I read a long time ago that the novel "A Man and His Motorcycle" is one of the 50 novels capable of changing your life for the better. Although I don't like this kind of claims, my previous efforts to change were fruitless. I searched for the novel at that time but found it hadn't been translated yet. I left it for a while and then accidentally saw it in an Abu Dhabi exhibition, beautifully translated. However, what spoiled the surprise was its huge size of 600 pages!

Here I am, having read the novel after great effort, and contrary to what is generally said about the novel, not much has changed. Maybe I'm confused because of some condition that has befallen me, I don't know! Nevertheless, the novel is well-read in America and has a lot of popularity there. I doubted my understanding of it, but I held on a little when I didn't notice its reception among Arab readers, and it took two years to translate it!

Well, I can't say the novel was good or bad. Maybe I don't have the courage to say it's bad because in the end it didn't appeal to me. But there is still the saying "the lies of novelists" in it, with a lot of irony towards the reader. Look at the great novelists and think that they are great because they point to the truth. They have fun at our expense!

By the way, the author's death coincided with the days of the exhibition, which was another reason for me to buy the book as a kind of funeral prayer for his pure soul.

The novel is a search for values, a long conclusion about (why do we live?). It's a novel about philosophical thinking or as the author describes it (about the unity of spiritual feeling and technological thinking). He saw the deliberate separation between spirituality and technology as one of the reasons for our anger in this era or at least the wide publication of the novel in 1974. So the novel can be read at several levels, and it's difficult to judge it clearly. But I'm sure that the novel is not enjoyable and very boring!

Simply put, it's a story about a man who goes on a journey on a motorcycle with his son. This man had suffered from insanity in the past and is now completely different from what he was before finding himself. On his journey on the motorcycle, he faced his past with his son and his friends, and it's said to be an autobiography of the author.

I understand that some individuals are led onto a particular path for various reasons, and I am truly delighted for every single person who has discovered enlightenment or found comfort through this book or any other. I mean this with the utmost sincerity from the very bottom of my heart.

And this is precisely the only reason why I am awarding this a rating of 2 stars. It is strictly because of all the good that it has accomplished for so many people.

I made an attempt, okay? But I just cannot fathom all this commotion and nonsense about how gravity does not exist. You can't serve me garbage and then try to convince me that it's a delicious steak. I simply cannot set aside logic and rational thinking to buy into such a preposterous idea. It goes against everything that I know and understand about the world.

Fuck! I truly hate this situation. I'm at the point where I give up. I just can't take it anymore. The last page I managed to read was 217, so I didn't officially "finish" this book, yet it will still go into my pile of completed ones. I need all the assistance I can get. My goal for this year was to read 50 books, but I'm already 8 books behind. And no matter what anyone says, I will count this book as read.

You know how when you embark on a road trip, everything is amazing and feels like a breath of fresh air in the beginning? But then, as you reach the middle, you end up at each other's throats? Well, that's exactly what this book was like. It started off slow and extremely boring. It was like a lazy canoe trip through the Everglades. It was a nice change of pace from the bombastic books I had been reading, but then it just bashed into a wall. The boring parts were interlaced with even more boring stuff. I'm aware that I might sound like a monkey right now, and I know I might seem uneducated as hell, but those philosophy lessons that were embedded into the narrative were just so incredibly boring. This book is a prime example of the archetypal "journey story" that just turns out to be sucky. At first, you're going along with everything, having some cool conversations, but after a few days, it's like... everyone stinks. Everyone is tired and has bags under their eyes. The vaginas smell like old tuna and the penises smell like rotting bacon (I made that up, I've never actually smelled a crusty penis). Everything just sucks. That's what this book turned into. Plus, the author is such a douchebag. He's boring me to death. I'm supposed to believe that he was formerly known as Phaedrus and that he thought himself into insanity while on the quest to find out the meaning of quality and rationality? I'm not exaggerating that. Early in the book, he describes how he got electroshock therapy for this.

Really!! You actually drove yourself literally insane thinking about that??? You really thought yourself into that deep of a black hole? Fucking get a life! Who does that?

At that moment, my credibility for the author (who is thinly veiled as the protagonist in this stupid story) just flew out the window. You have a kid, dude!! Get your act together. It doesn't help that he's such an asshole to that kid. All in the name of making him grow up to be a great man. Really? Fucking feed that kid and don't make him climb a stupid mountain because of your own ridiculous ambition.

Maybe this book does a 180-degree turn in the final half and becomes really evocative and entertaining, but I just don't care anymore. I hate giving books such a low rating. It's evidence that I wasted my time.

No more. There are just too many awesome books out there that I should be spending my finite time on.

Okay, I confess I haven't finished it yet.

But I'm finding it so irksome I don't know if I'll be able to get all the way through it. Here's what I wrote on my bookmark 50 pages in:

"The author's logic is self-contained, entirely self-referential and so his argument is self-sustaining! He can set up armies of logical strawmen and have them elaborately duke it out in massive rhetorical battles taking place entirely without any grounding in reality.

He has the manic ADDH intelligence of the kind that experiences UFO abductions, never finishes his degree, judges everyone as hopelessly inferior from behind the counter of the sporting goods store. Self-satisfied and superior with a fake Indian name he took on from the time he made deep eye-contact with a timber wolf. The kind of guy who never made it all the way back from 'Nam."

So that was 100 pages ago and I've had to change my evaluation a little. He went to Korea, not Vietnam.

He's driving me NUTS! It's one false premise and false conclusion after another-- astonishing leaps of logic (e.g. the more I do experiments, the more ideas for future experiments I have, therefore science only leads to more questions, therefore scientific pursuit is meaningless since the purpose of science is to know everything, and if I always have more questions, I'll never know everything. AAARGH!)

He's an irritating narrator: his female companions ooh and aah at his speechifying. "Gee, Bob, how do you think of this stuff!" while bringing him steaks. His male companions are awed and impressed with his technical knowledge and mystical skills. He wasn't kicked out of school for "laziness and immaturity" as the official reason went-- it was because his ideas were so RADICAL the whole university system would have come toppling down!

The only expert he cites is Phaedrus....who turns out to be himself! Before a nervous breakdown! He talks about discovering the beautiful power of Phaedrus' logic and writing. And it's himself, all along. Very annoying.

Ugh. I just want to say to him, yes, you're very smart. Yes, technology and art are a false dichotomy. But no, saying that does not turn the world inside out and make you the smartest person in the universe.

This book is truly a trial to read. The author's convoluted and often baseless arguments make it a frustrating experience. His self-aggrandizing and irritating narrative style only add to the annoyance. It's as if he is trying too hard to prove himself as some kind of intellectual genius, when in fact, his ideas lack substance and are often contradictory. I'm not sure if I'll be able to force myself to finish this book, but I hope that the remaining pages offer something more worthwhile.

This book is far more pretentious than I remember it being when I first read it.

When I initially picked up this book, I was filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation. I thought it would be a wonderful literary journey. However, upon this second reading, I was disappointed to find that it seemed overly pretentious.

The author's attempts to sound profound and intellectual often came across as forced and artificial. The language was convoluted, and the story seemed to be sacrificed for the sake of showing off literary技巧.

As a result, my feelings towards this book have changed. It has been downgraded from "love" to a mere "like." While I still appreciate some of the aspects of the book, such as the interesting premise, the overall pretentiousness has left a sour taste in my mouth.

I will still recommend this book to others, but with a caveat that they should approach it with an open mind and not be overly influenced by the author's attempts to seem more than what he is.

Before I begin my in-depth review of Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (hereafter referred to as ZMM), I need to make two small admissions.

Firstly, I had a hard time getting through this book. In fact, I stopped reading around page one hundred and forty for about a week before I picked it up again and managed to finish it.

Secondly, my initial expectations of ZMM, based on its recent popularity or perhaps the hype surrounding it, were quite different from my actual experience of reading the book. I had naively anticipated a more spiritual, self-help kind of volume rather than a philosophical treatise.

Now that I've got those out of the way, let's move on to my review of ZMM.

ZMM by Robert M. Pirsig is a fascinating and deeply philosophical exploration of how to live one's life. Its main theme is the dichotomy between a classical, rational approach to life and a romantic, less rational one.

The intense philosophical discussions in ZMM are intertwined with a fictional cross-country motorcycle trip that the author takes with his son, Chris, and a couple who are close family friends. Their experiences on this journey from Minnesota to the West Coast of the United States provide anecdotes that break up Pirsig's story and subtly illustrate many of the insights he is trying to convey.

Ultimately, ZMM highlights a breakthrough that the author has made in connecting the two seemingly completely opposite rational and romantic viewpoints on life. The core of Pirsig's thesis lies in the definition of the concept of quality, which takes up a significant portion of one hundred and fifty pages in ZMM.

What I liked most about this book was the last fifty or so pages, where Pirsig delves more deeply and straightforwardly into his philosophy. I found the build-up to this point to be too long-winded and dull. I felt that he didn't get to the point quickly enough to hold my attention, which is one of the reasons why I stopped reading ZMM roughly halfway through.

Another factor that made it difficult for me to read ZMM was Pirsig's writing style. It took me a considerable amount of time to get used to his rough, unrefined prose, which is filled with long run-on sentences. One could even argue that the quality concept that Pirsig expounds on at length in ZMM is ironically lacking in this work to a certain extent.

Nevertheless, I do believe that the message that Pirsig is trying to convey comes through. However, I'm not sure how accessible ZMM is to the average reader, as Pirsig delves quite deeply into fundamental philosophical concepts that I can imagine are unfamiliar to many.

In conclusion, ZMM is not a book for everyone. But if you're looking for a new way to think about living life and are open to immersing yourself in complex philosophical ideas, I would highly recommend it.

Simple daily thoughts but also deep philosophical exploration.

The protagonist searches for the meaning of existence, with all its complexity, taking a journey by machines with his son and a friendly couple.

With simple and fluent writing, the author allows the reader to identify with the heroes, to choose a side, to answer for himself the questions that arise.

At the same time, giving, at the end, a twist/explanation that puts everything in its place.

I rate it 4/5 because there are so many mechanical terms. If I weren't married to a mechanic and hadn't taken trips by machine to understand what it's saying, my brain would have melted and I would have hit my head!

A book for morons, written by a mentally damaged man.

Perhaps there is even child abuse involved.

Just like with Ayn Rand, some people wrongly believe this is a philosophy book. I understand that many people read this book in college. It's a time for experimentation and making mistakes. But it's better to stick to sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Ayn Rand and this kind of garbage are more harmful. I was shocked to find out that some colleges even assign this. If your college assigns this book (except maybe ironically, in a class on Fraud Literature [sic]), then you go to a crappy college. It's that simple.

I did learn the word "Chataqua".

I would recommend this book to:

-- People who shop in the "metaphysics" section of bookstores.

-- People who listen to new age mumbo-jumbo "infomercials" on PBS stations during fundraising time.

-- The Idle Rich of Marin County.

This book seems to be a waste of time and intellect. It offers nothing of real value or substance. The author's mental state and possible involvement in child abuse raise serious questions about the credibility and morality of the work. It's concerning that some colleges would assign such a book, as it doesn't contribute to a proper education. Instead, it might mislead students and expose them to harmful ideas. It's important to be critical when choosing what to read and not be swayed by false claims or trendy labels. We should focus on books that can truly expand our knowledge and understanding, rather than those that are simply meant to shock or deceive.

Readers of Thoreau, Emerson, and Dillard will be completely entranced with this remarkable book. In the finest traditions of transcendentalism, Zen delves deep into the journey. It explores the answers that we uncover when we dare to ask the difficult questions, those regarding fairness and quality.

You, as the discerning reader, are invited to embark on this captivating journey. Pirsig writes with both his hands and his head, analyzing a concept in a manner very similar to how he would diagnose a problem with his motorcycle. You commence with knowledge and then shape it into a potent tool with which to assail a problem. The chapters artfully alternate between a compelling storyline and a chautauqua, or philosophical probing. It strikes an excellent balance between an engaging plot and profound thought, and Pirsig demonstrates great skill in drawing these two disparate halves together seamlessly.

Quality is indeed a powerful word, and by the time you finish this book, you will have a much deeper understanding of it. However, it's important to note that this book is not for everyone. It requires a certain level of intellectual curiosity and an openness to exploring profound ideas.

Read young and never looked back.

At this moment, the only thing that I can recall, even if it is just faintly, is the discussion regarding 'quality'. This very discussion then led me to read Plato by myself.

Although this book is not strictly philosophy in the traditional sense, it does possess a philosophical nature. Those who are critical of it may view it as sloppy new-age mysticism, a poorly constructed novel, or an insufficient attempt at serious thought. That's perfectly fine. (However, if you do hold such views, I strongly urge you to read the more serious works and observe how much of it ultimately reminds you of "Phaedrus'" academic destiny.)

Perhaps I am being overly generous with my stars due to a sense of nostalgia. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that the lesson which the author-narrator learns is of great significance: tempering one's own arrogance does not signify the end of the pursuit of truth. It is a valuable reminder that humility can coexist with the search for knowledge and understanding.

I don't know what precisely triggered the thought, but suddenly I found myself remembering reading this book some years ago.

Not only that, but I could recall a significant portion of the story, which clearly indicated that it had made a lasting impression on me.

Blurb:

One of the most crucial and influential books penned in the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a potent, moving, and incisive exploration of how we live. It is also a breathtaking meditation on how to lead a better life. Here is the book that allegedly transformed a generation: an unforgettable account of a summer motorcycle journey across America's Northwest, embarked upon by a father and his young son. A tale of love and fear, of growth, discovery, and acceptance, it evolves into a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. This uniquely exhilarating modern classic is both touching and transcendent, echoing with the countless confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that drive us forward.

End blurb.

To me, this was more like a philosophical dissertation on how we perceive quality, yet presented in a story-like manner so that one doesn't get bored or lose interest. I'm not sure about its claim of transforming a generation, but I do remember finding it an engaging and interesting read.

Finished a reread, now twenty years after my first go.

For all its faults, this is a tremendously praiseworthy book. I enjoyed it on multiple levels. The philosophical explorations, when paired with practical experience as in "Zen and the art of maintaining a motorcycle...", make it truly engaging. The author respects the intelligence of the reader by not dumbing down the challenging subject matter.

At times, the author manages to elevate the plot and intensify the reading experience through the protagonist's philosophical investigations. This is no easy feat, especially considering my bias as a lover of philosophy.

I can clearly see a strong influence, if not direct plagiarism, in McCarthy's "The Road" and "Blood Meridian". I know that CM read "Z&MM" and has a penchant for borrowing, twisting, and appropriating.

"If you take a sheep and put it up at the timberline at night when the wind is roaring, that sheep will be panicked half to death and will call and call until the shepherd comes, or comes the wolf." (Z&MM, 1974)

"When the lambs is lost in the mountain, he said. They is cry. Sometime come the mother. Sometime the wolf." (Blood Meridian, 1985).

A test of good writing is whether it makes you want to do the thing the author is writing about. This book passed with flying colors for me as it made me eager to work in my shop, fixing things well - the essence of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those intrigued by its premise, especially young men.

***

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