The Story of B by Daniel Quinn

[Nick]

Hi goku22,

Thanks for writing such a thorough review. It makes me want to read the book. I agree that there is certainly merit to the concept that some are the "takers" and others the "leavers". Also, that most of the "taker" types would be many of those in power. Hopefully, the "leaver" culture will greatly increase their numbers and that there will be fewer and fewer "takers".


Very best,

[goku22]

No problem, once I saw that there was a book review section, I HAD to write it. Now I'm half way through Ishmael, it's the same message but told in a different way.  Ben

[goku22]

I just finished this book yesterday, overall I found it to be very eye opening. The only thoughts I didn't agree with were his generalizations of how people have thought in the past, saying that all the great thinkers of the past all agreed that the world was made for Man by God. I highly doubt that, mainly because of the nature of the human mind, it is capable of great feats, and even if one of the noted thinkers didn't write it down, it doesn't mean someone didn't think of it. That one criticism doesn't discharge the power of the message in this book at all though. Everything in the book is stuff that we could think of ourselves but we don't, at least we don't remember and apply them. Basically, it advocates abandoning the "taker" culture, which is ours of course, and becoming part of the "leaver" culture, which is only expressed among a few small tribes. The taker culture is produced by thinking that the world was made for us humans alone and we can do whatever we want with it. Most people (expect for those in power) have already abandoned this and are trying to find something else. This something else is simple, all life is sacred and we are invariably a part of it. We simply can't seperate ourselves from the fact that we are one species in billions and that if you look around as much care was put into making us as was put into the smallest mite. The book lays this out in a much more progressive, detailed way, but that's the general message. I highly recommend it. Now I have to read Ishmael and My Ishmael. Ben