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Initial Thoughts: This book - 50% motorcycle repair/travel manual, 50% philosophical treatise, and 50% psychological horror story - left me with a strange disjointed mix of information and emotion in its wake. I gave it a 4-star rating because of the uncanny amount of personal overlap I had with the narrator, who was also a molecular biologist, a philosopher driven by his thoughts (though sometimes to the point of what his peers would call madness), went to the University of Illinois, and had a...
One of my all time favorite books. A++.A hard read, but worth it.The book in a single word: life is about QUALITY.
My husband bugged me to read this book. What a disappointment. The author obviously thinks he has a handle on what life is all about, so he uses his main character to spout a plethera of lofty philosophical mumbo jumbo. He thinks he's "waxing eloquent", but it comes across as arogant, egotistical and someone who loves to hear themselves talk, thinking all the time they are imparting pearls of wisdom to all who remain awake while he's doing so.
A very informative book. This book probes the philosophical influences underlying Pirsig's book.This book is to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as Wisdom's Hiding Place is to The Oxbow Revelation. This book reads like an introduction to philosophy that is written in such a way as to be accessible to the interested lay reader.I do, however, think that the information on Taoism is weak.Be aware that about half of the book consists of book reviews and the like.
The book in 3 sentences:This guidebook creates a lens to be "seen through," in contrast to the experience of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance itself, which is a journey to be "lived through." True to form, the guidebook provides a literal map of the motorcycle trip, as well as a chronology of the story, before surveying the most relevant aspects of both eastern and western philosophy in pocket-sized chunks that all point to much larger volumes and bodies of work for the interested reade...
I had started this Guidebook several times, as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance might be my favorite book ever. Seems I could never get the Ox out of the Market.Having been educated by Jesuits myself, the organization of the book and the deeper analyses felt familiar. The book is a bit of a hodge-podge. It seemed quite similar to some of my college textbooks. The latter part of the book is more a bibliography of other critiques, references, and resources. I found it interesting to read
This was not a terrible book. I found a few different insights that I think were stated very eloquently. At the same time, I found there were several points where I was confused.For example, part of this journey is for this chautauqua. Yet what is that supposed to mean? Is he actually talking to people or just thinking to himself? Most of that thinking is just recalling things from before, so I don't get what he's actually doing.I also found a lot of the philosophical arguments to be confusing.
I was a philosophy major, so this is just what I was looking for: Detailed elucidations of the philosophical disciplines, thinkers, and theories Pirsig spoke of and drew upon, and a chance to keep being steeped in the thought-provoking stew of Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila, even though this book is not *by* Pirsig.
This book was a bit too philosophical for me.
Gave up half way.....not feeling it
After going on my first group ride this past weekend I can relate to the author's romanticizing of taking the road less-traveled.
A really good book for the culture of the era.
Take out the Zen and the motorcycle maintenance parts of this book and it would be a far better story. The afterward is actually my favorite part.
Fun fun fun
