Benjamin Hoff ardently tries to explain Taoist teachings of Lao Tzu and Eastern Philosophy in Western terms with the help of characters created by A.A.Milne.The author tells us how to be pragmatic and deal with the problems in our life with ease to lead a pleasant life. This book will help us to remove our profligate behavior and pessimism. Unlike most self-help books which are written in prosaic preachy rhetoric that should be rebuked, this book elucidates the concepts of Eastern philosophy...

Okay Full Review is here (too many times I've said full review coming then never posted again)A cute dialogue on complex philosophical discussion between our narrator and AA Milne’s famous creations. Overall the tone of the book complemented the teachings well and left me as a reader excited to conduct my own research on the subject matter from its source material to come to my own conclusions. It’s difficult to not enjoy something with such a charismatic ensemble and the overall thesis of this ...

A somewhat overly cutesy take on Taoism that worked much better for me as an audio ‘read’ than reading the actual book – which I’ve tried to do more than a few times – and abandoned as many times. This was a nice background alternative to music, for a change, while driving through some of the back roads of Vermont and appreciating the beauty of the season while it lasts, it really was the perfect audiobook with some moments of charm, including some of the quotes from A.A. Milne’s books that were...

Very cute, but I think this dragged on a little at times. It wasn't very memorable, and had it been so I think this would have made more of an impact on me.

Part of this rating is my fault.I don’t know what I expected exactly, choosing a book that helps to explain Taoism through Winnie the Pooh (and explaining Winnie the Pooh through Taoism) but this was not what I wanted.Benjamin Hoff has striven to explain Eastern philosophy in Western terms by using as a working allegory the beloved characters developed by A.A. Milne. By including Pooh and his friends while he wrote the book and having an ongoing dialogue with the residents of The Hundred Acre Wo...

It was a Friday; I wasn’t working, I’m a little behind on my read count, so I took this off the stack. It looked short and light enough to finish in an afternoon. This need to achieve things rather than “living in the moment” of simply existing and enjoying the book goes against the principles of Taoism, of course. But I never claimed to be Pooh Bear.The Tao of Pooh is a short book written before I was born that purports to elucidate certain concepts related to Taoism through the characters and ...

“Hello there! Aren’t you Winnie the Pooh? I’m a big fan.”“Yes I am. How do you know me?” Asked Pooh.“There have been many books written about you and your friends. The most recent one is about how you are a western Taoist.”“Oh.”“A western what?”“Taoist” I said, “it’s very hard to explain, I’m no expert. In fact the whole book was about the author trying to explain it to you, and you would say “oh.”“Oh.” Said Pooh.“From what I understand you are an un-carved block.”“Oh” said Pooh.“An un-carved wh...

Find this review at Scott Reads It Recipe for Tao of Pooh1. 1 cup of Eastern Chinese philosophy2. 2 cups of Winnie the Pooh3. 3/4 quart of wisdom4. 3 Handfuls of fabulous drawings by Ernest Shepard5. The key to Happiness Mix them all together and you have the Tao of Pooh. The Tao of Pooh is a book that I loved whole heartily. Basically as the title suggest it's a allegorical interpetation of A.A. Milne's characters in the world of Daoism or Taoism. Inside this slender novel you will find some ...

What should be a charming and thoughtful analysis of Pooh Bear through a Taoist lens ends up being a rambling polemic by a bitter man who obviously has a ways to go before he achieves inner peace. While he does use Pooh and company as a jumping off point, Hoff ends up spending much of the book railing against business people, lawyers, academics, and everyone else he deems a "Busy Backson". Even scientists are Busy Backsons, because their discoveries only lead to more questions. Hoff's ideal is a...

I picked up this book because it seemed so charming. The author took the stories and characters of A.A. Milne and juxtaposed them with the Taoist teachings of people such as Lao Tzu. Pooh as western Taoist starts off interestingly enough but halfway through it I came to the realization that it was making me want to just read the actual Milne, who was frankly probably a genius writer. Those were great books with great characters, each with their own type of intelligence. Then about two thirds thr...