The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Tao of Pooh
Book Review: Beautiful, Entertaining, and Thought-Provoking Masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
This elegant and well-written volume by Benjamin Hoff, along with its sequel âaeThe Te of Pigletâ, is perhaps one of the finest pieces of writing about Taoism in the West. Having just read and enjoyed the original Pooh stories by A.A. Milne, I became intrigued by this book and obtained it. As soon as I opened it I could not find a good point to lay it down. I kept reading and reading until I finished it in a single day. The book was so pleasurable, so well-written, and so intriguing. I kept thinking and imagining all the different concepts of Taoism that this book introduces me to. âaeWu Weiâ or effortless action; living in harmony with nature; Nowhere and Nothing; the importance of the present; the extreme alienation we in the West create for ourselves by being constantly busy. These are all important issues that relate to my life personally, and I feel I have gained something from reading this book, in addition to spending an enjoyable time reading it.
Those who didnâ(tm)t like this book for some reason are missing the point. The âaeTao of Poohâ was never meant to be the definite treatise on Taoism, or the dispassionate comparison of East and West. As a matter of fact, this book is classified under âaeHumorâ. In fact, it is this humor of pooh which lends itself so aptly to introducing Taoism. Since reading this book, I became interested in reading the other book by John Tyerman Williams called âaePooh & the Philosophersâ. What a disaster that turned out to be! See, the defining character of Pooh is that he never really takes himself seriously, which is perfectly in line with the attitude of major Taoist philosophers. Yet Western philosophy thinks of itself as a serious subject, an attitude that is quite un-Pooh-ish, so I donâ(tm)t know what on earth Williams was thinking in using Pooh to illustrate Western philosophy. Anyways, donâ(tm)t buy Williamâ(tm)s book, buy this! If you like Pooh and feel intrigued with Eastern Philosophy, you will find a pleasurable reading in this masterpiece that was the first to recognize this beautiful match.
Book Review: Bitter and Vacuous
Summary: 1 Stars
Apparently, Taoism is about lazy, bitter Westerners superficially embracing Eastern mysticism in order to boost their own egos - and then cashing in on a beloved childhood icon to make a quick buck.
Hoff does a reasonable job of using actual quotations from Pooh to illustrate various simple points, but his depiction of Taoism ends up being a collection of empty mantras that have no relationship to real life, where people frequently have both aspirations and problems. Do you want to work towards a career where you can make a difference for people? Hoff's answer is "don't strive - just be". Upset about global inequality and mass starvation? "Cottlestone Pie".
Hoff blatantly misreads Pooh to tell us that knowledge and science bring nothing but trouble - as he puts it, discovering things only leads to more questions, so what's the point? He even rants against jogging and tennis. Better to remain ignorant and immobile - although complaining bitterly seems to be an acceptable activity.
Book Review: Call me an Eeyore if you want but...
Summary: 1 Stars
Hurrah for Western Civilization, the predominant culture-set on the planet!Benjamin Hoff allows his Neo-Luddite hate speech to infiltrate his otherwise half-witted diatribe against academia, work, and progress. (How is it that most "progressives" I've met feel a need to romanticize about a *past* that never existed?) While saying that conservatives, scholars, and people who *do* rather than pontificate, are WRONG, this joker talks about the gentle Chinese and all their contributions to society.
How can one, logically, bemoan the fate of Tibet while praising the Chinese for their cultural sensitivity? How can one, logically, complain about the ecology in the US in contrast to China (Maybe Chinese industrial waste is just culturally superior to ours?). We have protesters here in the US. We just don't run them over with military hardware. Those culturally sensitive Chinese are just GREAT!
This is not to say that the Chinese are bad. How can a civilization that brought us Kung Pao Chicken be all *that* bad? Let us, however, be fair. Eastern Civilizations have been every bit as cruel as Western ones. Hoff would do well to learn that, worldwide, people have been miserable t@rds to each other for ages. He complains about a culture that allows dissent; I suspect that this disdain stays with him all the way to the bank. If he were to be critical *of* China *in* China, he may well find that his royalty checks would be found under "Contraband Property" and that *he* would be found under a tank.
If you want to find out about Taoism read a book on Taoism. If you want to read frantic rants about Western culture, Hoff's books may be for you.
Book Review: Changed My Life !
Summary: 5 Stars
The Tao of Pooh is one of the books that I can sincerely describe as "changing my life."It provides an excellent description of Taoist philosophy, with a sense of humor and fun. It is an easy read, and moves along very quickly. It combines stories from ancient Taoist text, clips from Pooh Bear stories, and some light academic discussion about Taoism.
Author Benjamin Hoff is a bit preachy in a few isolated sections, but it is not a significant part of the book.
Book Review: Changed My Life !
Summary: 5 Stars
The Tao of Pooh is one of the books that I can sincerely describe as "changing my life."It provides an excellent description of Taoist philosophy, with a sense of humor and fun. It is an easy read, and moves along very quickly. It combines stories from ancient Taoist text, clips from Pooh Bear stories, and some light academic discussion about Taoism.
Author Benjamin Hoff is a bit preachy in a few isolated sections, but it is not a significant part of the book.