z

Young Writers Society


Book Review: "God, No!" by Penn Jillette



User avatar
201 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 3762
Reviews: 201
Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:33 pm
Flemzo says...



God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales
by Penn Jillette
Published by Simon & Schuster
Kindle version: $11.99 USD

I bought this book because I'm a huge fan of Penn Jillette. Since I've known about him and his comedy/magic show Penn and Teller, I've been a huge fan. I've read every op-ed article he's written thus far, I've tried to catch as many episodes of his Showtime series as I could without a subscription to Showtime. It probably shouldn't be repeated, but I will anyway: I'm a huge fan of Penn Jillette.

So when I heard that Penn Jillette had written a new book, I bought it. Not immediately when it came out, because I was still waffling on whether to shell out $20 for a hardcover copy. Eventually I settled on the Kindle version, because it was cheaper, and I could read it from my BlackBerry, giving me something to do out of boredom other than play an endless amount of games of Solitare or Texas Hold'em.

I bought the book Monday evening, and read it all night. I read it for most of the day on Tuesday, too, and finally finished it Wednesday morning. I couldn't put it down. I was sucked into the anecdotes from the moment I started.

Granted, the book is not for everyone. Even as I read the book, I found myself not exactly agreeing with some of the claims that he was making (specifically his definition of what an "atheist" is, but that's another discussion entirely). The book is simultaneously sweet and vulgar, with anecdotes ranging from touching tributes to his mother, father, and sister (who are all deceased), to his adventures riding the "Vomit Comet," to a couple of questionable bets he made in the past.

Personally, one of my favorite anecdotes is entitled "King of the Ex-Jews," about a young man who made the conversion from Hasidic Jew to atheist, and asked Penn to take him out for his first non-Kosher meal: a bacon cheeseburger. The story is hilarious and touching, and even though it comes toward the beginning, it's a story that suck in my mind throughout the rest of the book.

I wish I could tell you more, I really do. But it's one of those books where the more you tell, the higher chance there is that the book will be a let-down for others. But I'll tell you what: it's been a long time since I've read a whole book in under 48 hours. Even the final Harry Potter book, which I bought at midnight, took me five whole days to read from cover to cover.

The book is definitely R-rated for strong language and sexual content. But if you can get past all of that, it's a book definitely worth the read.
  





User avatar
40 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1218
Reviews: 40
Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:28 pm
Deathcurrent says...



Wow, I'll be sure to look into it.
“Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here.” -- Spock from Star Trek

"There's power in stories. That's all history is: the best tales. The ones that last. Might as well be mine."-- Varric Tethras from Dragon Age II
  





User avatar



Gender: Female
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:19 am
blackholmes says...



is this right, if atheists say that believers afraid about their life, so they create life after death, and then they create God too?
combine your heart and brain
  





User avatar
411 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 42428
Reviews: 411
Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:54 pm
BenFranks says...



Good Morning, here's my thoughts.

Flemzo wrote:God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales
by Penn Jillette
Published by Simon & Schuster
Kindle version: $11.99 USD Perhaps provide a UK-purchasable link too.

I bought this book because I'm a huge fan of Penn Jillette. Since I've known about him and Ever since his comedy/magic show Penn and Teller, I've been a huge fan. Change suggested due to the repeat of pronoun. I've read every op-ed article he's written thus far, I'vetried to catch as many episodes of his Showtime series as I could without a subscribing subscription to Showtime. It probably shouldn't be repeated, but I will anyway: I'm a huge fan of Penn Jillette. When reviewing a book - or any media - you want to illustrate how you feel about them and connect without putting to much "I" in. Your review needs to persuade and attract others and gain you the accolade of a prestigious opinion - thus gaining a more loyal readership.

So when I heard that Penn Jillette had written a new book, I bought it. Not immediately when it came out, because I was still waffling on whether to shell out $20 for a hardcover copy. Eventually I settled on for the Kindle version, because; it was cheaper, and I could read it from my BlackBerry, - giving me something to do out of boredom other than play an endless amount of games of Solitare or Texas Hold'em. Watch your grammar. It some times seems to much of a diction rather than a piece of written mode.

I bought the book Monday evening The evening I bought the book, and I read it all night. If you change it to the passive voice, by shifting the position of the pronoun, it reads more fluently. I read it for most of the day on Tuesday, too, and finally finished it Wednesday morning. I couldn't put it down. I was sucked into the adjective here? (ENTICE US!) anecdotes from the moment I started.

Granted, the bookis not wouldn't be for everyone. Even as I read the book, I found myself not exactly agreeing with some of the claims that he was making (specifically his definition of what an "atheist" is, but that's another discussion entirely) Ruling things out like this just makes the reader frustrated they cannot read your thoughts - it's the most interesting part so far. If you don't want to talk about it, say something like: for example, his definition of atheism instead. The book is simultaneously sweet and vulgar, with anecdotes ranging from touching tributes to his mother, father, and sister (who are all deceased), to his adventures riding the "Vomit Comet," to a couple of questionable bets he made in the past. That part of the review is fabulous.

Personally, one of my favorite anecdotes is entitled "King of the Ex-Jews"; about a young man who made the conversion from Hasidic Jew to atheist, and asked Penn to take him out for his first non-Kosher meal: a bacon cheeseburger. The story is hilarious and touching, and even though it's during comes toward the beginning, it's a story that suck in my mind throughout the rest of the book.

I wish I could tell you more, I really do. But it's one of those books where the more you tell, the higher chance there is that the book will be a let-down for others. But I'll tell you what: it's been a long time since I've read a whole book in under 48 hours. Even the final Harry Potter book, which I bought at midnight, took me five whole days to read from cover to cover.

The book is definitely R-rated for strong language and sexual content. But if you can get past all of that, it's a book definitely worth the read. Good summary and nice round-off.


Hope this helped. Regards,
Ben
  








Memories, left untranslated, can be disowned; memories untranslatable can become someone else’s story.
— YiYun Li