To quote the conversation between the main character and an Island child: On the Island, mynas have been trained, as a public service, to call out the imperatives: “Attention,” and “Here and now.” The book both begins and ends with the word “attention,” spoken-or should I say squawked?-by a rather unlikely source: a myna bird! And, as it turns out, a lot of the ideas Huxley presents in the book resonate quite strongly with me. Yet, I truly enjoyed the glimpse into Huxley’s Utopia (yes, really-the Island is no Brave New World!). This is definitely a book that is meant to be read thoughtfully rather than hurriedly.ĭistracted by more action-packed novels ( Island makes for terrible bed-time reading!), I plodded my way through it, oh so slowly.
#Mindful mynah series
The plot, as it is, mainly consists of the main character (a young, affluent, and disenchanted British man who is ship-wrecked and finds himself on the shore of the Island) conversing with a series of other characters and learning about their society.
It’s more of a philosophical thought experiment about a Utopian society created on an island that, after taking the “best” of Eastern, Western, and Indigenous ideals, has cut off most ties with the rest of the world. I know you’re never supposed to judge a book by its cover…but, in this case, I’m so glad I did. Obviously, I couldn’t just leave this book on the shelf, and as I pulled it out I was greeted with this stunning image:Ī charming bird constructed out of flowers, leaves, and twigs?! And titled Island?! And Aldus Huxley?! I didn’t even have to read the caption on the back-the book was coming home with me. But, those facts aside, just look at that artwork! I can hardly imagine a spine of a paperback book more beautiful than that! I mean, how could it not? “Island” is an intriguing title, and, thanks to Brave New World, Huxley is an author I have always *intended* to read more of. So, that’s what I was doing, when this caught my eye: It’s a book-lover’s curse: no matter how impractically enormous my supply of not-yet-read books is, I find it impossible to go to a thrift store and not peruse the shelves of cheap books.
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