Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

Co-owner/Editor Tracey Koach shares:

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

One of our local indie bookstores had posted on Facebook a quote from Anna Quindlen that said, “Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at the moment, all the mysteries of the universe.” They also asked which book has done this for you. I commented by listing three books. One of those books was Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. I read it when it was first published in 1977.

The story follows Richard, a pilot in a Fleet two-seat biplane giving rides in the rural Midwest, and Donald, who is also a pilot, but in a Travel Air 4000 and flying from town to town. Their meeting and traveling together is not by chance. Richard learns that Donald is an advanced soul complete with a book entitled, Messiah’s Handbook, Reminders for the Advanced Soul, which he gives to Richard. Within it there are short thought-provoking observations. Like any such book, one thinks about a question on life and opens it to find a relevant quote. The story is gentle, the writing is breezy, and that gentle breeze stayed with me for a long time.

I used to give copies of Illusions to friends and family, but I haven’t read it for quite a while. So, after posting a reply on Facebook, I grabbed a copy again. I was reminded that each time I read it I found something different. I still live by one of the Handbook’s maxims: “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours.