"Johnathan Livingston Seagull" gave me something which hardly any other book has given: a sense of flight.
This story has an abundant sense of exhilaration which is literally absent from most of contemporary literature.
While dealing with the theme of the genius against society, "JLS" is fundamentally a metaphor of how man can reach God. It is a little surprising that no reviewer has mentioned the religious significance of this story.
The message it carries actually could be elaborated into a grand philosophic vision which can change the very essence of religion and man's conception of God and Heaven. (Johnathan Seagull has been called "the son of the great gull").

"JLS" goes to the root of the psychology & character of the lonely genius, the path-breaker and presents it in terms of the essentials : his loneliness; his devotion to the truth; his constant pursuit of higher & higher levels of achievement & self-realization; his complete disregard for security & comfort; his thirst of appreciation; his fearlessness with respect to challenging the unknown & not-attempted; his uncompromising integrity. All this is given to you in a capsule in the form of a symbolic tale.

It depicts the relationship of the rebel, the non-conformist, the innovator with society and shows that it is the man of independence, genius and vision - he who disagrees and disobeys (and often appears rude & ruthless) who has a tremendous sense of benevolence and goodwill towards humanity - that it is precisely such a man who desperately yearns to share the higher truths of life discovered by him, and his newfound vision, with mankind - and it is precisely such men who are ostracized and condemned; that it is those who break the rules who have benefited mankind much more than those who cling to tradition.

"JLS" conveys a lot more: the view that unwavering devotion to one's values, confidence and self-esteem can help one overcome any barrier-that no obstacle is insurmountable - that the Highest can be achieved and the tremendous sense of joy at having achieved one's goals and the best within oneself.

This book shall lift your spirits and encourage you to take a new, enraptured view of life, of this world, of God, of MAN.
Definitely, one of the best stories of recent times.

I was first recommended this book a few years ago, and I admit it did not sound very stimulating to me when I read the first paragraphs. Reading more than 100 pages about birds was not the book that I wanted to read at that moment.
But a few weeks ago my friend mentioned it and I thought it was time to start reading it and see what was all about.
I have to admit that it was a great experience and the moment I started to read I simply could not put the book aside. I felt great when I finished it and it made me think that life can also be nice and full of optimistic things. 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' is one of them.

This is a very nice fable about life, ambition and pushing one's own limits. The more you read it, the more you start asking questions about yourself and your life.

Jonathan Livingston is a seagull that chooses a different path than the rest of the birds in his flock. He spends his days looking for perfection - he prefers to learn to fly rather than eat, unlike the other birds. He is single-minded focus on and flying is not the way to make him popular with other birds. Such an attitude made Jonathan an outcast, rejected by his community and he finds himself alone but doesn't want to give up his dreams and ideas.

I think the one big thing this story teaches us is that we should all admit our limitations, but the secret consists in trying to get over them, to challenge ourselves and evolve.

Only great challenges will make us reach "heaven", which is just a matter of being perfect. If there is no challenge, then there are no failures and we cannot evolve. Only excellence,
intelligence, and skill can set free a spirit that is looking
for important challenges in life.

Richard Bach, who is an accomplished pilot and who has written a great deal about flight, uses the theme of flying in this book as a way of making us think. We have to think of ourselves as creatures of total freedom, free from all rulesin our minds, the place where actually everything happens. We can fly at the speed of our minds, not limited by anything .

I think the book is also a story about modern society, where people who are different, the ones who want to make a change, are seen as crazy and are often rejected by the society that tends to be more and more ordinary, with limited views, and no dreams or desires.

It is a good story from which we can learn a lot of things: never be afraid of reaching perfection, never stop dreaming. It is a short and very easy to read story, written in a very nice language, full of deep meanings. I think it should guide us all in life. I recommend this book to all of you who want to be different and "fly high". You will love it!

This timeless classic was created in a time gone by and yet it's spirit captivates readers of today as easily as it did when first published. A credit to Richard Bach's insight, this simple and absorbing story is an any age read. I first read this book 16 years ago. I have read it as a bed time story to youngsters, and like John Bertrand, in "Born to win" the story of the 1983 America's Cup campaign (Forward by Richard Bach) have worked with Jonathan as an inspirational model for team building and one-on-one coaching. Courage and persistance in the pursuit of personal excellence are tenants of this tale which is underpinned by values which support the personal development of individuals and of society. Our hero is a seagull, with an unlikley scenario in which to provide the reader with a prescription for personal insight and growth. This books descriptive prose allows the reader to be alongside Jonathan as his adventure unfolds ("he eased out of the dive and shot over the waves, a grey cannonball under the moon."). The book also contains a myriad of photographic illustrations, further entrancing the reader throughout this epic journey. This book should be in every bookcase. Thank you Richard Bach, for bringing characters such as Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Fletcher Gull from your imagination to ours, for providing an opportunity to bring the magic of imagination to useful personal creation and individual reality.