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Bantam Books

Ishmael:A Novel

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Description

One of the most beloved and bestselling novels of spiritual adventure ever published, Ishmael has earned a passionate following. This special twenty- fifth anniversary edition features a new foreword and afterword by the author. “A thoughtful, fearlessly low-key novel about the role of our species on the planet . . . laid out for us with an originality and a clarity that few would deny.”—The New York Times Book Review Teacher Seeks Pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person. It was just a three-line ad in the personals section, but it launched the adventure of a lifetime. So begins an utterly unique and captivating novel. It is the story of a man who embarks on a highly provocative intellectual adventure with a gorilla—a journey of the mind and spirit that changes forever the way he sees the world and humankind’s place in it. In Ishmael, which received the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship for the best work of fiction offering positive solutions to global problems, Daniel Quinn parses humanity’s origins and its relationship with nature, in search of an answer to this challenging question: How can we save the world from ourselves? Explore Daniel Quinn’s spiritual Ishmael trilogy: ISHMAEL • MY ISHMAEL • THE STORY OF B Praise for Ishmael “As suspenseful, inventive, and socially urgent as any fiction or nonfiction you are likely to read this or any other year.”—The Austin Chronicle “Before we’re halfway through this slim book . . . we’re in [Daniel Quinn’s] grip, we want Ishmael to teach us how to save the planet from ourselves. We want to change our lives.”—The Washington Post “Arthur Koestler, in an essay in which he wondered whether mankind would go the way of the dinosaur, formulated what he called the Dinosaur’s Prayer: ‘Lord, a little more time!’ Ishmael does its bit to answer that prayer and may just possibly have bought us all a little more time.”—Los Angeles Times Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam; Reissue edition (May 1, 1995)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 263 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553375407


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 04


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #9,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #103 in Magical Realism #251 in Psychological Fiction (Books) #981 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#103 in Magical Realism:


#251 in Psychological Fiction (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A Mind-expanding Book
I just finished reading Daniel Quinn's Ishmael this morning, for the third or fourth time. Prior to my first reading, in 1994, I had already learned a good deal about the problems of agriculture and civilization, so Ishmael didn't make my head explode. But when you're wandering far out on the wild frontier, and thinking far outside the box, it's reassuring to discover others on the same path. "Hey! I'm not crazy!" That's always a thrill. Every time I read the book, I'm impressed by the depth of Quinn's knowledge and thinking. It's jam-packed with descriptions of many serious problems, yet it succeeds at remaining an inspiring piece of work. He doesn't serve us a complete collection of solutions, but he points us in the right direction, and describes the powerful monsters that we must confront and overcome. It's sort of like the course outline for Save the World 101. Ishmael is over 20 years old now. Quinn finished it in 1990. In 1991, it won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship. It was published in 1992. Amazon.com ranks the sales of every book it carries -- over three million titles now. I've been tracking the rankings for Ishmael over the years. It was #616 in 2002, #663 in 2007, and #1,507 in 2011 (rankings are updated daily, and these numbers are U.S. only). It is a tremendously successful book. I suspect that it might be the world's best-selling book on environmental issues, if Silent Spring doesn't hold that honor. In 1994, I was on a quest to find the elusive silver bullet solution to the Earth Crisis. The problems were obvious, and so were the solutions, but humankind seemed not to care at all, and things were continuously getting worse. This was insane! I imagined that a brilliant remedy lie buried beneath a rock somewhere, and if I searched hard enough, I'd find it -- the Holy Grail. Ishmael did not give me what I wanted, because what I wanted did not exist. In fact, the solution was far more complicated than simply buying "green" products, demanding government action, or rounding up and punishing eco-villains. The solution involved inspiring almost all of humankind to make radical changes in the way they think, breed, eat, work, travel, communicate, dress, and so on. It's not a trivial undertaking, by any means. Quinn wrestled with this predicament for 13 years, as the process of creating Ishmael meandered through its various versions, in search of strength and coherence. Thankfully, he does not serve us magical thinking or false hope. He never suggests that the Technology Fairy will rescue us via astonishing miraculous inventions. Our only hope is to change minds. But, is this enough? "Of course it's not enough. But if you begin anywhere else, there's no hope at all." Before you can address behaviors, you must first address beliefs and values. Is it possible that changing minds can succeed in bringing humankind back into balance with the living planet? Well, it's as "improbable as hell but not unimaginable" -- the BS-free bottom line. Since we have nothing to lose, and nothing better to do with our lives, it's worth a try. Nothing is more embarrassing than self-extinction. During Ishmael's 20 years on the planet, environmental awareness has grown exponentially. The class of 2011 is far better informed than my class of 1970, which was tragically swept away by the consumer stampede, devoting their entire lives to mindless hoarding. Ishmael first appeared when there were five billion in the world. Now, we're seven billion. Storm clouds are growing. The road ahead is flashing and rumbling with danger. Many believe that we're gradually moving closer to the mythical "tipping point," when ever-expanding human consciousness will make a sharp shift toward enlightenment and compassion, humankind will move into a bold new era, a beautiful paradise for all living things! But it now seems likely that the tipping point lies on the other side of turbulent times, and that's OK. Seven billion people simply can't fit into paradise, even if we switch to LED lights, ride bicycles, and feast on tofu and bean sprouts three times a day. The path to a genuinely sustainable future must pass through the collapse of industrial civilization. There are no clever ways to sneak around this troublesome obstacle. Collapse is a necessary component of the healing process, and it will be a powerful force for changing minds. When the lights go out, we'll remember what really matters. We'll quickly develop a profound hunger to become intimately aware of the place where we live, and the edible opportunities that it offers. On the other side of collapse we'll come to a crucial fork in the path. In the 10,000 year history of civilization, there have been many collapses. In almost every case, when a failed society arrived at this fork, they chose the path of repeated mistakes. It was easier. They already knew how to mine minerals, forests, soils, wildlife, and fisheries. So they regrouped, did it all over again, and suffered the same inevitable results. Their primary objective was to die of old age. The generations yet-to-be-born were on their own, to thrive or perish by the power of their wits. Good luck to ye! In the coming years, we too will arrive at this important fork of destiny. Will we chose, once again, the well-worn path of repeated mistakes? We don't have to. Many of us now understand why that would be really dumb. Heck, it might actually be fun to try the other path for a change. Our descendants would be so grateful if we took bold steps and freed them from the dreaded curse. Quinn exhibits great admiration for the few surviving tribes who continue to walk on the path of sustainability: "They're not seething with discontent and rebellion, not incessantly wrangling over what should be allowed and what forbidden, not forever accusing each other of not living the right way, not living in terror of each other, not going crazy because their lives seem empty and pointless, not having to stupefy themselves with drugs to get through the days, not inventing a new religion every week to give them something to hold on to, not forever searching for something to do or something to believe in that will make their lives worth living." Imagine that. Richard Adrian Reese Author of What Is Sustainable ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2011 by Richard Reese (author of Understanding Sustainability)
    • Excellent Use of the Socratic Dialogue
Ishmael is a philosophical novel written by Daniel Quinn that was published in 1992. The story begins with a newspaper ad: "Teacher seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person." The unnamed narrator decides to check it out and finds himself in a room with a telepathically-communicating gorilla named Ishmael. The basic plot of the book involves a Socratic dialogue between Ishmael and the narrator focusing on "how things came to be this way" for humankind. The concepts covered during their conversation include an exploration of the mythological thinking that forms the underpinning of our modern civilization's consciousness and consequential actions, that humans are not the pinnacle of evolution (nor exempt from the laws of nature or the rule of the Gods), and how the story we have chosen to enact has contributed to our ethical understanding of the world and a potential societal and environmental collapse that lurks just beyond today's horizon. There is also a story woven throughout the main Socratic dialogue that features Ishmael's history as a member of a menagerie and adoption by a wealthy benefactor. Some of the major themes in the book include the idea that the Book of Genesis from the Bible truly refers to the decimation of nomadic hunter-gatherer societies by agricultural societies, that eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil convinced modern humans that they have the right to decide which species live and die, and that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with people—rather it is the story told for the last ten thousand years by Mother Culture that has been enacted that is harmful. Following Ishmael are two books penned by Quinn that form a loose trilogy: The Story of B, a 1996 spiritual sequel, and My Ishmael, a 1997 followup. So far I have only read the first book in this trilogy, but hope to make my way through the rest of it in due time. I greatly enjoyed this novel. Early on, it reminded me of Sophie's World, a novel by Jostein Gaarder that was the center of discussion during an International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge course in high school. I suppose I drew that comparison due to the format of the book—a wise teacher with an understanding of philosophy uses the Socratic dialogue method to teach philosophical concepts to a pupil. The method involves the pupil working through the concepts "out loud" throughout the book's pages, which allows the reader to absorb them in a different manner than if they had been presented directly from the teacher. Another book I have read that uses the same style is Plato's The Republic. Although it isn't my favorite format, I think it may be growing on me because I really enjoyed Ishmael, and a major reason for that was the way the book allowed me to work through the concepts alongside the pupil. There is quite a bit to absorb from this novel, and it definitely warrants a re-read at some point. Overall, I found Ishmael to be an excellent book and would recommend it to anyone frustrated with the current state of the world, an interest in human and evolutionary history and/or philosophy, and environmental activists that would like to see positive global changes come to fruition. With knowledge like this in our toolbox, I firmly believe humanity could rethink its position in nature's hierarchy, construct a new story for modern culture to enact, and reverse its course for the betterment of all life on Earth and beyond. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015 by David Wilder
    • unique perspective
Poignant arguments for abandoning our way of life and instead living in harmony with the rest of the planet. Even though I disagree with most of it, it’s a very important book. At the very least, it will be a good mental exercise. So I highly recommend it!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024 by Travis G.
    • Intriguing
Intriguing. Not just for what he has to say but also for how he says it. This isn't a novel. It's a lecture presented in dialogue to make complex ideas seem simple and convincing. I'm not convinced, but I was entertained. Perhaps he's like an eagle flying high above his subject, but seeing between the clouds and able to discern patterns that others have missed. Don't dismiss his argument despite his flippant style. But also also don't rely on what he says. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024 by Richard Seltzer
    • For a college course
My son needed it. GREAT PRICE!
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2024 by Sheila E

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