This book is a literary bomb. Read it and be flipped inside out. Masterful, artistic, sweeping in scope, gripping. You cannot go wrong with this book. Pick up a copy today and be a different person tomorrow. Now, onto the more rigorous arts of reviewing....
After reading criticisms of this book, I felt that I had to write an apologetic review, for Quinn's view is not only historically and anthropologically accurate (so far as history and science now claim to know), but - irregardless of petty academic quibbling - Quinn's vision is essential for the future of this planet, and all its abounding and beautiful life.
Number one. People have said that The Story of B is a novel without references, and so it therefore lacks academic standing. True, it is a novel, and there are no references. However, if you one has any understanding of the many academic disciplines Quinn draws from, references are not a problem. For example, Quinn states that human population is a function of food supply, and that curbing policies like education and contraceptives matter little. The real solution to our booming population, with its booming consumption, and booming environmental impacts, is to stop increasing food supply every year. Need a scientific paper to validate this? Check out "Human Population Numbers as a Function of Food Supply" (March, 2001) by Russell Hopfenber and David Pimentel, two leading agricultural and population scientists. Other facts about native cultures or the history of Western Civilization can easily be retrieved any modern encyclopedia. (By the way, Quinn used to make a living writing such encyclopedias.)
Other people have said that Quinn's treatment of religion is one-sided and flat wrong. It should be noted here that Quinn was raised in a religious environment, and that he even entered monastic life for a spell. True, the book does level criticisms against any faith that seeks redemption of self at the expense of planet and community; any faith that seeks to deny that the universe is beautiful, mystical, and richly complex. However, for those not adverse to thinking about the meaning of their faith and perhaps revising their faith in light of different views and facts, this book is no antichrist. I personally found the religious critique secondary to its deeper message, which, when accepted, applies to anyone of any faith.
Lastly, for those of you who have not already been initiated into Quinn's writing, don't be afraid to start with The Story of B. Although the second part of a trilogy that begins with Ishmael and ends with My Ishmael, The Story of B works well as a standalone. For more info on Quinn and his project, check out his website, the Ishmael Community at Ishmael dot com. The New Tribal Adventures group is great fun, too. You cannot go wrong with this author. A must read. Get up on it, and write the glObe with your thoughts.
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The Best in the Series
The Story of B is the cream of the crop of Ishmael books. Of all 3, this one has to take credit as being the most essential. The entire series is a journey, and you would get nothing out of it without seeing the end of that journey.To summarize what this book's function is: Ishmael and My Ishmael are both books filled with lessons being taught by Daniel Quinn. They're written like conversations between him and you, and they are perfect for their job. The Story of B is what happens after you've learned those lessons. It's the call to action, or the final exam; whatever you call it, this book elaborates the importance of Daniel's lessons, and how each and every reader can act upon them to save the world in the way Daniel knew it could be saved.Once again; my pros and cons here are too near to the ones of Ishmael, and I take a star off because this book would not matter nearly as much if you hadn't read the first two books beforehand. It is much more relevant to you if you already know what Ishmael's lessons are, and how they relate to the world. Kinda hard to read a call to action book if you don't already know what the problems and solutions are. To be fair, Daniel did include versions of the lessons as a footnote, but since they're at the end of the book as a footnote; they really aren't going to get across the same way as if you read the first two titles instead.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2002
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2020
The Story of B is the cream of the crop of Ishmael books. Of all 3, this one has to take credit as being the most essential. The entire series is a journey, and you would get nothing out of it without seeing the end of that journey.
To summarize what this book's function is: Ishmael and My Ishmael are both books filled with lessons being taught by Daniel Quinn. They're written like conversations between him and you, and they are perfect for their job. The Story of B is what happens after you've learned those lessons. It's the call to action, or the final exam; whatever you call it, this book elaborates the importance of Daniel's lessons, and how each and every reader can act upon them to save the world in the way Daniel knew it could be saved.
Once again; my pros and cons here are too near to the ones of Ishmael, and I take a star off because this book would not matter nearly as much if you hadn't read the first two books beforehand. It is much more relevant to you if you already know what Ishmael's lessons are, and how they relate to the world. Kinda hard to read a call to action book if you don't already know what the problems and solutions are. To be fair, Daniel did include versions of the lessons as a footnote, but since they're at the end of the book as a footnote; they really aren't going to get across the same way as if you read the first two titles instead.
To summarize what this book's function is: Ishmael and My Ishmael are both books filled with lessons being taught by Daniel Quinn. They're written like conversations between him and you, and they are perfect for their job. The Story of B is what happens after you've learned those lessons. It's the call to action, or the final exam; whatever you call it, this book elaborates the importance of Daniel's lessons, and how each and every reader can act upon them to save the world in the way Daniel knew it could be saved.
Once again; my pros and cons here are too near to the ones of Ishmael, and I take a star off because this book would not matter nearly as much if you hadn't read the first two books beforehand. It is much more relevant to you if you already know what Ishmael's lessons are, and how they relate to the world. Kinda hard to read a call to action book if you don't already know what the problems and solutions are. To be fair, Daniel did include versions of the lessons as a footnote, but since they're at the end of the book as a footnote; they really aren't going to get across the same way as if you read the first two titles instead.
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