The Story of B (Ishmael Series)

This book changed my life for the best, and taught me that I’m not insane. It’s not self help, and it’s not a parable. It’s the truth of the facts of human history that haunt us to this day, neatly written in a fiction format to put a story of place and time around this source of the pain that we as the members of the civilized world face every day. It cannot help but being a spiritual journey; it’s not it’s fault.

This book is a literary bomb. Read it and be flipped inside out. Masterful, artistic, sweeping in scope, gripping. You cannot go wrong with this book. Pick up a copy today and be a different person tomorrow. Now, onto the more rigorous arts of reviewing....After reading criticisms of this book, I felt that I had to write an apologetic review, for Quinn's view is not only historically and anthropologically accurate (so far as history and science now claim to know), but - irregardless of petty academic quibbling - Quinn's vision is essential for the future of this planet, and all its abounding and beautiful life.Number one. People have said that The Story of B is a novel without references, and so it therefore lacks academic standing. True, it is a novel, and there are no references. However, if you one has any understanding of the many academic disciplines Quinn draws from, references are not a problem. For example, Quinn states that human population is a function of food supply, and that curbing policies like education and contraceptives matter little. The real solution to our booming population, with its booming consumption, and booming environmental impacts, is to stop increasing food supply every year. Need a scientific paper to validate this? Check out "Human Population Numbers as a Function of Food Supply" (March, 2001) by Russell Hopfenber and David Pimentel, two leading agricultural and population scientists. Other facts about native cultures or the history of Western Civilization can easily be retrieved any modern encyclopedia. (By the way, Quinn used to make a living writing such encyclopedias.)Other people have said that Quinn's treatment of religion is one-sided and flat wrong. It should be noted here that Quinn was raised in a religious environment, and that he even entered monastic life for a spell. True, the book does level criticisms against any faith that seeks redemption of self at the expense of planet and community; any faith that seeks to deny that the universe is beautiful, mystical, and richly complex. However, for those not adverse to thinking about the meaning of their faith and perhaps revising their faith in light of different views and facts, this book is no antichrist. I personally found the religious critique secondary to its deeper message, which, when accepted, applies to anyone of any faith.Lastly, for those of you who have not already been initiated into Quinn's writing, don't be afraid to start with The Story of B. Although the second part of a trilogy that begins with Ishmael and ends with My Ishmael, The Story of B works well as a standalone. For more info on Quinn and his project, check out his website, the Ishmael Community at Ishmael dot com. The New Tribal Adventures group is great fun, too. You cannot go wrong with this author. A must read. Get up on it, and write the glObe with your thoughts.

This is one of those deeply profound and thoughtful books that are impossible to summarize into a few words. What must be understood is that it offers an entirely- I don't exaggerate when I say that- new way of thinking and looking at the world and our place in it. More than that, it offers a simple, yet almost otherworldly solution to most of today's greatest problems. Told in a way that has you on the edge of your cognitive seat from beginning to end, you'll be hard-pressed to find reasons not to pick it up and read it from cover to cover. Not everyone has the capacity to see the world in a new, yet frightening way. But for those of us who are desperate to tear off all the old rundown ways of thinking that are destroying our world and the creatures in it, and discover a new- or perhaps ancient- way to live, this book may bear the seeds of change that will blossom into a glorious change of pace, provided enough people get behind it and spread the word. It's fairly obvious where we're headed now, anyway. What do we have to lose?

The Story of B is the cream of the crop of Ishmael books. Of all 3, this one has to take credit as being the most essential. The entire series is a journey, and you would get nothing out of it without seeing the end of that journey.To summarize what this book's function is: Ishmael and My Ishmael are both books filled with lessons being taught by Daniel Quinn. They're written like conversations between him and you, and they are perfect for their job. The Story of B is what happens after you've learned those lessons. It's the call to action, or the final exam; whatever you call it, this book elaborates the importance of Daniel's lessons, and how each and every reader can act upon them to save the world in the way Daniel knew it could be saved.Once again; my pros and cons here are too near to the ones of Ishmael, and I take a star off because this book would not matter nearly as much if you hadn't read the first two books beforehand. It is much more relevant to you if you already know what Ishmael's lessons are, and how they relate to the world. Kinda hard to read a call to action book if you don't already know what the problems and solutions are. To be fair, Daniel did include versions of the lessons as a footnote, but since they're at the end of the book as a footnote; they really aren't going to get across the same way as if you read the first two titles instead.

I cannot believe how this book has made me feel. Scared, disappointed, freed. I feel so free to have my eyes opened to this way of thinking of the world. This is a book, deemed to be fiction, but I know every word is true! I am a thinker of new thoughts. Love the first two books of this trilogy. I have said that a teacher/professor choosing these books as a class read to come back and discuss, will be giving the teacher/professor in a history class that sees these same students, a lesson that will forever change him or her!

After reading Ishmael this book is just as good.

Excellent bouquin, une vision étonnante. Toutefois, faut pouvoir lire (et comprendre) l'anglais. Moi, ça va mais quelques mots à rechercher au dicco pour trouver le sens réel, et on perd du temps de réflexion. Traduit enb français, je le rachète de suite...

It's an eye opener. The importance of tribal cultures can't be enhanced anymore.

As per description an amazing explanation from which much learning should be taken.My Ishmael will be straight up the next Quinn I will read.