From time-to-time, you'll come across a book written simply that delivers profound life lessons. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is one such book.Jonathan Livingston Seagull
And the good thing about it, is that you can also read the book to or with your kids. They will love the illustrations in the book as well as the story.
When I first read this book, I really enjoyed it. Because it is such a great book with lessons you can relate to!
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Below, you'll find my book summary and review of Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
All the images in this post are clickable.
Five Great Ideas from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
When I read a book, I like to pick out the five big ideas. I'm sure that your five big ideas from Jonathan Livingston Seagull would be very different from mine.
- You are perfect and unlimited.
- Never stop learning and practicing and striving to understand more of the perfect, invincible principle of all life.
- Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body.
- You have to practice to see the real person, the good in everyone, and to help them see it in themselves. That's love. It's fun, when you get the knack of it.
- Look with understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.
Introduction: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The Complete Edition
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is a fun book that causes you to pause and think, and the good thing about it is you can read it in less than an hour. First published in 1970, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a fable written as a novella. According to Wikipedia:
“By the end of 1972, over a million copies [of Jonathan Livingston Seagull] were in print, Reader's Digest had published a condensed version, and the book reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list where it remained for 38 weeks. In 1972 and 1973 the book topped the Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States.”
Initial Thoughts on Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
I first read and reviewed this book in 2006 for my newsletter, Ambeck Edge. I decided to read this book again because I thought its message is timeless and worth repeating. We are living in a world where many are risk averse, and do what others do.
We play it safe because often those who take the road less traveled are ostracized. No one likes to be the odd one out, so we try to be a part of the herd. This is a story about following your dreams even when they go against the grain. It’s about making the most of the life you have been given.
In the story, Richard Bach uses the metaphor of seagulls flying to demonstrate that if we follow our dreams and achieve our dream goals, we too can soar. The book gives us permission to step into our greatness.
To get the most from this SummaReview, after you have read it, answer the following questions:
- Is this a book I’d like to read for myself? Why? Why not?
- Is there a framework that I can use in your life and work?
- What are five takeaways from the SummaReview?
- What is one action that I can take as a result of reading this SummaReview?
You can also read this story with and to your children, they'll love the images.
Also from Richard Bach – Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach, Book Review.
What is This Book About?
This book is about Jonathan Livingston Seagull, one of the many seagulls from the Breakfast Flock colony. The gulls dodged and fought for food off the fishing boats, except for Jonathan Livingston, who would practice soaring into the sky, doing various maneuvers not intended for gulls. Jonathan would soar and then glide. Though he stalled and fell many times, he picked himself up and practiced some more. He learned from his mistakes and kept on “course correcting.”
Bach writes:
“For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.”
Jonathan's attitude made him unpopular, even his parents were disappointed in him, but that didn't deter him. Jonathan refused to conform.
“His mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can't you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross? Why don't you eat? Son, you're bone and feathers.”
“I don't mind being bone and feathers, mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can't, that's all. I just want to know.”
Fail forward to success.
Though Jonathan failed many times, got discouraged and tried to conform, the passion, fire in his belly, and the drive to be better, forced him to try harder. Being a very introspective gull, he would deconstruct to determine what he did and make improvements. One day he went too far, so thought the Council Gathering who summoned him to Stand to Center for Shame. Jonathan was banished from the colony.
“All alone he kept on learning, What he had hoped for the Flock, he now gained for himself alone; he learned to fly, and was not sorry for the price that he had paid. Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reason that a gull's life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.”
Though Jonathan Livingston Seagull had to leave the flock because he was banished, he believed in his dream and continued to live it. He kept on practicing his flight. Eventually he met other seagulls who were banished as well from other colonies. And he took the time to train them. Jonathan continued to learn. He was able to master himself. He also learned about love. He went back to his Flock, to see if there were other outcasts who he could help.
Key Lessons from This Book
- Master the fundamentals in your field and then build on that.
- Experiment until you get “it” right, and “it” depends on your role in life.
- Know and master yourself – know what you can and cannot do – and work to push beyond your limits one step at-a-time.
- You have the capacity for much more than you think, so keep challenging yourself.
- Learn from you failures.
- It’s okay to break promises to yourself if they no longer serve you.
- Embrace your passions.
- Let go of the life that no longer serves you.
- Embrace new ideas and ways of doing things.
- Never stop learning.
Is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach Worth the Read?
I recommend Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach because it is packed with many profound lessons. This book reminds you of the importance of giving back. Of teaching what you know to others. Everyone is unique. And you have knowledge and experience that others do not have. It's up to you to share your gifts.
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Some Books by Richard Bach
Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant MessiahJonathan Livingston Seagull: Complete Edition
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UPDATE: This was first published on this blog in August 2013. I've updated the post since then. If you click on a link a buy something on Amazon, the company will pay me a small commission.
