Illusions: the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah By Richard Bach

I have been doing quite a bit of soul-searching lately. Matt (my fiancé) handed me this book and said that a lot of the things I was talking about were found in Illusions. He was right—even though it was first printed in 1977, I found many of the ideas in this book to be current to my struggles with the universe and my perception of limitations within it. I have a feeling that it will give me insight to this spiritual dilemma, or new and different ones, for years to come.

This is one of those rare books that you don’t want to describe its contents so much as describe how it makes you feel. In fact, I find it very difficult to describe the basic plot of this story, even though it is very simply written and easy to read. Since I don’t want to leave you completely in the dark, I will include the book description from amazon.com which sums up the basic story better than my attempts could:  “In the cloud-washed airspace between the cornfields of Illinois and blue infinity, a man puts his faith in the propeller of his biplane. For disillusioned writer and itinerant barnstormer Richard Bach, belief is as real as a full tank of gas and sparks firing in the cylinders...until he meets Donald Shimoda--former mechanic and self-described messiah who can make wrenches fly and Richard's imagination soar....

In Illusions, the unforgettable follow-up to his phenomenal bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach takes to the air to discover the ageless truths that give our souls wings: that people don't need airplanes to soar...that even the darkest clouds have meaning once we lift ourselves above them... and that messiahs can be found in the unlikeliest places--like hay fields, one-traffic-light midwestern towns, and most of all, deep within ourselves.”

 2000 by Regina M. Raab