≫ Libro Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Richard Bach 9780099427865 Books

Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Richard Bach 9780099427865 Books

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Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Richard Bach 9780099427865 Books

This is one of my favorite books EVER--I've read it dozens of times (it's short enough to read at a single sitting. However, the latest version of the Mass Market Paperback has INCREDIBLY small print. I purchased this as a high school graduation gift for my nephew, and imagine my surprise when I opened it to inscribe the book. The typeface must be 8 points (if that!)

I would not inflict this small of type on anyone -- not even my 18 year old nephew who has perfect vision! I'm returning it for another version, because even a great book, which this is, needs to be able to be READ WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS!


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Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Richard Bach 9780099427865 Books Reviews

I first read this book in 1980, and I re-read it every 5-10 years. I just bought another copy (I gave away my last one) and read it again, and it still holds up.

The plot is minimal A traveling airplane mechanic and pilot (Nominally the Author, Richard Bach) meets fellow enthusiast Don who turns out to have messiah-like powers such as healing the sick and working small physical miracles. This is the story of their time traveling together, and what Don teaches Richard, who turns out to be a "messiah in the rough" himself. The teaching takes the form of a series of short adventures, involving such diverse things as vampires, blue feathers, and snoopy the cartoon dog. The real appeal of the book is the range of spiritual questions raised. Is a messiah a teacher or a savior? How much do we create our own reality? What is our obligation to our fellow beings?

Illusions provokes thinking about these and more, but without being preachy or pontificating. The author never pretends to know the "Truth", he just raises interesting points; and does so in a humorous and entertaining way. When I first read it the book seemed very profound to me, as it was the first time I'd encountered some of the ideas. Re-readings since just serve a good reminder that life may not mean what I think it does.

The teachings herein are consistent with every religion and spiritual practice I'm familiar with. It doesn't take sides on any religious debates, so it's not likely to offend or upset anyone. It's just a quick bit of entertainment which always leaves me feeling a little happier and a little more in touch with life.
IMHO... a classic. I continue to pick this book up for a re-read every year or two, and it always inspires deep down. This purchase is to replace yet again my previous copy that I gave to someone that had not read the book, but could obviously benefit from it. I appreciate how 'simple' a read this story is, yet how big a message it carries. Up there with the likes of the Desiderata, the Prophet, or Jacob the Baker.
I have mixed feeling about this book, and was tempted to give it 3 stars, but decided that was unfair. In some ways this strikes a serious Buddhist practitioner as "fluff," yet in a real way, this book presents some of the concepts of Buddhism in an easy to read, startling way. It has a story, a bit of mystery, and a lot of discussions about the nature of reality as a projection of our mind.

Illusions puts forth in an entertaining style, the ancient Greek philosophy of solipsism, the idea that only mind exists, and what we consider the real world is merely a projection of our own thoughts, desires, concepts and intentions. Ultimately, this idea is hard to distinguish from Buddhist epistemology, or even from Neoplatonic thought. It is virtually impossible to disprove, and almost equally difficult to believe. Anyone who has been in a car accident, suffered a major health crisis, been a victim of serious crime, or fought in a war, will have a hard time accepting the premise of this book.

I certainly did. It is a fun read, a fun idea, but ultimately, it does not allow one to levitate a socket-wrench (one of the incidents described) or become a Messiah, reluctant or otherwise. Mostly, the idea is a sort of "locked room mystery," in that there is no way to really penetrate the illusion to reach the truth.
First read it when it was published. Few books stay with me. This one did, and still does. We learn, we keep learning. We play, we create, we look at our creations, our life, our lives. And we can realize that it's all quite beautiful, and we can laugh and delight in all of it. And create anew, and be a witness to it all with wonder and awe. Read this book, and again if it stays with you.
Loved this book when I was 17- still love it at age 50+. The lessons still hold up and the quotes are still amazing.
If you never read this in the 70s, do yourself a favor and read it now.
Here Richard Bach took advantage of the popularity of the mystical approach of Carlos Castaneda. Now, to his credit, Bach doesn't claim his main character, Don Shimoda, was real, let alone that his exploits actually occurred, which was the unpardonable sin of the Castaneda stories of Don Juan (Castaneda claimed he was engaged in scientific, ethnographic research and the events were true). But my issue with Illusions is that it appears to me like a watered down version of the main theme of Castaneda's first four books, and it is, simply, nowhere near as interesting.

I'm being generous giving Illusions 3 stars.

Or, maybe, that's part of the illusion.

...
This is one of my favorite books EVER--I've read it dozens of times (it's short enough to read at a single sitting. However, the latest version of the Mass Market Paperback has INCREDIBLY small print. I purchased this as a high school graduation gift for my nephew, and imagine my surprise when I opened it to inscribe the book. The typeface must be 8 points (if that!)

I would not inflict this small of type on anyone -- not even my 18 year old nephew who has perfect vision! I'm returning it for another version, because even a great book, which this is, needs to be able to be READ WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS!