My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Two barnstorming pilots meet in an Illinois field. One of them is Donald Shimoda, who quit his job as a mechanic at a garage and as a “Messiah”. He left both jobs, because, he was frustrated by people who cared more about the show than the message. Shimoda becomes a teacher to the other pilot, Richard, and even teaches him to perform miracles on his own.
Shimoda share quotes from the “Messiah’s Handbook” with Richard. Some of the more inspiring quotes are…
• “You are never given a wish without being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.”
• “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours.”
• “The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”
• “Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.”
Illusions is a novel that lets the reader decide what is reality and what is illusion. It states that we are all potential “messiahs” if we choose to be. This book is a precursor for the bestselling novel Jonathan Living Seagull. I have read them both, however, Illusions has left a lasting impression on me.
I have shamelessly read this book at least four times. I no longer have a hard copy of the book because I loaned it to someone and he or she never gave it back. It is a short book with only 192 pages, but the information in the book is so applicable that you will want to keep it and refer to it often. I highly recommend reading this book.
Grandmother Musings 