The Ishmael Community: The Network's Suggested Readings

The Ishmael Network Reading List

Please note that this list is neither compiled nor reviewed by Daniel Quinn. It should not be assumed, therefore, that he either endorses these books or agrees with the comments made about them. This statement holds true for the Ishmael Webmaster as well....

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Metamagical Themas: Questing For The Essence Of Mind And Pattern by Douglas Hofstadter has been suggested by Ishmael Network member George Gilman...and George has this to say about the book: "This is a great anthology of Hofstadter's magazine columns on a broad number of topics, many of which bisect the Ishmaelite concepts in exciting ways and take them in new directions. Hofstadter's interests are incredibly broad, but his primary focus is understanding the human mind and how it operates. In doing so, he studies the deep self-referential problems inherent in all powerful systems based on logic (from mathematics to everyday language). He extends this examination to the way our current systems of rational thought have brought us to the brink of environmental and nuclear destruction through a long series of what appear to be perfectly sound and rational judgements. He examines the common creative roots of science, art, and all ideas in general and points us in the direction of using our unique human creativity and intellegence in everyday problem solving (on both global and everyday problems). He discusses the ways that ideas propogate themselves through the "ideoshpere" (the collective conciousness of our culture)in the same way that genes propogate themselves through the bioshpere, modeling this discussion on Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene" (another excellent book - see Daniel Quinn's book list elsewhere on this site). This model is very illuminating to those who wish to understand how powerful ideas (such as those we gather here to discuss) can spread through our culture. This is a collection of Hofstadter's columns in "Scientific American" during the early 1980's. Because they were originally written for that audience(and at that time), they can sometimes be a bit esoteric and technical. This may be good or bad, depending on your preference, but anyone can definitely grow their knowledge of "how things came to be this way" as well as thier direction in "what to do now" by exposing themselves to the ideas found here."
Check out and/or Order Metamagical Themas: Questing For The Essence Of Mind And Pattern from Amazon.com! You can also order from a local bookstore by using BookSense.
Midcourse Correction by Ray C. Anderson has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Tom Tomaka...and Tom has this to say about the book: "Ray integrates the ideas of several influential visionaries, including Daniel Quinn and Paul Hawking. By leading the transformation of his successful company, the Interface Corporation, into the worlds first restorative manufacturing corporation, Ray describes one of the boldest moves yet to implement such ideas. I enjoyed reading Midcourse Correction as I do meeting Ray in person, receiving both inspiration and hope from his words and deeds. "The prototypical company of the 21st century is strongly service oriented, resource-efficient, wasting nothing, solar driven, cyclical (no longer take-make-waste linear), strongly connected to our constituencies and each other.""
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Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity (Advances in Systems Theory, Complexity, and the Human Sciences by Gregory Bateson has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Ken Jones...and Ken has this to say about the book: "The type of thinking Bateson asks people to do - looking for patterns rather than linear causality - and the beliefs that emanate from this thinking, that we are a part of the pattern rather than "overseeing" it, is the center of a very important world view."
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MindWalk (VHS) 1990. by Bernt Capra has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Amy Anderson...and Amy has this to say about the book: ""Mindwalk", starring Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston, and John Heard, is a movie based on the book by Fritjof Capra ("The Tao of Physics") called "The Turning Point." The movie is a journey in words among 3 dissimilar people against the backdrop of the beautiful island-abbey of Mont St. Michel. The subjects of conversation range from Descarts and the mechinization of time-keeping, particle physics, and systems thinking. Music by Philip Glass. Highly recommend it if you can find it! Rated PG. "
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Mirror in the mirror by Michael Endes has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Janos Biro...and Janos has this to say about the book: "I could not show it better than the following review, by Paul Murray: "The book is a series of vignettes through which a number of themes are woven. For me, the most important among these was the idea of people trapped in stasis by their own cowardice - unwilling to change for fear that all their effort up till now will have been wasted. Reading this book was instrumental in eventually breaking me out of a religious group I was involved in, although I did not realize it at the time." It is really a very powerfull and beautyfull book that can change minds, provoke questions and estimulate the imagination. Unique. Perfect for anyone who likes metaphors about the human situation."
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monkey wrench gang by edward abbey has been suggested by Ishmael Network member andrew pingree...and andrew has this to say about the book: "why fight to change? because i have to. it may be a losing battle. i know, but i still have to try."
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More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Oscar Madison...and Oscar has this to say about the book: "Perhaps some insight as to how we can together move "beyond." It is a fun sci-fi ditty about how the Gestalt ideology of "the whole being greater than the sum of the indvidual parts", and the power of misfits when they work together. The relation here is that it shows how if we "outcasts" band together etc., we can perhaps cause some magical things to occur. Unfortunately this is an old book, published I believe in 1953, so it may be tough to find, but I have found it at certain libraries. If anyone knows where I can get my own copy please let me know."
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Mountain in the Clouds: A Search for the Wild Salmon by Bruce Brown has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Jamie Myxter...and Jamie has this to say about the book: "Mountain in the Clouds discusses declining salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest. The text is full of information on the causes of declining runs which I won't fully summarize for you here. It's valuable as one example of a species that is threatened as a direct result of our culture's activities.

One point that Brown makes is that "a fish is not a fish." He discusses why hatchery fish are not adequate replacements for native fish. Native fish have been shaped by evolution since the beginning of time to be uniquely suited to the specific conditions of a particular river. When humans harvest eggs from fish in river A and "plant" them in rivers B, C, and D, a genetically inferior fish results. And because hatchery survival rates for hatchery eggs are so much greater than naturally occurring survival rates (because of laboratory-like hatchery environments that aim at maximizing output), native fish must compete with larger numbers of hatchery fish for scarce resources.

(6/7/99) I found a hopeful story on salmon that describes how Canadian minister of fisheries and oceans David Anderson is taking steps to address the "tradgedy of the commons" that is salmon fishing on the West coast. From the article, "The idea is to quit managing fisheries for the benefit of fishermen and start managing for the benefit of fish...""
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Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Heidi Hopkins...and Heidi has this to say about the book: "Amazing true story of a woman's experience on walkabout with a band of aborigines. The aborigines speak to her about how the mutants (nonaborigines) are destroying the earth, and how they must live to prevent such destruction."
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Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Lim-Lim Symon...and Lim-Lim has this to say about the book: "A very straight-forward, inspirational book about how it has been possible to lead a fulfilling tribal life as a human being. Many beautiful ideas not yet poisoned by the conditioning of Mother Culture as we know it."
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Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Buffy Duncan...and Buffy has this to say about the book: "The back of her book reads "It is not too late to save our world from desruction if we realize that all living things-be they plants, animals, or human beings-are part of the same universal oneness. If we heed this message, our lives, like the lives of the Real People,(leavers) can be filled with this great sense of purpose." The story is meant to be a message from the leaver people to the takers with simple advice on how to apply whats really important."
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My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization by Chellis Glendinning has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Gus Steeves...and Gus has this to say about the book: " The title pretty much says it all. Glendinning, a psychologist and former anti-nuke activist, tells her personal story of discovering how critical the gatherer mindset is to our survival. Many ideas similar to DQ. In one memorably chilling passage, she relates a conversation with an anonymous corporate CEO: He says that we won't have a nuclear war until all of China is commercialized, then there will be no reason left to live. If that doesn't typify the Taker philosophy, what does? That such a viewpoint exists at all is a good reason why we MUST stop the train now."
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My Road To The Sundance by Manny Twofeathers has been suggested by Ishmael Network member david house...and david has this to say about the book: "ideas about alternative income, tribalism and the sundancers lifeway, which is one of giving back so that others will benefit from living in a good way"
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My Side of the Mountain by Jean George has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Thom Rose...and Thom has this to say about the book: "This is a good book, written as a childrens book, but can be seen more as a manual for living as a leaver. It is the story of one boy who walks away from a future of pyramid building, and lives a much more fulfilling life, hunting and gathering in the Catskull mountains."
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Native American Wisdom by Kent Nerburn has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Mark Davern...and Mark has this to say about the book: "Simplier, the better, according to the native american peoples."
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Native Wisdom for White Minds by Anne Wilson Schaef has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Silvia Wilson...and Silvia has this to say about the book: "This book opens "white minds" to other ways of understanding the world. Written as a series of one page contemplations of a native person's remark, it is a year's-worth of "smart bombs" aimed at cracking open our closed system of Western thought, our "bunker mentality.""
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Natural Capitalism by Amory, L. Hunter & Paul Lovins, Lovins, & Hawken has been suggested by Ishmael Network member David Clark...and David has this to say about the book: "A possibility and reality of moving forward. Quotes from those who recommend the boook: "If Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was the bible for the first Industrial Revolution, then Natural Capitalism may well prove to be it for the next." Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline. "Natural Capitalism…is a conceptual milestone on the road toward ecological sustainability." Fritjof Capra, author of The Web of Life"
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Nature and Madness by Paul Shepard has been suggested by Ishmael Network member John Weiland...and John has this to say about the book: "Explores the possible reasons why we became agricultural and took dominion over the earth....why history went from being 'natural history' to 'human history' and the ramifications to the future of the planet because of this."
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Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas by Donald Worster has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Mark Meritt...and Mark has this to say about the book: "A great overview of the history of ecology and the ecological perspective, demonstrating our ever-increasing understanding of how life systems work and how people exist within them."
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Nature's Services Societal Dependance on Natural Ecosystems by Gretchen Daily has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Aaron Codiga...and Aaron has this to say about the book: "This book provides an economic breakdown of the services that nature provides that we tend to bypass. Such as soil and composting vs. hydroponics and manufactured chemical fertilizers."
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Neighborhood Forager, The by Robert K. Henderson has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Paulus...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "The neighborhood forager provides us with a guide for getting the wherewithall to live, i.e. food, without having to pay for it or grow it. There are numerous wild edibles growing around, even in the middle of an urban center, that no one makes use of. Some people just use them for ornamentals. Use this knowledge to supplement your food stores, lower your grocery bill, and get around the people who have locked up all the food.....because the missed some of it that's in plain sight! Spending less money on food means you'll have more to more to play with else where.....like maybe buying that acre of land you've been wanting so you can live rent free?"
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Neither Wolf nor Dog by Kent Nerburn has been suggested by Ishmael Network member arnold smithers...and arnold has this to say about the book: "Every American should read this book. Ties in many ideas from ishmael, etc. with a new spin."
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Next of Kin by Roger Fouts has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Gus Steeves...and Gus has this to say about the book: "If you can read this book and DON'T come back feeling chimps are undeniably our kin, there's something wrong with you. Dr. Fouts, famous for his work with Project Washoe, tracks the family of signing chimps he raised, and with it both our past and our destiny. Sometimes, you'll fall over laughing; other times, you want to kill some of the humans he had to put up with for what they do in the name of "science." Either way, Fouts makes very clear the truth of his statement that "'human' is only an adjective describing 'being' ... and the essence of who I am is not my humanness but my beingness." Chimps are far more worthy of the term "people" than many humans are."
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Next of Kin by Roger Fouts has been suggested by Ishmael Network member CLARK CRUIKSHANK...and CLARK has this to say about the book: "For three decades, primatologist Roger Fouts has been involved in language studies of the chimpanzee. Among his subjects was the renowned Washoe, who was "endowed with a powerful need to learn and communicate," and who developed an extraordinary vocabulary in American sign language. Another chimpanzee, Fouts writes, "never made a grammatical error," which turned a whole school of linguistic theory upside down. While reporting these successes, Fouts also notes that chimpanzees are regularly abused in laboratory settings and that in the wild their number has fallen from 5,000,000 to fewer than 175,000 in the last century. Next of Kin shows that the ape experiments that fail are those that forbid human sympathy for their subjects. For Fouts, chimpanzee and human minds are fundamentally alike, so it makes sense to care deeply about one's chimpanzee subjects. What Fouts has learned from chimpanzees is that Descartes was wrong. Other animals do have minds. You cannot read this book and stay neutral."
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Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger has been suggested by Ishmael Network member adam haupt...and adam has this to say about the book: "im amazed this was not already here!"
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Ninja Vol 3: Warrior Path Of The Togakure by Stephen Hayes has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Paulus...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "In this book, I recommend Chapters 1&2, again dealing with honest self examination, ridding oneself of those pre-programmed emotional responses that have been drilled into us by Mother Culture since the day of our birth, and becoming free of her influence."
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Ninja Vol. 1:Spirit Of The Shadow Warrior by Stephen Hayes has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Paulus...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "Like all the other books I've listed on Ninjutsu, I can only recommend chapter 7 of this book as relevant to Daniel's books. Chapter 7 is The Art Of Understanding: Seeing others through a knowledge of self. By careful, intense, and honest examination of our own personalities, motivations and weaknesses we can come to know others, relate better to others, understand other. We can also free ourselves of the nagging voice of Mother Culture in our minds, becoming more natural human beings."
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Ninja Vol. 2: Warrior Ways Of Enlightenment by Stephen Hayes has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Paulus...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "In Volume 3, I recommend chapters 1&2. Chapter 1 is titled Spiritual Purity:Ninja Morality in History and begins with this poem..... Ninjutsu skills in which we train would best be known as the art of winning. We will assist the sincere with out ability to win with the spirit. Their dreams become the force of our vision which become a vibrant intention taking shape inthe mind and weaving into the fabric of reality. Chapter 2 again deals with being emotionally manipulated by others. "The second lesson: work at transcending your emotions so that you do not always automatically respond with a defense even when a defense is not needed. This is realized through developing the mind." Again, Mother Culture has taught us from birth to react a certain way to certain things without thinking about them. By un-learning these learned reactions that Mother Culture has programmed us with, we can become free of her psychological influence."
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Ninja Vol. 4: Legacy Of The Night Warrior by Stephen Hayes has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Paulus...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "Various parts of Volume 4 deal not only with honest self-examination as a way of understanding the world and others, but also with learning to be aware and listen to the rest of the community of life: "His close communion with nature gives him the wisedom to survive." Which is in essence the same as Ishmael saying "The answer is written in the community of life on this planet""
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Ninja Vol. 5: Lore Of The Shinobi Warrior by Stephen Hayes has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Paulus...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "This is the last volume in Hayes's O'Hara Ninja series, but not his last book. Here I found the most relevance to Daniels books in Chapter One: Lessons Behind the Lessons; A personal reflection of progress in the art of the shadow warrior. And Afterword: An Interview with Stephen K. Hayes. Again dealing with the theme of knowing yourself, preventing others from using inappropriate and useless emotional responses to manipulate you into doing what you do not what to do, and in freeing yourself from such psychological manipulations becoming free of mother culture's overriding influence in our lives."
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No Logo by Naomi Klein has been suggested by Ishmael Network member William Hardy...and William has this to say about the book: "Gives a detailed description of the culture shaping undertaken by corporations. And their profit at the expense of the people, both worker and consumer. A key to the pervasive culture marketing and branding of people."
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No More Prisons by William Upski-Wimsatt has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Jessica Schwalenberg...and Jessica has this to say about the book: "No More Prisons presents Urban Life, Homeschooling, Hip-Hop Leadership, the Cool Rich Kids Movement, a Hitchhiker's Guide to Community Organizing, and why Philanthropy is the greatest Art Form of the 21st century. It promotes a healthy awareness and desire to get involved in the world we live in."
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No More Prisons: Urban Life, Homeschooling, Hip-Hop Leadership, the Cool Rich Kids Movement, a Hitchhiker's Guide to Community Organizing, and Why Philanthropy is the Greatest Art Form of the 21st Century by William " Upski " Wimsatt has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Josh Marinko...and Josh has this to say about the book: "Organizing and activism is encouraged and explained. "
Check out and/or Order No More Prisons: Urban Life, Homeschooling, Hip-Hop Leadership, the Cool Rich Kids Movement, a Hitchhiker's Guide to Community Organizing, and Why Philanthropy is the Greatest Art Form of the 21st Century from Amazon.com! You can also order from a local bookstore by using BookSense.
Noise: the Political Economy of Music by Jacqued Attali has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Chris DeVoe...and Chris has this to say about the book: "Attali discusses the importance of coming up with original music played solely for the musician. He brings to light our repetitive and meaningless popular music and culture of today."
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Non Zero by Robert Wright has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Kosta Perris...and Kosta has this to say about the book: "sociology"
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Non-Money: That "Other Money" You Didn't Know You Had by Olaf Egeberg has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Cydni Mack...and Cydni has this to say about the book: "Here's a self-explanantory quote: "This book is about your non-money, the non-monetary resources you have right now for getting goods and services that you need. It's about meeting needs and pursuing interests in ways that are better for each of us and for the larger world as well...building a world locally and globally that is better for each of us to live in and more helpful for the environment, too." -pg. 11"
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Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Conal Elliott...and Conal has this to say about the book: "NVC supports the partnership paradigm ("power with", rather than "power over") and helps people stay in conscious choice"
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Nonzero : The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Bryan Beaugez...and Bryan has this to say about the book: "Accessable history of social evolution with good detail about the agricultural revolution(s). Discusses shift from competition to cooperation, seen as inevitable - be that as it may, still a good starting point for budding Ishmaelians."
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Northern Lights-The Subtle Knife-The Amber Spyglas by Phillip Pulmann has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Agnes Boddington...and Agnes has this to say about the book: "A trilogy of phantasy books aimed at the 12-15 age group, but a fantastic read for all. It's underlying theme is the final war between the inhabitants of all the worlds, heaven and hell: the war between Good and Evil (which is which?)."
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Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Don Neeper...and Don has this to say about the book: "Recalling the culinary customs of our ancestors, and looking ahead to a future of robust good health for young and old, Nourishing Traditions offers modern families a fascinating guide to wise food choices and proper preparation techniques. Sally Fallon unites the wisdom of the ancients with the latest independent and accurate scientific research in over 700 delicious recipes that will please both exacting gourmets and busy parents."
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Nuclear Madness; What You Can Do by Helen Caldicott has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Lasek...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "While you weren't looking the nuclear industry is edging its way back. It is more dangerous now than ever. Solar/wind energy are still thwarted by the government influence of big nuclear. For your children's sake find out about it and tell others, before it's too late. You will not believe what is going on to this day. READ THIS BOOK."
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Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Don Neeper...and Don has this to say about the book: ""Circling the world in the 1920s and '30s, Dr. Price and his wife found the same sinister pattern among "primitive" populations, whether isolated Irish fishermen, tribal Africans, Pacific Islanders, Eskimos, North and South American Indians or Australian Aborigines. Those groups that followed their traditional nature- based diets enjoyed good health and vigor, and those that turned to the "civilized" diet of processed, sugar- laden foods soon developed a variety of ills, including misshapen bones and teeth - and the situation worsened with each generation. Dr. Price's fascinating accounts of his discoveries, and the extensive photo documentation he provides, drive home the nutritional truths that are only now gaining general understanding, and Nutrition and Physical Degeneration remains an unequaled source of basic information." - Publisher Dr. Price labeled the foods most people eat today the "displacing foods of modern commerce" and his photographs graphically demonstrate why so many of us suffer through braces and other orthodontal problems as a rite of adolescent passage. If you have young children or are planning on having children then reading this book is an absolute necessity!"
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Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Andrew Stover...and Andrew has this to say about the book: "I'm mot sure that it does. But this book does tell the tale of a young man, beaten down by the world around him, who finds it in himself to overcome all."
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Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman by Malidoma Some has been suggested by Ishmael Network member jonathan fraser...and jonathan has this to say about the book: "This books an autobiographical account of a young man "kidnapped" or "adopted" by French Colonialists from his African community. His early childhood memories, his "stolen" childhood a subsequent "education" and "upbringing" among these French Missionaries, Some returns to his African community, unable to speak with his own people, until he (re)learns their ways. An account of tribal African life told by someone taken from this life, brought up in a Western cultural environment, only to return to African tribal life, and to compelling share the experiences of each. Perhaps yet another story to assist us in understanding how we have "forgotten" how to live."
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Of Wheat and Gold by Christopher Budd has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Julie Kirk...and Julie has this to say about the book: "Budd relates current problems in our economy to the distance we've put between ourselves and ancient AGRARIAN economies. Interesting stuff."
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Omnivore's Dilemma, The by Michael Pollan has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Glen Doki...and Glen has this to say about the book: "The Omnivore's Dilemma discusses modern agriculture in detail, which is the pivotal concept of the Takers. Furthermore, this book describes a very hopeful and existing version of a sustainable agriculture, that those of us who would just like to "opt out" might want to consider. You won't be disappointed - read it!"
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On a Darkling Plain by Charles Dodson has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Elaine Bergstrom...and Elaine has this to say about the book: "It is a novel, possibly out of print, of extreme horror. What will happen if we do not treat the world with respect. In it two people are trapped in New York City following a massive heat wave/inversion surviving as civilization break down. Incredible. It deserves to be resurrected!"
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On The Road by Jack Kerouac has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Jake D...and Jake has this to say about the book: "It is an epic tale as well as a well-presented Beat novel..."
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One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Matthew Gutberlet...and Matthew has this to say about the book: "In his Nobel Prize-winning masterpiece (Literature 1982), Marquez details the rise and fall of the Buendia family. The pre-industrial countryside of Central/South America comes alive through the trials of its many interrelated characters as they struggle to understand a world that has raced beyond their Leaver traditions."
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One minute nonsense by Anthony de Mello has been suggested by Ishmael Network member Chukwunonso Anekwe...and Chukwunonso has this to say about the book: "The question I guess most face after reading Quinn is 'so what do I do/how do I live'. And this for me can be a silent temptation to begin 'programmes'. I don't think Quinn's books are merely meant to be read and assimilated intellectually. They are like a finger pointing at a new vision. But how does one begin to think differently without falling into the 'programmes' trap? i.e. 'i musn't do this, 'i must eat this' etc. I think de Mello's book answers this question quite perfectly.But be warned. This is not an easy book, like its author says. And to quote him further, 'it wa written not to awake but to enlighten'."
Check out and/or Order One minute nonsense from Amazon.com! You can also order from a local bookstore by using BookSense.