{"product_id":"zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-book-robert-m-pirsig-9780061673733","title":"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA man and his young son embark on a summer motorcycle road trip across America's Northwest, seeking to reconnect and explore the open country.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut this is no ordinary vacation. As the miles unspool, the journey transforms into a profound philosophical inquiry, a rolling Chautauqua that seeks to answer one of life's most essential questions: What is best?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn a vintage motorcycle, the narrator grapples not only with the mechanics of his machine but with the very nature of Quality itself. He confronts the deep split in modern life between a cold, rational view of technology and a romantic, emotional engagement with the world, searching for a way to heal the divide. Yet, the biggest questions lie within.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDogging his every thought is the ghost of his former self, a brilliant and dangerous man named Phaedrus, whose obsessive pursuit of truth led to his own destruction. This cross-country odyssey is more than a search for answers; it is a confrontation with a haunting past, a flight for sanity, and a powerful meditation on how we ought to live.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis profound and deeply personal story is an exploration of life's most fundamental questions--a search for how to live, not just how to get by.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Father-Son Journey:\u003c\/b\u003e Across the backroads of America, a man and his eleven-year-old son, Chris, share a motorcycle trip that uncovers the deep, complex, and often fraught bonds between them.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Philosophy of Quality:\u003c\/b\u003e Through a series of philosophical discussions, or \"Chautauquas,\" the narrator grapples with the essential nature of what makes something good, from a well-maintained engine to a well-lived life.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTechnology and The Human Spirit:\u003c\/b\u003e The narrative explores the deep divide between those who run from the cold logic of machines and those who engage with it, seeking a way to unite our rational and creative selves.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Divided Self:\u003c\/b\u003e Haunting the entire journey is the ghost of Phaedrus, a former self the narrator must confront, forcing a reckoning with his own past, his sanity, and the very nature of his identity.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49777074405649,"sku":"CIN0061673730G","price":8.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":49898209509649,"sku":"CIN0061673730A","price":7.68,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50003622265105,"sku":"GOR006293914","price":14.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50185687433489,"sku":"CIN0061673730VG","price":9.28,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50983057293585,"sku":"NIN9780061673733","price":24.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0061673730.jpg?v=1750812023","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-book-robert-m-pirsig-9780061673733","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}