pete0926's review
3.0
Pretty classic "famous person" type book overall. An collection of stories from Penn. I've always found him entertaining and somewhat funny so I thought this would be good.
As you can see from the date started and finished, it never really grabbed me.
As you can see from the date started and finished, it never really grabbed me.
eluse9's review
5.0
Penn Jillette has got to be both one of the most intelligent and entertaining people in show business. This series of essays and stories is both thought provoking and entertaining, I wish I was friends with Penn.
kmg365's review
4.0
Christopher Hitchens was a devastating loss, but take heart atheists-- we still have Penn Jillette on our team. He's slightly less intellectual, but a lot more flamboyant. I don't think Hitchens ever appeared naked on Showtime.
dustcircle's review
2.0
It's interesting for the most part, but his anti-fair trade and fair pay rants are random and annoying. There are some other reasons for a lower grade, but they would include spoilers. It goes to show that just because someone is like you and doesn't believe in mythology, it doesn't mean you'll like them or their choices and other beliefs.
thomcat's review
2.0
This book contains an excellent breakdown of the "I Have a Dream" speech and some good anecdotes. Not much improved from my first assessment, which was:
Each chapter starts is labeled for a holiday, which has little or nothing to do with the rambling contents. Occasional bits of funny, but in general nowhere near as good as God No. Also, if I *never* hear Penn talk about Clay Aiken again, it will be too soon. Sheesh!
Overall rating - 2 star, "It was Ok".
Each chapter starts is labeled for a holiday, which has little or nothing to do with the rambling contents. Occasional bits of funny, but in general nowhere near as good as God No. Also, if I *never* hear Penn talk about Clay Aiken again, it will be too soon. Sheesh!
Overall rating - 2 star, "It was Ok".
curiosityp's review
This book is very similar to the way he talks on his podcast. He goes off on tangents that eventually end up back at the original topic. Although each chapter/essay has a holiday-themed title, they are not necessarily about holidays. It was a good book but I just couldn't finish it. I have other books that are luring me away.
pictor's review
4.0
The content aligns with the title at most 25% of the time. The rest are mainly Penn's memoires with some philosophical and moral observations mixed in. However Penn has an interesting life, and while I don't agree with everything he believes, I find him intellectually consistent. He's the least hypocritical man I can think of.
brockboland's review
3.0
Entertaining, but probably only if you at least kind of like Penn already. He certainly isn't for everybody.
lckeser7's review
3.0
I agree with Penn Gillette on a great many things, not all the time, but I am usually on board with his religious, philosophical, and political ideas. I think that's a problem sometimes; there's too much "preaching to the converted" and I'm just rehashing ideas that I've gone over before (with guys that Penn will admit are smarter than he is: Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris). What keeps this book from being a waste of time is Penn's storytelling. The guy's lived an interesting life and he's funny.
As good as he is at spinning a yarn, the writing here is repetitive. Everyone has go-to phrases and common adjectives in their personal vernacular, but I got tired of seeing bugnutty and joy on every page.
The premise of the book is the title. That premise is followed through chapters and tangents and anecdotes. The connections between the parts seem tenuous, but make sense in a Penn Gillette sort of way. The message of the whole is simple: be happy, without god, and don't wait for holidays to celebrate, because you're alive today. That's a message I'm okay with, I just wish it didn't have to be repeated for 250 pages.
As good as he is at spinning a yarn, the writing here is repetitive. Everyone has go-to phrases and common adjectives in their personal vernacular, but I got tired of seeing bugnutty and joy on every page.
The premise of the book is the title. That premise is followed through chapters and tangents and anecdotes. The connections between the parts seem tenuous, but make sense in a Penn Gillette sort of way. The message of the whole is simple: be happy, without god, and don't wait for holidays to celebrate, because you're alive today. That's a message I'm okay with, I just wish it didn't have to be repeated for 250 pages.
murray1134's review
3.0
another book of fun stories. I think I liked God, No a little more but still enjoyed this