Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

an inquiry into values

No cover

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Paperback, 1999, Vintage)

Paperback, 436 pages

English language

Published Aug. 13, 1999 by Vintage.

ISBN:
978-0-09-932261-0
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3 stars (1 review)

"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.

45 editions

not a good bedtime read

3 stars

This is the second time that I stop reading this book. I really enjoyed the journaling of the motorcycle trip, but that's only half of the story. After a day at work, sitting in bed, trying to wind down, the whole discussion about classicism vs romanticism and rational analysis, etc is just too dry and tiring to follow.

Subjects

  • Pirsig, Robert M. -- Journeys -- United States.
  • Philosophy and civilization.
  • Zen Buddhism and science.
  • Fathers and sons -- United States.
  • Motorcycles -- Maintenance and repair.
  • United States -- Description and travel.