"Jonathan Livingstone Seagull" by Richard Bach

Morning breeze:

just flying with all his might—

Jonathan’s shadow.

©2023 Cendrine Marrouat

This haiku is my response to Judey Kalchik's #BookReviewHaiku Prompt. Check out the rules below.

A Longer Review of Richard Bach's "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull"

The voice faded, and Jonathan agreed. The place for a seagull at night is on the shore, and from this moment forth, he vowed, he would be a normal gull. It would make everyone happier.

- Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull

Jonathan Livingstone is bored with his life. He just wants to fly faster and faster, and members of his flock do not like the idea. So, they banish him.

Now an outcast, he meets two gulls who take him to a place where other gulls are free to fly the way they want. Chiang, the wisest bird there, goes beyond his previous learning: “You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”

With his new knowledge, Jonathan returns to Earth to teach and share his love of flying with other gulls who have been outlawed for not conforming. His first student, Fletcher Lynd Seagull, eventually becomes a teacher. Finally, Jonathan leaves to tend to other flocks.

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull has been loved and decried since its publication in 1970. Some see it as a boring story about birds and flying. But to many others, it is a story about humanity. In this metaphorical tale, author Richard Bach forces readers to face their reflection in Life’s mirror and to ask themselves the following: “What have I truly followed? My dreams or the crowd?” Despite the pain of being outlawed, Jonathan quickly realizes that there is no better option than being himself, no matter the consequences: “‘The only true law is that which leads to freedom,’ Jonathan said. ‘There is no other.’”

Reminiscent of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s and Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophies, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull speaks to the inner child in us. This is a wonderful book, suitable for the entire family.

That's it for today! Thank you for reading

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.