The Tao of Pooh

The Tao of Pooh is an odd mixture of literary criticism and philosophy. Hoff uses the A. A. Milne books to deconstruct the writings of Lao-tse. In turn he deconstructs Lao-tse's Tao Te Ching to reconstruct Milne's books. Orchestrating this exchange of ideas is the author as he converses with Pooh and the other characters from the Hundred Acre Woods. By "Bisy Backson" chapter, Hoff's thesis runs out of steam. "Bisy Backson" goes from being a clever mixture of criticism and allegory to just being a disconnected rant about the evils of modern life. For a more interesting cautionary tale on this subject, I recommend Momo by Michael Ende. To get the most enjoyment out of The Tao of Pooh, savor the first five chapters, skim the next two and then go back to savoring at "Nowhere and Nothing."

At the beginning of this book, the author mentions how he hadn't intended to write a sequel to his original "The Tao of Pooh," but since that book had been such a Remarkable Success, he eventually just had to. After reading this book, it seems to me that it would have been better if he hadn't. Perhaps he was short of ideas, or hurting for money, or trying to recapture earlier success, but whatever the reason it seems he produced something that didn't really even captivate himself. Honestly, it's been a while since I've read "The Tao of Pooh," and it's possible there was just as much political posturing as is found in this book, but I don't recall it that way. My memory says "The Tao of Pooh" was a well constructed, reasonably presented book with a coherent message. My memory says "The Tao of Pooh" achieved its goal in illustrating Taoist principles using excerpts and examples from Pooh stories. Unfortunately, "The Te of Piglet" doesn't live up to its pedigree. It's a disjointed diatribe hiding behind an alluring premise. There's quite a bit of railing against modern society and its evils, and quite a bit about how the Eeyores, Rabbits, and Owls of the world are causing so much disharmony and destruction. There's even a bit about how Piglet is a Very Small Animal with a Very Big Heart, which seemingly is the purpose of the book, but which gets bulldozed over by the author's pre-occupation with pushing his own political agenda. And I'm saying this as someone who generally agrees with the author's political agenda. Ultimately, I didn't buy this book to get assaulted by politics, I read it to get a unique perspective on an Eastern philosophy that I admire. And that, sadly, seems to have only been the secondary or tertiary purpose of this book for the author. If you liked "The Tao of Pooh," do yourself a favor and don't pick this up. In some ways, I feel this book has ruined my perception of the earlier book, and of the author himself, which is a shame.

Writing was absolutely fantastic. Amazing and cute stories with a dialogue between author and Pooh. Portrays Daoism in an easy to follow along and interesting manner. Excited to go back and read my favorite passages!

This book will change your life, if you let it.

I really enjoyed the Tao of Pooh; not so much the Te of Piglet. That one got a little too icky for me with the politics and all.

The content itself was good but, at least on audible, anyways, the device where the narrator is chatting with Pooh and company is actually very annoying.

A short, but solid read. It did change the way I view the world and think about things by giving me a better understanding of Taoism. Maybe if I had read The Tao of Pooh first I would have enjoyed it more. If I could rate it 3.5 stars, I would. But, when I compare it to books to which I've given a 4 star rating, it falls short, which is why I rounded down. I would recommend it if you're interested in Eastern philosophy or just looking for an entertaining afternoon of reading. The last chapter is amazingly relevant to the world we live in today. It was definitely the highlight of the book.

The Tao of Pooh This is one amazing little book! It's so calm, simple and inspiring I wanted to start reading it again as soon as I finished it! This book can definitely change your life: it's so uplifting! What I found really interesting when reading reviews here and there is how everyone identifies with a different chapter from the book, a different character. The book really has something to offer to each and everyone of us, it echoes our own personal experiences. My favourite chapters must be "Cottleston Pie" and "Nowhere and nothing", even though making a choice is really hard! A wonderful book! The Te of Piglet: Hmm, I've just finished reading this book and I really don't know what to think about it... It is really different from The Tao of Pooh and more of a diatribe against industry, business, government, Western culture, the military, feminists, etc. Actually, I found that it had little to do with philosophy and Taoism and I sometimes felt I was reading an environmentalist rant. The Tao of Pooh was such an uplifting read for me that I really have a hard time figuring out what I thought of The Te of Piglet and whether I liked it or not...

This is one amazing little book! It's so calm, simple and inspiring I wanted to start reading it again as soon as I finished it! This book can definitely change your life: it's so uplifting! What I found really interesting when reading reviews here and there is how everyone identifies with a different chapter from the book, a different character. The book really has something to offer to each and everyone of us, it echoes our own personal experiences. My favourite chapters must be "Cottleston Pie" and "Nowhere and nothing", even though making a choice is really hard! A wonderful book!

This is one amazing little book! It's so calm, simple and inspiring I wanted to start reading it again as soon as I finished it! This book can definitely change your life: it's so uplifting! What I found really interesting when reading reviews here and there is how everyone identifies with a different chapter from the book, a different character. The book really has something to offer to each and everyone of us, it echoes our own personal experiences. My favourite chapters must be "Cottleston Pie" and "Nowhere and nothing", even though making a choice is really hard! A wonderful book!

This is one amazing little book! It's so calm, simple and inspiring I wanted to start reading it again as soon as I finished it! This book can definitely change your life: it's so uplifting! What I found really interesting when reading reviews here and there is how everyone identifies with a different chapter from the book, a different character. The book really has something to offer to each and everyone of us, it echoes our own personal experiences. My favourite chapters must be "Cottleston Pie" and "Nowhere and nothing", even though making a choice is really hard! A wonderful book!

I was recommended this book by my English Lit teacher while I was still at school but didn't get round to reading it til a few years after I'd left. One of the best decisions I ever made. I found it so inspirational and comforting. The way it goes about describing things is easy to follow and the use of characters that and comforting and familiar is inspired. Definitely recommend!

and suddenly i was looking into taoism

I loved Winnie-the-Pooh as a child...little did I know the depth of meaning behind what I was reading and watching. I'd like to say it got into my psyche subliminally and helped me live a peaceful and wisdom-filled Taoist life. I'd REALLY like to say that, but I can't. I've been a "Backson" (if you read the book, you'll learn about this unfortunate being) for many a decade now...in recovery since late 2009, when a lightbulb began to glimmer in the darkened corners of my soul. (Thank you, Kauai!) Each day since then it has glowed a tiny bit brighter, illuminating my authentic self, driving out the darkness of judgment, helping me tap into a buried reservoir filled with love and empathy, and recently leading me find (manifest?) a pretty special guy. On our second date, said guy took me to 'The Controversial Bookstore' and handed me this book in response to my request for a suggestion from his imressive spiritual reading list. Lucky me! The Tao of Pooh is a great intro to Taoism, a way of being that I had been realizing in small ways naturally on my own. But, realizing is one thing...truly living it is another. As I turned the last page, it officially became my goal...my top resolution for 2013. This book has launched me onto a journey to further explore Taoism so that I can completely ditch my "Backson" ways and learn to love doing nothing, thinking just enough, and enjoy the childish ways I left behind more than 30 years ago. I'm excited.