Sunday, April 19, 2015

Jonathan Livingston Seagull



I was looking for a book that was published in the year I was born - 1970.  Turns out, I had lots of options ( Love Story, The Bluest Eye....)  but I had already settled on re- reading Jonathan.   I think I was about 12 when I read it the first time and although I realized it was about more than just a seagull, the depth and breadth of this beautifully written novella was completely beyond me.  The above quote is one of my favorites from the book because it's about life, and it's about those things that hold us back  - other people, our own fears, societal expectations and pressures, what we think we know vs. what is real - there is just so much.
This is one of those books that I think people should read in stages:  once when we are young, once in middle age and once at the close.  I believe that at each stage this book would have depth and meaning previously undiscovered.  If it has been a while, or if you have never read it,  this is certainly worth picking up.  You will be through it in a sitting but the thoughts will stay with you long after you have finished.

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