Re: Research HELP needed...Did you read the book: JONATHON LIVINGSTON SEAGULL? And if so..

> what do you remember about it?

The way to fly faster than thought is to know you are there . . .

That one little gull out of thousands let himself enjoy his life, without being dictated to by the mores of "gull society."

> Did you hate it? Love it? Pass it along?

LOVED IT! Passed it along, bought another. . .
Repeat.

> Do you rememeber who Sullivan and Fletcher
> were?

Yes - Should I tell?

> Did it seem "important" to you at
> the time?

It seemed very important, though many people who read it at the same time thought it was dumb.
The book was about seagulls, but for the life of me, I kept seeing people. . .and discovering stuff about them (people, that is.)

> For those youngin's in the crowd, Jonathon
> Livingston Seagull is one of the all time
> best selling books reportedly to the tune of
> 30 million copies in the early 70's.

> My research is looking at the content of the
> book (as well as other books too)...
Illusions, maybe?

> the TIMING of the book. Who bought it? How
> did it become a monster best-seller?

Idealists, I think. Hippie/would-be hippies who were desparate to create a better world, if only they knew how . . .
(Among others - I got it from first from a friend of one of my brothers, who had dropped out of highschool.)

> It sticks out from my stack of best-sellers
> like a sore thumb...this dumb short little
> book full of pictures of seagulls went on to
> become a movie, and it stayed on top for 3
> years.

> Why?

> Any ideas? I'd appreciate any feedback you
> might have on this. OH, and if you LOVED the
> book, take my "dumb short little
> book" with a grain of salt, OK?

I think it was important because it resonated on so many levels with what we experience in life. All those birds intent on scratching out a meager subsistence level existence, while Jonathan actually had the AUDACITY to do what the h*ll he wanted.

He needed on one's permission, cared not one bit what anybody thought of the way he spent his time, and he himself to the pursuit of excellence in his chosen activity.

Jonathan was willing and able to devote his time and attention to the pursuit of what was important to him, and relegated all else to secondary or tertiary importance (if that high.)

His single minded pursuit of his goal reminds me of the perpetual 'high' I've been on while I build and learn to administer my server.

The last time I read that book was at least 20 years ago, and I still remember it. I'd re-read it, but I seem to have lost my copy. . .

> Thanks,

> Gordon Alexander

I agree with all your comments, MaryE and have just this to add:

I think the timing was key - the late hippie, post Vietnam, back to simplicity, idealistic early seventies (1972). Twenty somethings (raising my hand high)and younger were turning to all kinds of paths to find answers, disillusioned by the war, protests, poor economy and the initial Watergate mess.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull was simple and kind of a teaching parable. It hit a societal chord with amazing lucky timing. Bach's later book "A Bridge Across Forever" (also a good read) describes his total surprise at the success of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He was out flying and barnstorming, basically unreachable, while his publisher frantically searched for him to pay him amazing amounts of money!

His later book "Illusions", which IMHO was much better than JLS, was a bestseller as well, but as it came out initially in 1979 or so (the disco era and prelude to the go-go eighties)it didn't receive as much public acclaim or movie status. I notice it was re-released in the late 90's.

Anyway, I'm a Richard Bach and Jonathan fan and will look for my copy of JLS and reread it tonight. It's relevant in the new millenium!

Sorry to ramble on so:-)

Bob

I was just thinking about this thread. (This is probably the only forum I visit that actually provokes me to THINK, even when I've switched it off!

JLS is probably the beginning of the "end" for me. I was jotting stuff down (Man! I gotta get organized enough to put this stuff in a notebook, at least! Right now, what I began writing is on the backside of a candybar wrapper . . .

Sigh.)

ANYWAY! It was the beginning of the end of my thinking that I could "fit" nicely in this world, and "do" what my folks (among others) thought was right and proper. I miss my mother, but I swear! balancing my thinking and doing (as far as she could observe) with what and where I was heading, especially when that 'what and where' was best defined as ... duh!?? was really hard.

In short, the square peg she/they wanted me to be had suddenly developed rounded corners, and life ain't been easy since!