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Synopsis
While cycling through the western states with his son, a disillusioned American questions the meaning of existence after confronting the ghost of his former, uninstitutionalized self.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
A quick scan of the online reviews available for this book will quickly show you that it provokes strong reactions in those that read it - there aren't many 3* ratings here! While at first glance these ratings might appear to be indications of the inate quality of the book itself, they would better be thought of as indications of the quality of the experience that each reader had when interacting with the book.
Each reader will bring something of themself to the book, and so the quality of this experience will be influenced both by the book and also by the reader. When you look at it like this, it is obvious that how much you like this book will depend on yourself as much as on the book itself. However, since people's reactions to it seem generally to tend towards the extremes, it seems probable that you too will either have a great, or a terrible experience.
In order to help you make an informed judgement on this, a few observations, in which I will attempt to approach as near to objectivity as possible:
- It is not a 'hippy bible', as one earlier contributer suggested. It is a book about philosophy which blends discussions about the nature of peoples interactions with the world around them with a story of a road trip taken by a father and son.
- It is entirely rational. There's no new-age mysticism, no real discussion of sprituality - rather a critique on how you look at things and interact with them.
- It is fairly intellectual, but necessarily so. The author has a very clear, conversational style of writing, and the ideas he attempts to express are not difficult, but nonetheless the reader is required to think during the reading process.
I suggest that you read this book. It has certainly influenced my thinking on the world, probably more than any other single book I've read. However, if you really hate it as much as the contributor 'blowski', I certainly would suggest that you stop reading before you get two thirds of the way through. No point in getting as mad as he did about it.
Each reader will bring something of themself to the book, and so the quality of this experience will be influenced both by the book and also by the reader. When you look at it like this, it is obvious that how much you like this book will depend on yourself as much as on the book itself. However, since people's reactions to it seem generally to tend towards the extremes, it seems probable that you too will either have a great, or a terrible experience.
In order to help you make an informed judgement on this, a few observations, in which I will attempt to approach as near to objectivity as possible:
- It is not a 'hippy bible', as one earlier contributer suggested. It is a book about philosophy which blends discussions about the nature of peoples interactions with the world around them with a story of a road trip taken by a father and son.
- It is entirely rational. There's no new-age mysticism, no real discussion of sprituality - rather a critique on how you look at things and interact with them.
- It is fairly intellectual, but necessarily so. The author has a very clear, conversational style of writing, and the ideas he attempts to express are not difficult, but nonetheless the reader is required to think during the reading process.
I suggest that you read this book. It has certainly influenced my thinking on the world, probably more than any other single book I've read. However, if you really hate it as much as the contributor 'blowski', I certainly would suggest that you stop reading before you get two thirds of the way through. No point in getting as mad as he did about it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love this book. I recomend you try it. And don't give up too early, the value builds as you read on. Just read it. If you don't complete the book you have lost very little, but if you find this book is for you, then you will have gained so much. I 'got it' the first time, but I 'really got it' after the second read. Just try it. At least that's my recommendation.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Now I understand why this book is considered such a classic. Pirsig takes you on a motorcycle ride through a broad range of philosophical topics. Its hard to tell how much of it is clever sophistry and how much of it really is ground-breaking insight, but I kept turning the pages for more and was constantly amazed at how he managed to weave som many fascinating topics together. A must-read for anyone with an enquiring mind.
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