A Book Review
Richard Bach was born in 1936. He is the great,great,great grandson of the famed composer J. S. Bach. Everything concerning airplanes was his field and all his books use airplanes or flight as a way to convey his message.
One of his books and one of my favourites is titled Illusions. It is about the adventures of a reluctant messiah , Donald Shimoda and his eager student, Richard. The two meet in a barn by chance and become friends on account of being barnstorming pilots. Then Richard learns that Shimoda quit being a Messiah because he got fed up of the people liking the showbiz nature of his miracles. But that doesn’t stop him from teaching Richard about life and it’s illusions.
The best part about this book are the quotes from a “Handbook of a Messiah” that Shimoda gives Richard. The language is simple, understandable and yet philosophical. Here are a few examples :
Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers.
Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah.
Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.
Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours.
Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.
What I like about this book is that I can read it over and over again and not get bored and still find something new everytime! It’s philosophical, yes, but not so deep so as to boggle the mind. It’s easy on your brain and that’s hard to come by.
Hope you give it a try!
Cheers!
- Laasya Chakravarthy
Never read Richard Bach. Have to give it a try!
must try…i just finished Shantaram (a tad late) and it has many such pithy philosophies too..try it if u already haven’t
Nice quotes…I’ll get my hands on the book soon
I love Shantaram, and I have read Richard Bach. I loved the plot line about Shimoda being tired of people expecting him to do miracles.
This shows its as much our fault as it is of those Godmen/women!
seems interesting !! will try getting to read it
@Gradwolf
You do that.
@buddy
I must try Shantaram when I can lay my hands on his books next.
@Kusublakki
Hadn’t I already told you abt this book? My bad!
@A&N
Too true. I’m glad you have read the book.
@ Aditi
Good luck!
i think i’ve read this one years ago… he’s also written a book called ‘johnathan livingston seagull’ its a short, truly inspiring story..
Hopped over from Neha’s blog! I love reading Richard Bach…. can wait to read Illusions now.
@padmajav
Right you are!
@The muser
Thanks for hopping over!
I like the quotes! I will give it a reading!
@Srividya
Cool!
Just finished reading the book and i loved it. The sheer thought of someone like a reluctant messiah is amazing!
. waiting to write a post 
Thanks for the tip