A higher level of birdness

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach

One of those great transcendent (har har, a pun... well you'll understand it if you've read the story... oh never mind) stories that many people from my generation read as children (or had read to them - that sneaky 4th grade teacher - who oddly also taught me to play chess....) regarding what is good, and right and whole. At first it seems like a child's tale of a fanciful seagull naively concerned with the art of flying - more than the necessity of eating. After the first 20 or so pages though it is clear that this is an allegory of the Buddhist search for Nirvana - told through a gentle gull. This book could also be interpreted in an existentialist way - it concerns what is "gullness" - and acting that out. At less than 100 full pages, in large print, this book is easily doable in one sitting. Much like Siddhartha, this is the best way to read it - almost as a meal for your mind. If you read this as a child, as I did, it is well worth the return trip for the entertainment and sense of clarity Jonathan can bring.
Rating: A
Related: Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse

Currently listening to:

yes.... bluegrass..... a trip to Floyd this summer got me seriously interested in mountain music and the Seldom Scene are quite incredible.