Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story: Bach, Richard: 9780380012862: Amazon.com: Books

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Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story Paperback – January 1, 1973

by Richard Bach (Author)

4.7 13,014 ratings

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Because he spends so much time perfecting his flying form instead of concentrating on getting food, a seagull is ostracized by the rest of the flock. Reissue.

Print length

128 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Avon Books
Publication date

January 1, 1973
Dimensions

4.25 x 0.25 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

0380012863
ISBN-13

978-0380012862
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight--how to get from shore to food and back again," writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. "For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight." Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes the story soar. Ultimately this is a fable about the importance of seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe, or neighborhood finds your ambition threatening. (At one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock.) By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan gets the ultimate payoff: transcendence. Ultimately, he learns the meaning of love and kindness. The dreamy seagull photographs by Russell Munson provide just the right illustrations--although the overall packaging does seem a bit dated (keep in mind that it was first published in 1970). Nonetheless, this is a spirituality classic, and an especially engaging parable for adolescents. --Gail Hudson

Review

Richard Bach with this book does two things. He gives me Flight. He makes me young. -- Ray Bradbury

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon Books; Reissue edition (January 1, 1973)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0380012863
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0380012862
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 0.25 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #895,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #129 in Labor & Employment Law (Books)
- #241 in Civil Law Procedure (Books)
- #400,298 in Literature & Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 13,014 ratings

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About the author

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Richard Bach

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Since Jonathan Livingston Seagull - which dominated the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List for two consecutive years - Richard Bach has touched millions of people through his humor, wisdom and insight.

With over 60 million copies of his books sold, Richard Bach remains one of the world's most beloved authors. A former USAF fighter pilot, Air Force captain and latter-day barnstorming pilot, Bach continues to be an avid aviator-author, exploring and chronicling the joys and freedom of flying, reporting his findings to his devoted fans.

Recent books include Travels with Puff, which recounts Bach's journey from Florida to Washington state in his small seaplane, Puff, and Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student, which incorporates Bach's real-life plane crash.

Life with my Guardian Angel, published in October, 2017, is his story of the way we can discover a startling source of inspiration in our daily lives.

Fans and readers can find more about Richard and his work at www.richardbach.com

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

13,014 global ratings

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Kindle Customer

My all time favorite books

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023

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I read this book when I was in elementary school. It helped me out when I was struggling to fit in. It taught me to be me no matter what. I have read it at least once a year for over 37 years now. Every kiddo and adult should read.
A stubborn seagull can teach a lot to everyone. Great self help book.

2 people found this helpful

A book everyone should read

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023

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This was a birthday gift and she loves it.

Are we free or doomed from birth?

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2007

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This is my all-time favorite book. It contains the most important truths I have ever learned.

This book certainly could be viewed as Eastern Religion / New Age, and considering Bach's other books perhaps that is his main meaning.

However, JLS also contains important non-religious truths which apply to everyday life. For example, based on one of the most quoted parts of the book, "Jonathan" might answer everyday questions like this:

Are you saying I can lose weight and be thin, even though I've been fat my whole life?
I say you are free.

Are you saying that even though I finished near the bottom this year, with hard work I could finish near the top 3 or 4 years from now?
I say you are free.

Are you saying that even though the aptitude test showed I'm bad in math, that I could be successful in my dream job, engineering, if I try hard enough?
I say you are free.

Those answers are very, very different from the prevailing paradigm / meme within our society, which says that nearly everything is determined at birth, so that we are born either "fat" or "thin" people, born "smart" or "bad at math", born as "great athletes" or "losers". Society then tells us that we shouldn't try to change anything about ourselves (since it supposedly won't work), but should spend our lives happy or bitter because of the gifts that were handed out at the birth lottery. A key turning point is when Jonathan rejects the "strange hollow voice" in his mind which tells him:
"There's no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I'd have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I'd have a falcon's short wings... I must... be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull."

Jonathan rejects this when he realizes that by tucking his wings close to his body he can simulate the falcon's short wings and fly fast even though he wasn't born with short wings. After he tries this and is able to fly faster than any gull could with extended wings, Jonathan realizes: "We can be free! We can learn to fly!"

JLS says that mental restrictions are the biggest factor keeping us from reaching our potential. Some of those restrictions come from society, and some are self-created mental straitjackets. All of those mental limits are false and unnecessary. The truth according to Jonathan is:
"Your whole body... is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your mind, and you break the chains of your body, too..."
(That can be seen as a totally non-religious statement. Our bodies today are the result of how hard we worked in the past and the mental limitations we didn't shed, and "our thought" = our mind is what determined that.)

This leads Jonathan to answer these questions very differently from society: Who am I? What is my purpose in life? Should I be egotistical?

Society tells us that we should conform, and we specifically are what the birth lottery gave us, like someone might be "heavy set, average intelligence but good in math". Society says that we should be immensely proud of everything we (supposedly) were born with, and of every victory, and should be intensely ashamed of anything we were born without, and of every defeat.

Jonathan however, believing we are not limited by birth, sees each of us as being unique and of unlimited potential. Our goal and purpose in life is simply to be ourselves. This is not the limited self we are at the start of adult life, but everything which hard work could make us:

"you have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.
Are you saying I can fly?
I say you are free."

"Each of us in truth is an idea... , an unlimited idea of freedom, and precision flying is a step towards expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us we have to put aside."

This means that ego is meaningless, because what we are today is simply the result of yesterday's hard work, and whatever races we lose today could be won in the future if we work hard enough. Today's ranking and abilities are just the starting point for the rest of our lives, not something to get egotistical about. As one of Jonathan's students thought with a smile once he began teaching his own students, "No limits, Jonathan? Well, then, the time's not too distant when I'm going to appear out of thin air on YOUR beach, and show you a thing or two about flying!..."

The reason why I discussed this in length is to disagree with reviews which say that JLS must be seen as a religious book, and that it teaches only "common sense" truths. It is rare, not common, to meet anyone who believes what JLS teaches.

46 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2023

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Read it!!!!!

One person found this helpful

Richard Bach: Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The New Complete Edition

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2014

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I truly love to read!!! Before I discovered quilting, reading was the thing one thing I loved most to do! Now there are two things I love best but as the cost of reading rose, and the cost of fabric fell, I had to choose which I could afford so quilting took the lead and unless someone gave me a paperback with a good recommendation, I rarely read much besides the computer manuals required for my job (that they paid for). But a normal-sized novel is a one day treat and then it's back to quilting. Now, there's the Kindle App for my iPad that let's me read nearly all I want to; often for Free or just 0.99 cents (sorry, e-book publishers but $3.99 is my limit).

The group of "readers" I sat with on breaks and at lunch were all talking about Jonathan Livingston Seagull but I was down the list for borrowing so I bought my own paperback copy that Saturday and read it that evening! I was so charmed by Jonathan that I read it again, more slowly, on Sunday! This had to have been in the early 1970s but this book has been my Spirit Guide ever since. Sometime in the mid 1980s I treated myself to a rare 2-night vacation at the far end of Montauk Point on Long Island, NY. Of course, I had to have a booklet of post cards and a trinket for me. I was quickly twirling a case of gold charms and what do I see but a 1-inch long gold Jonathan in full flight. I had to hold it, and check the price. I couldn't believe how heavy it was and then checked the tag to discover it was solid 14-carat gold and the price was the same as one night in my motel!!! I knew if I bought it, there wouldn't be another special vacation that summer but even though it had been at least a decade since I'd read the book, I had to have that necklace! I paid for it and asked the sales clerk to put it on me. It's never been off except for a few surgeries, x-rays, and to replace a broken chain; and now, more than ever, Jonathan is still my Spirit Guide!

If you're going to read this book, and it truly hope you do, try to forget that Jonathan is just a seagull like the rest of his Flock. He's not! He's no more 'just a seagull' than I'm 'just a woman' like the rest of my Gender. I can learn and do and be anything I want! And with Jonathan mentally guiding me and always there around my neck for me hold when there's a tough decision to make, I've proved this to myself again and again over the years! Finally, I was old enough and financially secure enough to take the offered early retirement and here I am reading Jonathan again and I can't say "Thank You!" enough to Richard Bach for once again giving the world the inspiration to learn and do and be their best! If I could only own one book, this would be the one!!!

7 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2023

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Change the way you see the world by reading this short book.

2 people found this helpful

Cheryl McKenzie-Cook

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2023

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I'm so very glad that I rediscovered this story decades after I first read it. Now that I'm older and understand some things better, this reads like a manual for living full out; for achieving your potential; for freeing yourself from whatever beliefs are holding you back.
Strongly recommended!

4 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Leo'sMa

A more beautiful story than I read two decades ago…

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2023

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This book was gifted to me over 20 years ago along with a framed watercolour of a seagull in flight. A beautiful story then, however two decades on and the story resonates more today than ever. Wise words, beautifully and authentically written, wonderful lessons and insight. A story more relevant for today than ever before. Enjoy! With love and appreciation x

Carole-Gabrielle Phisalix

Perfect

Reviewed in Singapore on August 26, 2023

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Hello, I have known this book for many, many years. I bought it as a gift for my daughter's companion who is just starting her professional career. I think this story is perfect for someone like him. This Goeland who doesn't want to be like all the others, who wants to surpass himself to fly even higher. She She illustrates the efforts necessary to evolve in a society, where you have to surpass yourself to get out of the mix and go further.

Atal Narayan

A must read

Reviewed in India on October 15, 2023

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Simple, deep and super cute!

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Basuan

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Reviewed in India on October 2, 2023

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This classic doesn't need my review. Its popularity during the last 53 years is enough. One of the best inspiring book. Everyone should read it.

One person found this helpful

SOUMIK GHOSH

Beautiful

Reviewed in India on September 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

Great

One person found this helpful

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