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Read God, No!: Signs You May Already Be An Atheist And Other Magical Tales (2011)

God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales (2011)

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Rating
3.62 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
145161036X (ISBN13: 9781451610369)
Language
English
Publisher
Simon & Schuster

God, No!: Signs You May Already Be An Atheist And Other Magical Tales (2011) - Plot & Excerpts

I bought this book in the bargain bin. It was still overpriced. I was only vaguely familiar with Jillette the entertainer and not at all familiar with his politics when I started this read. I expected it to be irreverent and funny. It was lots of the former, mostly in juvenile, over-the-top vulgar ways. It was very little of the latter. I wanted to stop and put it in the "Turd Heap" at the chapter on Scuba Sex but I persisted. The Scuba Sex revelations were just creepy! (No further spoilers) I did persist though and it gets one star from me for the only memorable line in the book. It appeared on the second-last page of the book and sums up Penn's only useful contribution."Once you've condoned faith in general, you've condoned any crazy shit done because of faith."Amen brother, but don't give up your day job! It was hard to choose a star rating for this book for me - mainly because this book was a bit like an unpredictable shower, shooting hot then cold and at times making me feel a little wrong about being naked and covered in shower foam.I understand people won't like this book because of its basic message about atheism - so if it's a hate read or you're reading it just to give yourself ammunition for why you loathe atheists, there's probably better material out there.I like the Penn and Teller act (from what I've seen) and I was interested to hear Jillette's ideas about atheism - how he came to it and what it means to him. I can't seem to get a full "handle" on a person who lives so fully within the American entertainment machine and yet doesn't drink, do drugs or other things.Penn Jillette is full of crap. He freely admits this. It's something that's continually worked into his act - reminding you he is a liar, a charlatan and there to trick you. His point is, though, that perhaps unlike others he is willing to say this and that while he profits from lying to audiences, at least it's about things like where a card really is, or whether he truly is harming Teller - not whether their dead loved one is trying to communicate.I find him very loud - and this volume is certainly felt in the book itself. But that's kind of the thing of his message - he has a right to be loud and to say things I don't agree with.I felt the book was a bit unbalanced (hence the shower metaphor) - there were insightful, intriguing bits about the nature of faith and how to live an ethical life - but this was interspersed with name-dropping stories (of people I wouldn't know from a bar of soap) and why the best women are strippers (except his wife, sister and mother.)I think the book would have benefited from editing - or at least putting the stories in a slightly different order. I like the concept of the atheist version of how to interpret the ten commandments - but early on I had to accept the stories accompanying each "commandment" didn't necessarily relate to them.I also get the feeling as though I'd have to read his other books to better understand his (current) ideas on atheism, but being in Australia I'm not going to happen upon them very often. (I had to order this book from the States, which might explain why I already felt like Penn "owed" me a good read.)Don't get me wrong, I liked portions of the book and didn't like other portions, but I'm allowed to do that without going to hell - which is probably more in line with Penn's philosophy than anything else.

What do You think about God, No!: Signs You May Already Be An Atheist And Other Magical Tales (2011)?

Oh. Hell. (Which doesn't exist!) Yes.I picked up this audiobook in conjunction with Penn's second book on atheism, "Every Day is an Atheist Holiday," the second of which I have not yet listened to. However, I most definitely will be listening to it ASAP, since this book just made my day amazing.And it was a day. I listened to the entire audiobook in one go, it was impossible to stop. After growing up in a nominally Christian family, which has become WAY MORE Christian in the last few years, even as I developed into atheism, it was really nice to finally hear some thoughts on a life without gods. Unapologetically atheist Penn rails not only against hard-and-fast religion (and not just Christianity, having a lovely section on helping a Jewish fan lose his bacon virginity), but also wishy-washy agnosticism. Interspersed are stories from his life which have nothing DIRECTLY to do with atheism, but which show the reader how a life without some omnipotent being can still be fulfilling and, in fact, is far more precious.Penn's reading is perfection. You can tell he STILL enjoys the stories he tells in this book, and he will have you laughing in public at several points. Such as his foray into a bath house. Ah, rejection. Such a hard thing.A great gift to send in return for those lovely crosses and Bibles and kitschy quotes that sometimes come your way. :p
—Ecos

This book did not belong in the discount section of Indigo, and it definitely should not have been sold for only $5.99. Although I might not agree with all of Penn's political beliefs, God, No! was probably one of the funniest books I've ever encountered. With his genius wit and well thought out ideologies, he does an amazing job of explaining his brand of Atheism. Readers also get a glimpse into the exciting life of a celebrity magician, who shares many of his most outrageous experiences from going into zero gravity naked and burning the tip of his dick on a blow dryer at his ex girlfriend's house. A definite must read.
—jajajaja

Hilarious and I imagined Penn's distinct voice reading it aloud as I read the book.
—Desiree

Funny. Very funny!
—Iyla

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