A review by mrsjkamp
God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales by Penn Jillette
4.0
Listening to this one is easy because it's read by the author. You can see what he's trying to say and understand it better since it's in his voice. And that is super important when you're reading a novel about such a touchy subject: religion, or lack thereof.
Listening to this one is also highly NOT recommended if you're easily offended by any of the following: sex, swear words, objection to religion, being naked, sex, porn stars, strippers, Ron Jeremy, sex, Howard Stern, homosexuals, genitals, public nudity, sex, Richard Dawkins, magic, strong opinions, gay bars, crudeness, and sex. Did I mention sex? Also, don't read this if you're offended by any combination of those items. If you know anything about Penn Jillette, you know that he's lewd and offensive if you take it that way.
I will not bring in my personal religious beliefs in this review, but I obviously have to be open-minded to even attempt to read this. So that's all I will say about myself. What I will say about this book is that Jillette makes many, many great points to make his point of view convincing. There are also a whole lot of side stories about his life, crazy parties, events with Teller, and meetings with other stars and believers of his opinions.
The whole point of this book is to go through the 10 commandments to make them less about religion and more about morality and being a good human being. In the midst of explaining each one, he tells stories about himself and his life that are seemingly off-topic and made me confused at times as to which commandment we were talking about IF we were still talking about one. He used a lot of big words and mostly came off smart and well-researched, but as I am a stickler for grammar I found some errors. He also mispronounced Ke$ha, but I digress.
Some of Jillette's stories were a little long, i.e. the NASA story. Some of his stories were really easy to relate to, like the ones about his family and partnership with Teller. Other stories certainly made me rethink my own beliefs and the way I live my life. However, it was a little creepy for him to talk about being a boyfriend. He's older than my father, and that makes the word boyfriend just weird. Okay, okay. Sorry.
All in all, I think this book is fantastic when all his side stories are taken out and it is used as a tool to explain atheism and why it's so important. While I laughed a whole lot at the side stories and really enjoyed Jillette reading them (as it felt like a conversation with a friend), I really feel like the point of this book is very important. I said I wouldn't offer my own beliefs up, and I'm really not. I just absolutely love to hear ALL sides, all opinions, so I can make an educated one myself. He makes some very great points, and reasonable ones at that. I think people of all walks of life can relate to something in this novel, and while you may not agree, it's imperative to be understanding and knowledgeable so you can disagree in a respectable and intelligent manner if you so choose. Read at your own risk, and choose wisely.
Please note: this man has never had a sip of alcohol, has never done any recreational drugs, and grew up in a very religious family. He has an open mind. We all should take a page out of his book.
Listening to this one is also highly NOT recommended if you're easily offended by any of the following: sex, swear words, objection to religion, being naked, sex, porn stars, strippers, Ron Jeremy, sex, Howard Stern, homosexuals, genitals, public nudity, sex, Richard Dawkins, magic, strong opinions, gay bars, crudeness, and sex. Did I mention sex? Also, don't read this if you're offended by any combination of those items. If you know anything about Penn Jillette, you know that he's lewd and offensive if you take it that way.
I will not bring in my personal religious beliefs in this review, but I obviously have to be open-minded to even attempt to read this. So that's all I will say about myself. What I will say about this book is that Jillette makes many, many great points to make his point of view convincing. There are also a whole lot of side stories about his life, crazy parties, events with Teller, and meetings with other stars and believers of his opinions.
The whole point of this book is to go through the 10 commandments to make them less about religion and more about morality and being a good human being. In the midst of explaining each one, he tells stories about himself and his life that are seemingly off-topic and made me confused at times as to which commandment we were talking about IF we were still talking about one. He used a lot of big words and mostly came off smart and well-researched, but as I am a stickler for grammar I found some errors. He also mispronounced Ke$ha, but I digress.
Some of Jillette's stories were a little long, i.e. the NASA story. Some of his stories were really easy to relate to, like the ones about his family and partnership with Teller. Other stories certainly made me rethink my own beliefs and the way I live my life. However, it was a little creepy for him to talk about being a boyfriend. He's older than my father, and that makes the word boyfriend just weird. Okay, okay. Sorry.
All in all, I think this book is fantastic when all his side stories are taken out and it is used as a tool to explain atheism and why it's so important. While I laughed a whole lot at the side stories and really enjoyed Jillette reading them (as it felt like a conversation with a friend), I really feel like the point of this book is very important. I said I wouldn't offer my own beliefs up, and I'm really not. I just absolutely love to hear ALL sides, all opinions, so I can make an educated one myself. He makes some very great points, and reasonable ones at that. I think people of all walks of life can relate to something in this novel, and while you may not agree, it's imperative to be understanding and knowledgeable so you can disagree in a respectable and intelligent manner if you so choose. Read at your own risk, and choose wisely.
Please note: this man has never had a sip of alcohol, has never done any recreational drugs, and grew up in a very religious family. He has an open mind. We all should take a page out of his book.