Book discussion: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

In August, we'll be reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. This is a 1992 philosophical novel that won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship for offering creative solutions to global problems. The story follows an unnamed narrator who responds to a newspaper ad: "Teacher seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world." The narrator discovers the teacher is Ishmael, a telepathic gorilla who wants to share his insights about humanity's place in the world. This philosophical novel works on its own as both an engaging story and a thought experiment. Come ready to discuss whether Ishmael's ideas about civilisation and human nature will challenge your assumptions or leave you questioning everything.