Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 2/17/2019 + 1183 more book reviews

A few months ago, I read another book by Daniel Quinn called After Dachau and was really impressed by it. Upon learning more about Quinn, I found out that his most famous and discussed work is ISHMAEL. So I found a copy of this and now finally got around to reading it. Again, I was impressed by Quinn's work. This novel is basically a philosophical study of the roots of man and how man's tendencies are leading towards the total destruction of life on Earth as we know it. This argument is presented by an intelligent gorilla. The narrator of the novel sees an ad in the paper stating: "Teacher Seeks Pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person." So when he answers the ad, he comes upon a massive gorilla behind glass who it turns out is intelligent and can communicate with him telepathically. Okay, so that piqued my interest! The novel goes on with the gorilla's (named Ishmael) perspective on how man came to be and how civilized man took a turn about 10,000 years ago when he started producing his own food. This agricultural revolution led in turn to all of man's achievements and to the overpopulation of the world which is what ultimately is Earth's downfall. Before that time, mankind was basically a hunter gatherer society who lived in harmony with the rest of the creatures on earth. So what is the answer to the dilemma facing mankind? Going back to a hunter gather society? Not very feasible! One thing mentioned that could help would be a redistribution of wealth and power which is something that has been discussed and proposed by politicians for a long time and especially now. Tax the rich?

This book was really thought provoking and probably deserves to be read by a wide audience. Whether its arguments are sound is a good question. I read several other reviews of this book and some were very negative citing faulty logic being used. But I really enjoyed it and I'm sure I will be thinking about this one for awhile.

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