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Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 126 (from laksa044)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa126.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://learning2grow.org/the-story-of-b/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://learning2grow.org/the-story-of-b/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/the-story-of-b\/","crawl_time":1775556449,"first_indexed_time":1592055029,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"org,learning2grow!\/the-story-of-b\/ s443","src_root_hash":"17503181010735625726","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Book Review: The Story of B, by Daniel Quinn","meta_descriptions":[],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"During my research on spiritual fiction, I was recommended to read Daniel Quinn’s books,\nIshmael\nand\nThe Story of B\n.  At my local new-and-used bookstore,\nCompanion Book\n, I found a cheap copy of\nThe Story of B\nand I was pleasantly surprised while reading it. \nIt is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction and the ‘spiritual’ part is based more in biology than in metaphysics.  In fact, it is really not that metaphysical at all.\nI won’t ruin the plot for you by telling you that the main protag is a Laurentian Priest (Christian) who is sent to investigate a group that is preaching a return to\nanimism\n. The story takes the form of a diary of the priest, written in the first person.\nOne aspect of the book that I found not only original, but really smart, was the author’s decision to take out the ‘teachings’ from the storyline itself, and to put them at the end of the book in an appendix. That made it easy for the reader to choose whether to focus on the story, or the teachings, and I really appreciated that.\nWhile I found the plot a bit weak, the information I learned while reading the book made up for that weakness. In any case, the characters are all compelling and well-developed.\nWhile reading any book, I always love to savour those bits of poetry (beautiful prose) that really captivate a truth. To be honest, there wasn’t much poetry to find in this book, in my opinion, but here is a small passage I found especially beautiful:\n“Nothing in the community lives in isolation from the rest…. Nothing lives only in itself, needing nothing\nfrom\nthe community. Nothing lives only for itself, owing nothing\nto\nthe community. Nothing is untouchable or untouched. Every life is on loan from the community from birth and without fail is paid back to the community in death. The community is a web of life, and every strand of the web is a path to all the other strands…. Nothing lives on a strand by itself, unconnected to the rest.”\nInteresting links:\nHere is\nan indepth essay on animism\n called Spiritual Ecology and the Lost Language of Animism, by Kyle Pierce\nA book\npreview\n(you can view most of the book),\nAnimism: Respecting the living world\nA\npage\nwith the Catholic take on animism, which is quite interesting.\nI’m by no means recommending this, but if you were so inclined, you could take an\nonline course about animism\nthat looks pretty interesting to me. Registration seems to be only once a year.\n \nAnimism\nBiology\nbook review\nDaniel Quinn\nscience\nspiritual fiction\nStory of B\nPost navigation","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/the-story-of-b\/#page-content)\n\n[![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/l2g-logo_edited-3.png?fit=439%2C138&ssl=1)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.learning2grow.org\/)\n- [Writing](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/writing\/)\n  - [Writing Tips](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/writing\/writing-tips-writing\/)\n  - [Creative Writing](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/writing\/creative-writing\/)\n  - [Book Reviews](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/book-reviews\/)\n- [English](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/english\/)\n  - [Literacy](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/english\/literacy\/)\n  - [ESL](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/english\/esl-english\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/about\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/l2g-logo_edited-3.png?fit=439%2C138&ssl=1)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.learning2grow.org\/)\n- [Writing](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/writing\/)\n  - [Writing Tips](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/writing\/writing-tips-writing\/)\n  - [Creative Writing](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/writing\/creative-writing\/)\n  - [Book Reviews](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/book-reviews\/)\n- [English](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/english\/)\n  - [Literacy](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/english\/literacy\/)\n  - [ESL](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/english\/esl-english\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/about\/)\n\n# Book Review: The Story of B, by Daniel Quinn\nEssays by Shalon Sims on education, creative writing and literacy\n\n## Book Review: The Story of B, by Daniel Quinn\n[Shalon](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/author\/shalon\/ \"Posts by Shalon\")  [Biology](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/science-2\/biology\/) [Book Reviews](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/book-reviews\/) [Science](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/category\/science-2\/)  24 December, 2010 \\|  0\n\n![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/story-of-b.jpg?fit=300%2C400&ssl=1)\n\nDuring my research on spiritual fiction, I was recommended to read Daniel Quinn’s books, *Ishmael* and *The Story of B*. At my local new-and-used bookstore, [Companion Book](http:\/\/www.companionbook.com\/ \"opens site in new page\"), I found a cheap copy of *The Story of B* and I was pleasantly surprised while reading it.\n\nIt is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction and the ‘spiritual’ part is based more in biology than in metaphysics. In fact, it is really not that metaphysical at all.\n\nI won’t ruin the plot for you by telling you that the main protag is a Laurentian Priest (Christian) who is sent to investigate a group that is preaching a return to [animism](http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Animism \"opens wiki in new page\"). The story takes the form of a diary of the priest, written in the first person.\n\nOne aspect of the book that I found not only original, but really smart, was the author’s decision to take out the ‘teachings’ from the storyline itself, and to put them at the end of the book in an appendix. That made it easy for the reader to choose whether to focus on the story, or the teachings, and I really appreciated that.\n\nWhile I found the plot a bit weak, the information I learned while reading the book made up for that weakness. In any case, the characters are all compelling and well-developed.\n\nWhile reading any book, I always love to savour those bits of poetry (beautiful prose) that really captivate a truth. To be honest, there wasn’t much poetry to find in this book, in my opinion, but here is a small passage I found especially beautiful:\n\n> “Nothing in the community lives in isolation from the rest…. Nothing lives only in itself, needing nothing *from* the community. Nothing lives only for itself, owing nothing *to* the community. Nothing is untouchable or untouched. Every life is on loan from the community from birth and without fail is paid back to the community in death. The community is a web of life, and every strand of the web is a path to all the other strands…. Nothing lives on a strand by itself, unconnected to the rest.”\n\nInteresting links:\n\n- Here is [an indepth essay on animism](https:\/\/www.animist.eco\/animism) called Spiritual Ecology and the Lost Language of Animism, by Kyle Pierce\n- A book preview (you can view most of the book), [*Animism: Respecting the living world*](https:\/\/books.google.ca\/books?id=tUnu_oCaVBQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=animism&source=bl&ots=hlOpRxivxM&sig=qmDiBwfQKLuEQx-sAu2NY1DA_PQ&hl=en&ei=T-UUTci1AYv6sAPPjuSvAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false)\n- A [page](http:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/01526a.htm \"opens link in new page\") with the Catholic take on animism, which is quite interesting.\n- I’m by no means recommending this, but if you were so inclined, you could take an [online course about animism](https:\/\/ancestralmedicine.org\/online-course-animism\/) that looks pretty interesting to me. Registration seems to be only once a year.\n\n### Share this:\n- [Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/the-story-of-b\/?share=twitter)\n- [Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/the-story-of-b\/?share=facebook)\n\n### Like this:\nLike Loading...\n### *Related*\n\n[Animism](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/animism\/) [Biology](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/biology\/) [book review](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/book-review\/) [Daniel Quinn](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/daniel-quinn\/) [science](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/science\/) [spiritual fiction](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/spiritual-fiction-2\/) [Story of B](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/story-of-b\/)\n\n## Post navigation\n[Previous: Previous post: Xmind: a Free Self-Exploration Tool](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/xmind\/)\n\n[Next: Next post: Collaborative self-publishing?](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/collaborative-self-publishing\/)\n### Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/the-story-of-b\/#respond)\n\n##### Subscribe to my site\n##### Blog Stats\n- 247,572 hits\n\n##### The top articles on my blog\\!\n- [![Plot your novel with MICE Quotient Nesting Codes and Try\/Fails](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/11-Things-Mice-Dont-Want-You-to-Know-10-760x506.jpg?fit=760%2C506&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/plot-your-novel-with-mice-quotient-and-try-fails\/ \"Plot your novel with MICE Quotient Nesting Codes and Try\/Fails\")\n  [Plot your novel with MICE Quotient Nesting Codes and Try\/Fails](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/plot-your-novel-with-mice-quotient-and-try-fails\/ \"Plot your novel with MICE Quotient Nesting Codes and Try\/Fails\")\n- [![Plot design & story structure: Joseph Campbell vs Christopher Vogler](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Joseph-Campbell-hero-cycle.gif?fit=596%2C477&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/plot-structure-joseph-campbell-vs-chistopher-vogler\/ \"Plot design & story structure: Joseph Campbell vs Christopher Vogler\")\n  [Plot design & story structure: Joseph Campbell vs Christopher Vogler](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/plot-structure-joseph-campbell-vs-chistopher-vogler\/ \"Plot design & story structure: Joseph Campbell vs Christopher Vogler\")\n- [![Fear & horror in children's literature - Review of truly terrifying kids & YA books](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Babes_in_the_Wood_-_7_-_illustrated_by_Randolph_Caldecott_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_19361-e1603240528909.jpg?fit=500%2C591&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/fear-horror-childrens-literature\/ \"Fear & horror in children's literature - Review of truly terrifying kids & YA books\")\n  [Fear & horror in children's literature - Review of truly terrifying kids & YA books](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/fear-horror-childrens-literature\/ \"Fear & horror in children's literature - Review of truly terrifying kids & YA books\")\n- [![When You Reach Me - a writing craft review](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/YouAreHere.4.jpg?fit=771%2C901&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/when-you-reach-me-middle-grade-sci-fi-writing-craft-review\/ \"When You Reach Me - a writing craft review\")\n  [When You Reach Me - a writing craft review](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/when-you-reach-me-middle-grade-sci-fi-writing-craft-review\/ \"When You Reach Me - a writing craft review\")\n- [![7 Types of Sentence Fragments and How to Use Them](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Fragments.jpg?fit=1200%2C841&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/7-types-of-sentence-fragments\/ \"7 Types of Sentence Fragments and How to Use Them\")\n  [7 Types of Sentence Fragments and How to Use Them](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/7-types-of-sentence-fragments\/ \"7 Types of Sentence Fragments and How to Use Them\")\n- [![How to solve plot problems with a simple self-questionnaire technique](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/plot-problems.jpg?fit=510%2C416&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/how-to-solve-plot-problems-self-questionnaire\/ \"How to solve plot problems with a simple self-questionnaire technique\")\n  [How to solve plot problems with a simple self-questionnaire technique](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/how-to-solve-plot-problems-self-questionnaire\/ \"How to solve plot problems with a simple self-questionnaire technique\")\n- [![Profound Insights: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S Lewis](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Screen-Shot-2019-09-23-at-00.23.02.png?fit=634%2C536&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40)](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/out-of-the-silent-planet-by-c-s-lewis\/ \"Profound Insights: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S Lewis\")\n  [Profound Insights: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S Lewis](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/out-of-the-silent-planet-by-c-s-lewis\/ \"Profound Insights: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S Lewis\")\n\n##### Read my fiction on Wattpad\nWattpad is an amazing online writing community where I share my fiction stories. It's free for everyone, so take a peek! Click the wattpad logo to go directly to my Wattpad profile: [![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/wattpad-logo.jpg?w=3840)](http:\/\/www.wattpad.com\/user\/shalonsims)\n\n##### If you’ve gotten this far….\nYou might enjoy reading the top post on my site, [The 7 Types of Sentence Fragments and How to Use Them](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/7-types-of-sentence-fragments\/).\n\n![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Fragments.jpg?resize=1280%2C897&ssl=1)  \n This post is used every day by teachers and students around the world to teach and learn the art of building beautiful, advanced sentences in English.\n\n[The free pdf download of the lesson](https:\/\/www.learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/advanced-sentences.doc) in shortened form is free to copy, alter and distribute for non-commercial purposes.  \n If you are using this lesson, please let me know how you have used it and how it has helped you. I’m curious\\!\n\n##### My favourite essays\\!\nBelow you’ll find works of art that I lovingly crafted just for you\\!\n\n[FEAR & HORROR IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/writing-resources\/fear-horror-childrens-literature\/)\n\n![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Alice-BANNR.jpg?resize=615%2C285&ssl=1)\n\nIn this essay, I discuss why children’s literature is often scary, and why that’s awesome\\!\n\n[DIVERSITY IN COMICS](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/essays\/diversity-multimodality-comics\/)\n\n![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/The-Veil.png?resize=657%2C584&ssl=1)In this essay I discuss how to use comics to teach Language Arts, and how diversity in comics can help students enrich both their literacy and their life.\n\n[FEAR: A CURSE UPON ME](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/overcoming-fear-anxiety\/)\n\n![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/7005042048_51698ca14e_b-e1353289147902.jpg?resize=200%2C299&ssl=1)\n\nIn this essay I discuss my personal journey with anxiety and some of the ways I’ve learned to manage my anxiety.\n\n[PLOT YOUR NOVEL WITH M.I.C.E. QUOTIENT](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/plot-your-novel-with-mice-quotient-and-try-fails\/)\n\n![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/11-Things-Mice-Dont-Want-You-to-Know-10-760x506.jpg?resize=760%2C506&ssl=1)\n\nIn this post I share what I learned at a writing conference about plotting with Orson Scott Card’s M.I.C.E. Quotient, and Mary Robinette Kowal’s adaptations to this technique, including nesting codes and try\/fails. All of these techniques help you evaluate whether your plot keeps the promises you made to your readers.\n\n© 2026 by Shalon Sims\n\n%d","attrs_readable_markdown":"![](https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/learning2grow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/story-of-b.jpg?fit=300%2C400&ssl=1)\n\nDuring my research on spiritual fiction, I was recommended to read Daniel Quinn’s books, *Ishmael* and *The Story of B*. At my local new-and-used bookstore, [Companion Book](http:\/\/www.companionbook.com\/ \"opens site in new page\"), I found a cheap copy of *The Story of B* and I was pleasantly surprised while reading it.\n\nIt is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction and the ‘spiritual’ part is based more in biology than in metaphysics. In fact, it is really not that metaphysical at all.\n\nI won’t ruin the plot for you by telling you that the main protag is a Laurentian Priest (Christian) who is sent to investigate a group that is preaching a return to [animism](http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Animism \"opens wiki in new page\"). The story takes the form of a diary of the priest, written in the first person.\n\nOne aspect of the book that I found not only original, but really smart, was the author’s decision to take out the ‘teachings’ from the storyline itself, and to put them at the end of the book in an appendix. That made it easy for the reader to choose whether to focus on the story, or the teachings, and I really appreciated that.\n\nWhile I found the plot a bit weak, the information I learned while reading the book made up for that weakness. In any case, the characters are all compelling and well-developed.\n\nWhile reading any book, I always love to savour those bits of poetry (beautiful prose) that really captivate a truth. To be honest, there wasn’t much poetry to find in this book, in my opinion, but here is a small passage I found especially beautiful:\n\n> “Nothing in the community lives in isolation from the rest…. Nothing lives only in itself, needing nothing *from* the community. Nothing lives only for itself, owing nothing *to* the community. Nothing is untouchable or untouched. Every life is on loan from the community from birth and without fail is paid back to the community in death. The community is a web of life, and every strand of the web is a path to all the other strands…. Nothing lives on a strand by itself, unconnected to the rest.”\n\nInteresting links:\n\n- Here is [an indepth essay on animism](https:\/\/www.animist.eco\/animism) called Spiritual Ecology and the Lost Language of Animism, by Kyle Pierce\n- A book preview (you can view most of the book), [*Animism: Respecting the living world*](https:\/\/books.google.ca\/books?id=tUnu_oCaVBQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=animism&source=bl&ots=hlOpRxivxM&sig=qmDiBwfQKLuEQx-sAu2NY1DA_PQ&hl=en&ei=T-UUTci1AYv6sAPPjuSvAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false)\n- A [page](http:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/01526a.htm \"opens link in new page\") with the Catholic take on animism, which is quite interesting.\n- I’m by no means recommending this, but if you were so inclined, you could take an [online course about animism](https:\/\/ancestralmedicine.org\/online-course-animism\/) that looks pretty interesting to me. Registration seems to be only once a year.\n\n[Animism](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/animism\/) [Biology](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/biology\/) [book review](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/book-review\/) [Daniel Quinn](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/daniel-quinn\/) [science](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/science\/) [spiritual fiction](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/spiritual-fiction-2\/) [Story of B](https:\/\/learning2grow.org\/tag\/story-of-b\/)\n## Post navigation","meta_canonical":null}

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HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
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Boilerpipe Text	During my research on spiritual fiction, I was recommended to read Daniel Quinn’s books, Ishmael and The Story of B . At my local new-and-used bookstore, Companion Book , I found a cheap copy of The Story of B and I was pleasantly surprised while reading it. It is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction and the ‘spiritual’ part is based more in biology than in metaphysics. In fact, it is really not that metaphysical at all. I won’t ruin the plot for you by telling you that the main protag is a Laurentian Priest (Christian) who is sent to investigate a group that is preaching a return to animism . The story takes the form of a diary of the priest, written in the first person. One aspect of the book that I found not only original, but really smart, was the author’s decision to take out the ‘teachings’ from the storyline itself, and to put them at the end of the book in an appendix. That made it easy for the reader to choose whether to focus on the story, or the teachings, and I really appreciated that. While I found the plot a bit weak, the information I learned while reading the book made up for that weakness. In any case, the characters are all compelling and well-developed. While reading any book, I always love to savour those bits of poetry (beautiful prose) that really captivate a truth. To be honest, there wasn’t much poetry to find in this book, in my opinion, but here is a small passage I found especially beautiful: “Nothing in the community lives in isolation from the rest…. Nothing lives only in itself, needing nothing from the community. Nothing lives only for itself, owing nothing to the community. Nothing is untouchable or untouched. Every life is on loan from the community from birth and without fail is paid back to the community in death. The community is a web of life, and every strand of the web is a path to all the other strands…. Nothing lives on a strand by itself, unconnected to the rest.” Interesting links: Here is an indepth essay on animism called Spiritual Ecology and the Lost Language of Animism, by Kyle Pierce A book preview (you can view most of the book), Animism: Respecting the living world A page with the Catholic take on animism, which is quite interesting. I’m by no means recommending this, but if you were so inclined, you could take an online course about animism that looks pretty interesting to me. Registration seems to be only once a year. Animism Biology book review Daniel Quinn science spiritual fiction Story of B Post navigation
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://learning2grow.org/the-story-of-b/#page-content) [![](https://i0.wp.com/learning2grow.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/l2g-logo_edited-3.png?fit=439%2C138&ssl=1)](https://learning2grow.org/) - [Home](https://www.learning2grow.org/) - [Writing](https://learning2grow.org/category/writing/) - [Writing Tips](https://learning2grow.org/category/writing/writing-tips-writing/) - [Creative Writing](https://learning2grow.org/category/writing/creative-writing/) - [Book Reviews](https://learning2grow.org/category/book-reviews/) - [English](https://learning2grow.org/category/english/) - [Literacy](https://learning2grow.org/category/english/literacy/) - [ESL](https://learning2grow.org/category/english/esl-english/) - [About](https://learning2grow.org/about/) [![](https://i0.wp.com/learning2grow.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/l2g-logo_edited-3.png?fit=439%2C138&ssl=1)](https://learning2grow.org/) - [Home](https://www.learning2grow.org/) - [Writing](https://learning2grow.org/category/writing/) - [Writing Tips](https://learning2grow.org/category/writing/writing-tips-writing/) - [Creative Writing](https://learning2grow.org/category/writing/creative-writing/) - [Book Reviews](https://learning2grow.org/category/book-reviews/) - [English](https://learning2grow.org/category/english/) - [Literacy](https://learning2grow.org/category/english/literacy/) - [ESL](https://learning2grow.org/category/english/esl-english/) - [About](https://learning2grow.org/about/) # Book Review: The Story of B, by Daniel Quinn Essays by Shalon Sims on education, creative writing and literacy ## Book Review: The Story of B, by Daniel Quinn [Shalon](https://learning2grow.org/author/shalon/ "Posts by Shalon") [Biology](https://learning2grow.org/category/science-2/biology/) [Book Reviews](https://learning2grow.org/category/book-reviews/) [Science](https://learning2grow.org/category/science-2/) 24 December, 2010 \\| 0 ![](https://i0.wp.com/learning2grow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/story-of-b.jpg?fit=300%2C400&ssl=1) During my research on spiritual fiction, I was recommended to read Daniel Quinn’s books, Ishmael and The Story of B. At my local new-and-used bookstore, [Companion Book](http://www.companionbook.com/ "opens site in new page"), I found a cheap copy of The Story of B and I was pleasantly surprised while reading it. It is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction and the ‘spiritual’ part is based more in biology than in metaphysics. In fact, it is really not that metaphysical at all. I won’t ruin the plot for you by telling you that the main protag is a Laurentian Priest (Christian) who is sent to investigate a group that is preaching a return to [animism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism "opens wiki in new page"). The story takes the form of a diary of the priest, written in the first person. One aspect of the book that I found not only original, but really smart, was the author’s decision to take out the ‘teachings’ from the storyline itself, and to put them at the end of the book in an appendix. That made it easy for the reader to choose whether to focus on the story, or the teachings, and I really appreciated that. While I found the plot a bit weak, the information I learned while reading the book made up for that weakness. In any case, the characters are all compelling and well-developed. While reading any book, I always love to savour those bits of poetry (beautiful prose) that really captivate a truth. To be honest, there wasn’t much poetry to find in this book, in my opinion, but here is a small passage I found especially beautiful: > “Nothing in the community lives in isolation from the rest…. Nothing lives only in itself, needing nothing from the community. Nothing lives only for itself, owing nothing to the community. Nothing is untouchable or untouched. Every life is on loan from the community from birth and without fail is paid back to the community in death. The community is a web of life, and every strand of the web is a path to all the other strands…. Nothing lives on a strand by itself, unconnected to the rest.” Interesting links: - Here is [an indepth essay on animism](https://www.animist.eco/animism) called Spiritual Ecology and the Lost Language of Animism, by Kyle Pierce - A book preview (you can view most of the book), [Animism: Respecting the living world](https://books.google.ca/books?id=tUnu_oCaVBQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=animism&source=bl&ots=hlOpRxivxM&sig=qmDiBwfQKLuEQx-sAu2NY1DA_PQ&hl=en&ei=T-UUTci1AYv6sAPPjuSvAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false) - A [page](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01526a.htm "opens link in new page") with the Catholic take on animism, which is quite interesting. - I’m by no means recommending this, but if you were so inclined, you could take an [online course about animism](https://ancestralmedicine.org/online-course-animism/) that looks pretty interesting to me. Registration seems to be only once a year. ### Share this: - [Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X](https://learning2grow.org/the-story-of-b/?share=twitter) - [Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook](https://learning2grow.org/the-story-of-b/?share=facebook) ### Like this: Like Loading... ### Related [Animism](https://learning2grow.org/tag/animism/) [Biology](https://learning2grow.org/tag/biology/) [book review](https://learning2grow.org/tag/book-review/) [Daniel Quinn](https://learning2grow.org/tag/daniel-quinn/) [science](https://learning2grow.org/tag/science/) [spiritual fiction](https://learning2grow.org/tag/spiritual-fiction-2/) [Story of B](https://learning2grow.org/tag/story-of-b/) ## Post navigation [Previous: Previous post: Xmind: a Free Self-Exploration Tool](https://learning2grow.org/xmind/) [Next: Next post: Collaborative self-publishing?](https://learning2grow.org/collaborative-self-publishing/) ### Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](https://learning2grow.org/the-story-of-b/#respond) ##### Subscribe to my site ##### Blog Stats - 247,572 hits ##### The top articles on my blog\! 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Readable Markdown	![](https://i0.wp.com/learning2grow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/story-of-b.jpg?fit=300%2C400&ssl=1) During my research on spiritual fiction, I was recommended to read Daniel Quinn’s books, Ishmael and The Story of B. At my local new-and-used bookstore, [Companion Book](http://www.companionbook.com/ "opens site in new page"), I found a cheap copy of The Story of B and I was pleasantly surprised while reading it. It is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction and the ‘spiritual’ part is based more in biology than in metaphysics. In fact, it is really not that metaphysical at all. I won’t ruin the plot for you by telling you that the main protag is a Laurentian Priest (Christian) who is sent to investigate a group that is preaching a return to [animism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism "opens wiki in new page"). The story takes the form of a diary of the priest, written in the first person. One aspect of the book that I found not only original, but really smart, was the author’s decision to take out the ‘teachings’ from the storyline itself, and to put them at the end of the book in an appendix. That made it easy for the reader to choose whether to focus on the story, or the teachings, and I really appreciated that. While I found the plot a bit weak, the information I learned while reading the book made up for that weakness. In any case, the characters are all compelling and well-developed. While reading any book, I always love to savour those bits of poetry (beautiful prose) that really captivate a truth. To be honest, there wasn’t much poetry to find in this book, in my opinion, but here is a small passage I found especially beautiful: > “Nothing in the community lives in isolation from the rest…. Nothing lives only in itself, needing nothing from the community. Nothing lives only for itself, owing nothing to the community. Nothing is untouchable or untouched. Every life is on loan from the community from birth and without fail is paid back to the community in death. The community is a web of life, and every strand of the web is a path to all the other strands…. Nothing lives on a strand by itself, unconnected to the rest.” Interesting links: - Here is [an indepth essay on animism](https://www.animist.eco/animism) called Spiritual Ecology and the Lost Language of Animism, by Kyle Pierce - A book preview (you can view most of the book), [Animism: Respecting the living world](https://books.google.ca/books?id=tUnu_oCaVBQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=animism&source=bl&ots=hlOpRxivxM&sig=qmDiBwfQKLuEQx-sAu2NY1DA_PQ&hl=en&ei=T-UUTci1AYv6sAPPjuSvAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false) - A [page](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01526a.htm "opens link in new page") with the Catholic take on animism, which is quite interesting. - I’m by no means recommending this, but if you were so inclined, you could take an [online course about animism](https://ancestralmedicine.org/online-course-animism/) that looks pretty interesting to me. Registration seems to be only once a year. [Animism](https://learning2grow.org/tag/animism/) [Biology](https://learning2grow.org/tag/biology/) [book review](https://learning2grow.org/tag/book-review/) [Daniel Quinn](https://learning2grow.org/tag/daniel-quinn/) [science](https://learning2grow.org/tag/science/) [spiritual fiction](https://learning2grow.org/tag/spiritual-fiction-2/) [Story of B](https://learning2grow.org/tag/story-of-b/) ## Post navigation
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