{"product_id":"zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-an-inquiry-into-values-isbn-9780061673733","title":"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA man and his young son embark on a summer motorcycle road trip across America’s Northwest, seeking to reconnect and explore the open country.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut this is no ordinary vacation. As the miles unspool, the journey transforms into a profound philosophical inquiry, a rolling Chautauqua that seeks to answer one of life’s most essential questions: What is best?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a vintage motorcycle, the narrator grapples not only with the mechanics of his machine but with the very nature of Quality itself. He confronts the deep split in modern life between a cold, rational view of technology and a romantic, emotional engagement with the world, searching for a way to heal the divide. Yet, the biggest questions lie within.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDogging his every thought is the ghost of his former self, a brilliant and dangerous man named Phaedrus, whose obsessive pursuit of truth led to his own destruction. This cross-country odyssey is more than a search for answers; it is a confrontation with a haunting past, a flight for sanity, and a powerful meditation on how we ought to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis profound and deeply personal story is an exploration of life’s most fundamental questions—a search for how to live, not just how to get by.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Father-Son Journey:\u003c\/b\u003e Across the backroads of America, a man and his eleven-year-old son, Chris, share a motorcycle trip that uncovers the deep, complex, and often fraught bonds between them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Philosophy of Quality:\u003c\/b\u003e Through a series of philosophical discussions, or “Chautauquas,” the narrator grapples with the essential nature of what makes something good, from a well-maintained engine to a well-lived life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTechnology and The Human Spirit:\u003c\/b\u003e The narrative explores the deep divide between those who run from the cold logic of machines and those who engage with it, seeking a way to unite our rational and creative selves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Divided Self:\u003c\/b\u003e Haunting the entire journey is the ghost of Phaedrus, a former self the narrator must confront, forcing a reckoning with his own past, his sanity, and the very nature of his identity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called ‘yourself.’”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig’s \u003cem\u003eZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\u003c\/em\u003e is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. Pirsig’s narrative of a father and son on a summer motorcycle trip across America’s Northwest becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life’s fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“An unforgettable trip.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Profoundly important...full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It is filled with beauty. . .a finely made whole that seems to emanate from a very special grace.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBaltimore Sun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The book is inspired, original. . . . The analogies with Moby-Dick are patent.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance \u003c\/em\u003esold millions of copies and made Pirsig a reluctant hero to generations of intellectual wanderers…\u003cem\u003eZen\u003c\/em\u003e was an instant classic — a work of literature that captured the spirit of its time and retained its appeal long after the hippie movement had faded.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The truly great road trip novel. … Many former angsty teens will surely fondly recall their own dog-eared, heavily underlined copies of Pirsig’s book, and the initial joy that accompanied reading something that felt so specifically personal and yet so urgently universal. … \u003cem\u003eZen\u003c\/em\u003e’s ongoing reprints, its devoted fan base, and the countless road trips and pseudo-spiritual journeys it’s inspired are indicative of the book’s ongoing appeal.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A touchstone. … Pirsig’s plunge into the grand philosophical questions of Western culture remained near the top of the bestseller lists for a decade and helped define the post-hippie 1970s landscape.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Inspired college classes, academic conferences and a legion of 'Pirsig pilgrims' who retrace the anguished, cross-country motorcycle trip at the heart of his novel.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888627937509,"sku":"NP9780061673733","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061673733.jpg?v=1730229480","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-an-inquiry-into-values-isbn-9780061673733","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}