Daniel Quinn (1935–2018)

This novel was a revelation for me.

When I stumbled upon this for the first time, I couldn't tear myself away from it. I read it in class. On the bus. While walking down the street. Late at night. It dominated my thoughts for weeks, lingered for months afterwards, and has permanently shaped the way I think about everything.

While not entirely whole (i.e missing significant analysis into the rise of modern medicine), Ishmael provides an incredibly refreshing take on an issue I'd never even thought of before and sheds the world in new light.… (more)

When I was in HS, my Chemistry teacher gave me this book because he thought I would appreciate it. While everyone else was concerned with having fun, social status, and impressing the teachers and peers- I was just looking for the next book to impress me. He was absolutely right.
Socially urgent (not exactly forward and blunt in presentation, but definitely profound and strong in delivery), thought-provoking and makes you have a conversation with yourself. It covers a lot of deep topics like ethics, sustainability, evolution, global crisis, and where modern civilization went wrong in general.
If all of that sounds painfully dry or boring to you- I want you to consider this. Imagine a telepathic gorilla that caused a mutiny and disagreement amongst a judge's table that eventually awarded it $500,000 dollars and an ecological prize. (That's not the plot, but quite literally this book caused this little uproar in real life)

Because that's what happened with this book. It gives me chills. This book was published in the early 90s, and it aged so well. So many of its topics are still relevant, perhaps even more shockingly to this day. It sort of predicted the future. Let Ishmael teach you something.

“You’re captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live.”
~ quote from the book that I think is a good summary in one sentence… (more)