THIS. BOOK. SUCKS!!!!! 2010-07-20

Reviewer: P. Gardner

I had to read this book for summer reading for my sophomore ap world history class. I may just be too young to understand this book, but personally i hated it with a huge passion! It litrally bored me to tears, I hate this book with all of my heart and do not reccomend it to ANYONE!!!! And what's worse- i cannot for the life of me find a summary of this book, and since i couldn't retain any of this book, i'm going to fail the reading comprehension test when i go back to school. Just don't get this book..

My Book Review 2010-07-09

Reviewer: K. Trane

Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a great read. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a non-fiction philosophical novel.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an autobiography, allowing Pirsig to narrate his own life experiences. Along with sharing his motorcycle trip with his son Chris and some friends, he mainly focuses on what quality is. What is quality and how do you define it? He believes that it doesn't exist. In this certain area of the book it is harder to comprehend, but he does prove a good point that I agree with. He goes into great detail explaining his belief that quality is something made up, and he actually gets pretty emotional about it as he struggles to find the truth. On top of all of this, Robert Pirsig is schizophrenic, dealing with his battling alternate personality, Phaedrus.
Some weaknesses I found include going into too much detail about some ideas; they seemed unnecessary. He drifted into too much detail about some philosophical ideas and terms that the reader wouldn't be prepared for and didn't explain them well enough. Also, at the end of the book, his Phaedrus personality actually takes over; however, throughout the book he reflects back on how he was a student in India and his experience there, but that was his alternate personality. Since he went through electroshock therapy, there is no way he could have remembered any experiences Phaedrus went through.
Though he couldn't have remembered these things as Phaedrus, Pirsig does do a good job at helping the reader understand what he's going through as he battles his alternate personality. As mentioned before, he reflects on his experiences in India and has multiple dreams about those experiences. Though he wants to deny it, his son Chris also struggles as he tries to figure out if there is something wrong with his dad; asking questions and reflecting on good times in the past with his father makes his dad realize that it was Phaedrus that experienced those good times. Along with this, the reader is able to understand how Chris feels about the whole situation: he wants his dad back, you know, the dad that he has great times with and loves so much . . . Phaedrus.
This book really makes the reader think about how to find truth and if quality actually exists. It also lets the reader take an adventure inside the narrator's mind as he battles against his schizophrenia disease. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to think. As Pirsig himself writes, "The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there".

Life changing 2010-06-28

Reviewer: Rocinante

There are few books that change your life, or at the very least change your outlook on life. For me, this was one of them. I can honestly say that I wasn't the same after reading it.

It's beautifully written, and even though it's a book about life and values and philosophy etc, it's not done in a preachy way, nor do you ever get the impression that the author is talking down to you.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Read it. Buy it. Read it again.

Love it 2010-06-27

Reviewer: K. Cato

I greatly appreciate the condition and timeliness of the book's arrival. The book itself is a great read for anyone who wants to see a different point of view.

truly majestically.... 2010-06-20

Reviewer: Ashutosh Jhureley

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a book with many aspects and every time I read it, I gained a new perspective. I have read it 3 times and want to read it again, a must must read book.

I first read it by chance, when picked up from my office library before going out for my first solo motorcycle ride (on Royal Enfield) and thought it will give an insight about motorcycles. To be honest, it did. I prepared my list of must haves using references in the book. From a high level view, it appears that it tells you about maintaining a motorcycle, by someone who owned a motorcycle and spent time fiddling around with it.

This book is not about motorcycles, it is about values. It is about inquiry in to values (title).

It gave me whole new insight about how we perceive everything; our work, our relationships, our interests, our passion and our life.

Then I read it twice in next 4 years at different phases of my life and career. It helped me emotionally and professionally. Not because, this books teaches you something. It forces you to think, inquire about yourself and what you want to be.

Pirsig makes a lot of amazing points throughout the book. The book is about inquiry in to values, which is the reason it is worth a read.

-- ashutosh jhureley