the_sleepy_nightowl's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.25
It’s the second book in Carlos Castañeda’s series and a vast improvement over the first. Where the first book is at times cumbersome to read because of it’s repetitive and superficial analysis, this one is styled as a reportage which facilitates a better flow of reading. Considering that this is often mentioned to be source material for the conceptions of the Jedi in the Starwars Universe, it was a pleasant surprise to stumble over Yoda’s phrase “luminous beings” and the Sith’s motto of “breaking your chains”. However over all, if you’re not into New Age storylines, it doesn’t provide a very riveting read.
themoonkestrel's review against another edition
4.0
Just started this one off, this time I do take a pencil with me and I've already added some notes to the margins and underlined a few things!
A book full of notes, so that means it is a good book. A bit complex, and sometimes I was a bit mad at Carlos for being such an idiot or for not saying certain things, but all in all it was quite good.
A book full of notes, so that means it is a good book. A bit complex, and sometimes I was a bit mad at Carlos for being such an idiot or for not saying certain things, but all in all it was quite good.
snmrrw's review against another edition
3.0
Bullshit mixed with some good ideas. Tough to take seriously when you know it's all fake, but just like a novel, the ideas are still real. However, knowing it's fake makes the synchronicities, hallucination descriptions, and explanations of feats of power really boring. Unless the behavior of dons Juan and Genaro are metaphorical for something I'm unaware of. Lots of interesting insight into rationalism, how we (humanity) perceive things, and knowledge.
jorge_shdz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
epictetsocrate's review against another edition
3.0
Cu zece ani în urmă am avut norocul să întâlnesc un indian Yaqui din nord-vestul Mexicului. Îi spuneam don Juan. În spaniolă „don” e un apelativ care indică respect. Am făcut cunoştinţă cu don Juan în cele mai fortuite circumstanţe. Stăteam cu Bill, un prieten al meu, într-o staţie de autobuz, într-un oraş de graniţă din Arizona. Eram foarte tăcuţi. După-amiaza, căldura verii părea de nesuportat Dintr-o dată, el s-a aplecat spre mine şi m-a bătut pe umăr.
— Acesta-i omul de care ţi-am vorbit, a spus el cu voce scăzută.
A arătat cu capul spre intrare. Tocmai intrase un bătrân.
— Ce mi-ai spus despre el? am întrebat.
— E un indian care ştie multe despre peiotă. Îţi aminteşti?
Mi-am amintit că eu şi Bill am condus o zi întreagă căutând casa unui indian mexican „excentric”, care locuia în zonă. Nu am găsit casa şi aveam sentimentul că indienii pe care i-am întrebat ne-au îndrumat eronat în mod deliberat. Bill mi-a spus că omul era un yerbero, o persoană care adună şi vinde plante medicinale şi că ştia foarte multe despre cactusul halucinogen, peiota. El a mai spus că ar fi foarte bine să-l întâlnesc. Bill era ghidul meu în călătoria pe care o întreprinsesem în sud-vest, pentru a culege informaţii şi specii de plante medicinale folosite de indienii din zonă.
— Acesta-i omul de care ţi-am vorbit, a spus el cu voce scăzută.
A arătat cu capul spre intrare. Tocmai intrase un bătrân.
— Ce mi-ai spus despre el? am întrebat.
— E un indian care ştie multe despre peiotă. Îţi aminteşti?
Mi-am amintit că eu şi Bill am condus o zi întreagă căutând casa unui indian mexican „excentric”, care locuia în zonă. Nu am găsit casa şi aveam sentimentul că indienii pe care i-am întrebat ne-au îndrumat eronat în mod deliberat. Bill mi-a spus că omul era un yerbero, o persoană care adună şi vinde plante medicinale şi că ştia foarte multe despre cactusul halucinogen, peiota. El a mai spus că ar fi foarte bine să-l întâlnesc. Bill era ghidul meu în călătoria pe care o întreprinsesem în sud-vest, pentru a culege informaţii şi specii de plante medicinale folosite de indienii din zonă.
caterwompous's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say about a book that changed my adolescent life? Other than the fact that everything written within these pages should be taken with a huge slab of salt, I am indebted to where the Carlos took my preteen mind.
jackiijackii's review against another edition
1.0
The main issue with this book is that I couldn't distinguish if it were fact or fiction. Possibly, it shouldn't matter, since it's a philosophy book, but I just couldn't get over the fact that, at different times, it sounded like Plato's Republic, The Celestine Prophecy, and Go Ask Alice. It never felt genuine. He does comment in the introduction about how each "lesson" ends on a dramatic note because that's just how don Juan did it, but it seemed more like a cheap literary device to me, along the lines of The Celestine Prophecy. Although the introduction did sound like an anthropologist, the following data wasn't presented in a manner consistent with a scientific research paper. I suppose he tried to make it palatable for a larger audience to sell the books, but he's an anthropologist and not a writer, so it just comes across as poorly written, which I interpreted as ringing false?
Nope, I'm not making any excuses. I've read plenty of philosophy; this one wasn't worth the time.
Nope, I'm not making any excuses. I've read plenty of philosophy; this one wasn't worth the time.
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