The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Tao of Pooh
Book Review: Charming introduction to Taoism
Summary: 4 Stars
As someone who has always loved Winnie the Pooh, and who has a deep interest in Eastern philosophy, this book was one I'd looked forward to reading. It didn't disappoint. I loved the technique he used of having the characters ask him questions. It was fun, and it kept me engaged in the book The author explained Taoism in a way that was charming, easy to understand, and not at all dry, as some philosophical works can be. I feel that I have a better understanding of Taoism, and I am now eager to read more about it. What's interesting is that I have a four year old niece who loves Winnie the Pooh, and when we watch the cartoon together, I also now have new, grown-up insight into it, which makes it more fun for me too! The book is quick - in fact, I found it a bit too short - and easy to read. I admit, it could've been a bit more in-depth. I'm sure critics who say this is a very superficial examination of Taoism are probably right. However, I don't know that this criticism is particularly important. I think Hoffman's purpose was simply to whet the reader's appetite so that they'd be motivated to do more study of Taoist philosophy. If I'm correct in this belief, he was successful, at least in my case.
Book Review: Cute little book
Summary: 4 Stars
A nice introduction to eastern philosophy and a good read for those seeking wisdom. In a modern society filled with superficial standards, noise polution and electronic everythings, this book is a welcome break that may just affect the ways you think and react. I also love and highly recommend the 'Open Your Mind, Open Your Life' book of wisdom by Taro Gold which, like the Tao of Pooh, teaches that life is not about what happens to us, it's how we perceive what happens. Wonderful!Book Review: Deep, Simple and Deep
Summary: 3 Stars
Personally, I enjoy learning. I study the human psyche. I read a lot about the how people face the question of, "who am I?" "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff provides a view into answering this question, however, I found the use of the Pooh story to describe the Tao and life to be a little deep. As I worked through the pages sometimes I struggled to make the connection and to learn, but then I recognized the simplicity of the message and was able to grasp the author's intent. My roller coaster experience in reading this book went from deep reflective, intellectual investigation, to internalizing the simple messages of the Tao, to a conclusion of "what did I get from this read?" On the one hand, during the read I said to myself, "I will need to re-read this book, or chapters", then again, despite my apetite for learning, I wondered if I wanted to work that hard to get the message. Judge for yourself if you can gain the simplicity of the book's message for life.Book Review: Do as I say, not as I do
Summary: 2 Stars
Hoff's general premise is that Winnie-the-Pooh is a wonderful embodiment of some of the fundamental principles of taoism. If he limited himself to that discussion, the book would have been a much better read - he really does do a nice job of developing that theme.Unfortunately, Mr. Hoff's un-tsaoist ego attempts to get in the way, especially, when he attempts to give direct "life lessons" to his readers (as opposed to allowing his readers to draw them from the anecdotes he desribes). Mr. Hoff at that point begins to evince a "more buddhist, and thus cooler, than thou" attitude in these portions of the book, and in the process reveals a lot of judgmentalism and close-mindedness. A minor example that I happen to recall: at some length, he belittles people who are devoted to exercise as being driven by some sort of vanity-driven compulsion. That may be true in some cases, but Hoff illustrates no ability to comprehend that some people may enjoy the act of running, or walking, or biking, or whatever, simply for itself (something the tao favors). If we all were truly at peace with ourselves, I guess we'd be attempting to package our personal spirituality for material gain like Hoff.
Book Review: Don't bother
Summary: 1 Stars
I actually thought this was going to be a good book, but came away feeling depressed at how pitiful an attempt this was to describe an eastern philosophy. No doubt, the book has sold purely on its hook of having the famous little bear, Pooh, on it's cover. Nevertheless, the only handful of passages that made the whole endeavor worthwhile in this little waste of time came from other passages taken out of REAL books such as Tae Te Ching. Otherwise, the author here is one of those hippie types who, by his own admission, likes to lay about on the floor. Must be nice while the rest of us go to work to earn money to buy cute little books with Winnie the Pooh on the cover.
Whatever.