from the Earth by force. Leavers, in contrast, take only what they need and leave the rest. The discussion, presented in the form of a Socratic dialogue, centers on how "modern" man turned into a Taker.

The cover of this book quotes a reviewer from The Whole Earth Review, Jim Britell: "From now on I will divide the books I have read into two categories -- the ones I read before ISHMAEL and those read after." I won't go quite that far, but the story is certainly thought-provoking. And although I'm not inclined to abandon my Taker lifestyle and embrace any back-to-the-land movement, nor am I likely to recruit disciples for Quinn/Ishmael's philosophy, I certainly can make small improvements in the way I treat my surroundings. ( )

I love this book. Even if the story itself is not engrossing, it is not meant as anything other than a tool to carry the author's opinions.Be advised, this is an ideology book, and if you find the ideology* disagreeable, you will find the book disagreeable.I liked the way he makes his arguments, I do not know if they will stand to scrutiny right now, but at the time of reading, it worked. The "mentor" character asks the protagonist questions, which are hard to think of answers for (at least within 5 minutes), and the answers he gives are convincing, or seem that way.Even if you dislike the ideology, I find his reading on the origin of the Cain and Abel story simply fascinating.* The ideology is about preserving Earth and mankind's nature and place as an animal. ( )

I really like all of Quinn's books. The main problem is that he asks lots of really good questions and really doesn't provide any answers. Definitely a good read though. ( )

You must read this. Right. Now. Go. If you agree with what is being said, read the other two in the trilogy! Daniel Quinn is such a unique thinker but at the same time, what he says seems so obvious. One of my favorites. ( )

Ishmael is could be one of the most important books I've read in my entire life. There are a few of those books out there which are supposed to change people's lives forever, and for me, this is one of them. Reading Ishmael will actually get you to the point where you will start questioning what you used to think were the most obvious things about the way you lived your life. It is definitely well-written, its ideas are well-supported, as well as intriguing and captivating. It does not contain an enormous amount of plot, because the story is a very fascinating, extreme, and almost alien history of humankind.
It is possible that by reading this book you may better be able to define yourself as a person. You will find something out about yourself based on how you view humankind after you read this book. You will find yourself perhaps in a similar situation as the narrator. Will you defend our culture to the death, or are you removed enough from the rest of humanity to choose the other path? Ishmael is sometimes called an environmentalist book and yet the contents of this novel are both well-supported as well as radical enough to blend the concepts of saving our earth with extreme brutality.
I personally very much enjoyed this book and can't imagine how in the dark I was before reading it. It is something that I recommend, not as a good novel, but as something necessary to read as members of the human race. It could be a book like this-- and I can't imagine there being any OTHER book like this-- (besides another one of Daniel Quinn's works) that actually ends up saving the world. This book is not for those who can't be open-minded, unless perhaps this could change you. I feel like this is a book which yearns to be read; and I would share it with every relative: parent, uncle, aunt, sibling, and it could be shared with children too who can take in radical ideas. I think, in fact, that it should be.

Ishmael was a book recommended to me from all sides; I heard it had changed Jeff Earnest's life, Mr. Reed said it was great, and anyone who had ever heard of it immediately ordered me to read it. The book has a very simple plot; a huge gorilla relates the story of mankind and the world to the narrator over a course of time. There's a minimal plot concerning the origins of Ishmael the gorilla and what goes on with him in the real world, but the vast majority of the novel is just a discussion of the role humans have played in the world in the past 10,000 years.

The surrounding plot line involving the narrator and his life has it's own search for self theme as this unnamed narrator was of the 60s-70s "make love not war" kind of crowd, but was then convinced the world could not be helped once that sort of counter-culture had died off. His conversations with Ishmael are his own search for self, however the book as a whole can be viewed as mankind's "search for self". Daniel Quinn writes that we as a species must look at how we're conducting ourselves on a global scale and what consequences that may have.

At first glance this seems like one of those far left hippie books about environmentalism, but it goes deeper than that and actually has it's share of twists. Liberals and conservatives alike have a lot to be gained from what this book has to say, and frankly both will be very surprised at some things that are said. The book also goes deep into the culture of mankind for the past 10,00 years, and particularly the Western religion of more "recent" times. I guarantee it, your mind will be blown as some point in this novel. This isn't to say that everything is totally groundbreaking, but their certainly are some incredibly interesting points made that I hadn't really considered before, and I sometimes sit around and think about this stuff to pass time. My recommendation is that which I received: read it, immediately. ( )

Ishmael is truly an adventure of mind and spirit. You will question a lot of the things you know, and believe. It certainly changed the way I think about things I see around me in the world. The truly incredible thing is how this is done through a simple straight forward dialog. There are only two characters in the book, and yet you learn more about the characters then you will out of most books that have complex character development, and subplots. In our English class we have been studying books that relate to the idea of searching for one’s self. This is a book that fits into that certainly fits into this category.

In the beginning it doesn’t seem to be what you are doing, searching for yourself. But as the book progresses you find that you have done so without knowing. The story is engaging and deep which will suck you in, making it hard to put down. However, don’t try reading it unless you’re in the mood to think a lot. Because if you’re not, than you won’t get the same experience that you should. Ishmael is able to connect with several themes which we all can relate to with varying degrees. A major one is religion: the book does not single out one religion but talks about the study of religion as a whole.

I would strongly recommend that everyone read this book at least once in their life. Its ideas may even seem radical to some, but when you set the book down you will say to yourself “why didn’t I think of this before”. I guarantee it. Be mindful of every story told in the book because each one has multiply meanings, and connotations. I have already started reading the next book in the series The Life of B, because of how much I enjoyed Ishmael. ( )

The setting of Ishmael is an odd one. It is not often that you see a gorilla and a human being in the same room talking...er...thinking to each other. If that is not enough, these two characters discuss intricate topics such as culture, philosophy, and the world that combines them. Ishmael (gorilla) teaches his pupil about the traditions of his culture, and points out (or, makes his pupil out) what is wrong with them, and how we, as a culture, should fix them.
Because the unnamed character is digesting new material about his culture, it is forcing him to rethink the way he lived his life, which enacts his search for self. In his search, the unnamed character battles tradition with fact, but which will overcome?
I enjoyed reading this book because Ishmael takes historical stories, and puts a twist on them, making the reader rethink the story in a way never seen before. However, there is minimal plot in this book, seeing is that it is mostly two creatures sitting in a room discussing life. Because of this, the ending is predictable, leaving the reader a bit disappointed. However, the reader will walk away with a new sense of how their culture enacts their story, possibly troubling them. The question is: Is this a good thing? ( )

In a world where things are dismal at best- waging wars, environmental blunder, homelessness, starvation, overpopulation, etc., Ishmael offers a bit of insight and a lot of hope. In Daniel Quinn’s novel, he has chosen someone so different, yet enough the same, to enlighten one of our very own. He has chosen Ishmael, a gorilla that has lived a long, intricate life, and placed him in an office building with a human. Ishmael, from his long and intricate life, has made many astute observations of human societies and has developed taste for sharing. Realizing no matter how sage he may be that he is still a coarse haired, 400 pound mammal, he seeks someone who may learn from his observations and hopefully save the world from its downward spiral. He places an ad in the personal column.

“Teacher seeks pupil
. Must have an earnest desire to save the world.
Apply in person.”

Ishmael does more than point out the obvious, in fact he does just the opposite once his ad is answered. He and his pupil, the 5th of four failures, take a journey together as they examine the past, present and future. Ishmael uses his knowledge of ancient maps and text, including the globally interpreted Bible, to support his conclusions. However, he doesn’t allow his knowledge to boil over, spilling over onto his overwhelmed student; he and his student have deep conversations while Ishmael skillfully leads him to the truth. That’s not to say that the pupil automatically knows every answer to Ishmael’s well thought out inquiries, its actually quite the contrary. That’s what makes this novel so effective- the way that it’s written. Once you get to the end, it seems so clear, so blatantly obvious what people need to do in order to fix the world, but it truly takes the 263 pages to get there. Quinn slowly but surely allows you to develop your thoughts alongside Ishmael’s pupil. Quinn allows him to ask the questions that you yourself would surely ask, as if you were there with him. By the end you are invigorated with truth, and with an earnest desire to save the world.
I 100% percent recommend that everyone reads this book. Ishmael (it’s much more fun to give props to a gorilla than a man named Quinn) doesn’t present you with any sort of new knowledge, it’s all stuff we’ve seen or heard before. He just shows us us, but from a different perspective, and that’s pretty awesome. By the end you are invigorated with truth, and with an earnest desire to save the world. The only reason I hesitated to give this book 5 stars is because it got a little too heavy for me at times. There are so many gargantuan things to note at once that sometimes it gets a little overwhelming, but there are some breaks from learning peppered in the beginning and end of the book as we learn more about Ishmael. ( )

I can see how reading this book as a teen or early college student would rock one's world. It's lovely to read and brings up great ideas, but I had a teenage life-changing book* and so that part of me just couldn't connect.*Dune, shut up ( )

I read this book when I was 19 years old and even now years later, It has become a permanent staple in my way of thinking. I would say that to question the way society is run i.e. politics, education etc is important but to question the very structure of our culture is revolutionary. This book is not for the faint of heart and is almost guaranteed to change your worldview. READ IT. ( )

This book was so interesting that I checked out the next book in the series. This examines the cultural background of Western civilization from the perspective of "Takers," and "Leavers." It reexamines the basis of Judeo-Christian thought. ( )

This book changed my life. It was assigned reading in a human ecology class I took in college. ( )

A simple conversation between a gorilla and man reveals to a profound philosophical look into the problems and fate of civilization as we know it. Quinn speaks through the gorilla Ishmael in order to enlighten readers and provide the beginnings of a solution to many of society's problems. Ishmael reveals the ever present influence of Mother Culture and allows the protagonist and the reader to identify and overcome this influence.

The themes of the novel can becom the foundations radical new beliefs for many people or it may just be the confirmation for the need of change in our current society's way. In any case Ishmael is a must read for all people. ( )

Without seeming overly enthiusiastic, and thus losing reliability, I would like to maturly claim that this is the most useful, didactic, and entertaining book I've ever read. After convincing upwards of twenty people to read this book, I can divide the average reaction into two categories. Firstly, and more frequently, readers react in the same way that I have, regarding the book as a life-changing experience rather than "a good read". Secondly, people can feel appauled by reading "Ishmael". I personally believe this is resultant of the fear the book produces in its vivid description of the underpinnings of civilzation.
The book can be summarized (poorly at best) in the following manner: A man is forced to evaluate the emergence of civilization via the Socratic Teaching Method. The book then consists mostly of a transcibed conversation between the protagonist and his teacher, a gorilla named Ishmael. Through the conversation, the man, and simultaneously the reader, reveal the true driving force behind the society in which we all live. The realization of the toxicity of this culture is vivid, and thoroughly explained in the text.
I reccomend this book to even those who disagree with these claims, and therefore embrace our culture, because the book will still inform and educate. ( )

I read Ishmael after I finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I bought Ishmael from Mr. Hopper's book club. The points addressed concerning the story of Adam and Eve were interesting and original from anything else I have been taught of heard. It had a hint of anti-religion, and a strong depiction of humanity acting as a cancer on Earth, which suggested anti-civilization. The book called for a turn back to complete survival of the fittest, which the narrator believes is impossible. I do not agree with the need for that drastic of a change; however, I believe some of the points are note worthy. I have already bought and plan to read the sequel and prequel. Ishmael also sparked an increased interest in Jewish history and religion; although the interest is not really directly related to the text.

When I read this book in college, I found it profoundly moving, but I found it less so on the second reading, although the ideas presented remain interesting. There are a number of problems that make the book, though intriguing, not entirely satisfying. Notably, it ignores the power of religion, especially in American life. Most Americans are queasy about evolution and could never accept the solution he proposes. There is a tremendous lack of specificity in both the history and the proposals. I’m sure that’s intentional, this being a novel which explores the power of ideas, but it leaves the reader saying, “I see how we should think, but what is it that we should do?” What would it mean to stop living according to the idea that the world belongs to us? Modern peoples are presented as a homogeneous mass with exactly one set of ideas, so that it’s impossible to see if there are some good ideas in there. (For instance, some of the same Christians who would find his alternate idea unpalatable are breaking with other Republicans in being environmentalists—the very fact that God placed them in “stewardship” over the world and its inhabitants obligates them to protect it). Moreover, primitive peoples (also a homogeneous mass) are presented as being always in harmony with nature, when in fact paleoanthropologists believe that early inhabitants of the Americas wiped out, through over-hunting, all the megafauna (like woolly mammoths). There’s just too self-satisfied a New-Agey tinge to the whole thing, a lack of practical thought. I don’t feel like I’m taking much away from the book except that we all need to take less from the environment and protect it, and I’m already trying to do that. I wish, certainly, that there was something more I or we could do, as I feel it’s not impossible that there will be some kind of great collapse within my lifetime. We may run out of oil, or the growth-based economy will collapse (as if growth ever could continue forever). I worry about the kind of world that I will have to live in, and will bequeath to my children. I just don't feel like this book has many useful answers. ( )

It all begins when a man answers this ad:

TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL
Must have an earnest desire to
save the world. Apply in person.

Who (or what) he finds there and the conversation they have about how to save the world follows. This book is written in a conversational style that reminded me of The Alchemist. It’s an easy read about Daniel Quinn’s real-life philosophies having to do with population control and food production. Although I didn’t agree with most of his ideas, he had a few valid points worth considering. Overall, though, I don’t think the world will be accepting his solution. ( )

While I'm sure there are good ideas in this book that helped it make it to several editions, the writing was just too uneven, the initial scene too contrived, for me to get into it. With so many other works on my to-read list, I didn't find it worth going beyond the first few pages. ( )