Beautiful, Spiritual, Philosophical Masterpiece

I and Thou is a classic as it deserves to be. Like many classics, it is an unusual book. It is about connecting directly with the God in each being we encounter. It is about how we might share in deep and genuine connections with our fellow humans and how we might find God within the world of human relations.

At its best, the book succeeds in laying out a new paradigm of spirituality, one that is neither focused on some externalized God, nor the God within, nor the God of unity. For Buber, God can best be sought in each if our relations, in the way we relate from moment to moment.

It is a beautiful book, imbued with Buber's own unique language. The only problem is that Buber's language is not always easy to understand. Part of the reason for this may lie in the translation; philosophical works in German are notoriously difficult to comprehend. There is also a long tradition of philosophical obscurantism amongst German philosophers of which Buber is sadly a part. But it is a language and phrasing that marches to its own inner rhythms, and it is as unique as its message. Altogether, it is a beautiful book to which one might do yoga or tai-chi or take a walk in the woods.

Martin Buber is an early-to-mid twentieth century German-Jewish philosopher. He wrote like Heidegger at his best before Heidegger. And he was one of a small handful of Jewish immigrants to Israel, before it was Israel, who advocated for a one-state for Jews and Palestinians to share. This was before the one-state solution was being advocated as an alternative to the two-state solution, which came after the solution was ethnic cleansing. Whereas Heidegger was a Nazi, Buber was a genuine humanitarian, and it shows in his work. Buber was far ahead of his time; hence, it should not surprise us that he wrote such a timeless classic.

The reader stays out of the way, not interfering with the text, so that it might speak for itself. Altogether, the result is a beautiful experience that can be returned to repeatedly.

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Difficult as an audiobook

This philosophical work is amazing, but I found it too dense to follow as an audiobook. Deserves more time and study with each page. Still, a good way to get through the book quickly. Note that I found the introduction by the translator excellent.

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Great Philosophical Classic!

Practical... idealistic... high-flying poetry. Rather as though Thomas A. Harris, Kahlil Gibran and Georg Hegel got together and wrote a book. Definitely one to get to before you die...

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Great book! A wonderful world of communication.

As an artist, Buber gives me my favorite picture of what artistry is. His ideas about God and relationship have also shaped my life qualitatively.

Dense but wonderful

This is a book that needs to be read. Not listened to, read. The speaker does a great job and presents the material well, but the work is just do dense in meaning, wording, and possible interpretation that one should rely on this audiobook only as a superfiscial introduction into this book. I plan on purchasing the book and reading and rereading, but I appreciate this audiobook for bringing to light this spiritual classic.

profound extremely dense book

this is one of the most amazing yet difficult books I have ever read. it is not for the faint of heart, but only for those we have a deep philosophical and perhaps the illogical interest in the heart of human relationship

Not the actual book??

I tried to listen to this book, but after 1 hour and 12 minutes, it is clear that this is only an introduction to the actual book. The narrator continually talks about the book but never reads it!

I am returning this.

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