Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Perusing the 200 odd reviews of this book -- 98.9999% of which award a Five-Star rating -- I am compelled to admit... never in my life have I seen the phrase "tears of joy" used by so many people in so many ways. But I am also compelled to admit that Richard Bach's "Illusion" is as others claim: it is a simple and easy read. But so was Robert Munsch's book "The Mud Puddle" and Dr. Suess' "Green Eggs and Ham". And while I enjoyed both of these books at seven, neither, I think, changed my life in fundamental ways. I just got a kick out of the rhymes and the pictures. Unfortunately for Bach, his philosophy is so simple that his pictures can't help. Oh. And he doesn't rhyme either. People complain that philosophy is usually presented in "dull and complex" ways. The reason for this, is that philosophy includes COMPLEX IDEAS. And complex ideas, regardless of literary approach and style will remain complex. Stephan Hawkings' "A Brief History of Time" proves this. Sure, we can all read about wormholes and envision Asimov-esque time machines. But can we place these ideas into their proper context of complex astro-physical calculations? Unless you sign with S-A-G-A-N, I wish you good luck. Truth is, Bach's "Illusions" is simple because the philosophy is simple. In a line: "You can do what you want!" He's taken the story of Christ (the misunderstood, persecuted Messiah - Don) sprinkled on some quasi Buddhist ideas (Illusions / Renunciation - Don "quits" because no one listens) added one part Nietzsche (Be creative! Take control!) and topped it off with miracles to hold the interest of those already bored with the ideas and the pictures. What this books amounts to is philosophical windowshopping -- pluck all the fuzzy happy ideas from some major historical schools of thought and put them into a fuzzy happy feel-good-about-myself story. Be sure to avoid the darker areas of life. Write safely. Take no risks. Cross no lines. It would be nice if we could all walk on water. It would be nice that anyone not born into privilege could "create" the same opportunities for themselves through "hard work" and "will". But this is often not the case. (See HISTORY 1000 B.C. -- circa NOW). Read Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha" for a better literary rendering of the life of the *real* Buddha. And read "Ecce Homo" or "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Nietzsche for a truly stylish account of joyish affirmation. In the end, this is a book is simplistic borderline boring. Its for cozy people without a whole lot of real problems. And if you're wondering what I mean by this -- If you can turn to any page of this book and there's a quote there to solve your life's problems, then you really don't have any problems. You probably just forgot your cell phone near the cappucino machine back at the condo.