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Every Day Is An Athiest Holiday! (2000)

by Penn Jillette(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 4

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English

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review 1: If you are put off by profanity or sexual talk, don't even think about picking up this book of essays. Penn simply cannot go for more than two pages (on average) without the f-word or a reference to his privates and/or a sex act. But if you can set aside your visceral reactions to the tenor of this book, it has some very interesting reflections on fatherhood, marriage, reality TV, blackmail, professional partnerships, stage magic and religion. I'd rather have a hundred Penns in Congress, turning the Congressional Record into something delivered in a plain brown wrapper, than one more Ted Cruz or Michelle Bachmann.I'd give this book four stars if it wasn't for the relentless profanity. To which, I'm willing to bet Penn would say F-You with a smile.
review 2: I'... moreve listened to Penn's podcasts in various forms for years and always thought he was honest, even if not always correct. But that's what I always appreciated bout him. He's true to what he believes, spends time exploring what that means, and seems to be honest when he finds those beliefs should be challenged and/or changed. This is the first time I've read his writings, but it seemed true to those principals as well. I didn't agree with everything and he rambles at times and he retells many stories I've heard him tell before. But, well, that's Penn. I didn't expect anything less.I was reminded in reading this of the short devotionals I used to read almost daily when I was a Christian. A few stories, an idea, and a guide into taking some extra time thinking about it. I definitely appreciated that. At times it was frustrating, especially in the chapters where he told you his opinion had changed and was right to him based on his experiences at those points in his life. He wasn't trying to make your opinion for you, just pose the questions and tell you some of the things he's thought about. So, it's frustrating, but it's also what I expected from him.As for the overarching idea indicated from the title, I truly appreciate that as well. It was one of the ideas that helped me leave Christianity. I'd been told there was no happiness, no joy, and no morality outside of Christ. But I saw a handful of Christian friends that were amazing examples of that and also saw a handful of atheist/agnostic friends that also were amazing examples of the same qualities. It's been actually more freeing to me now that I'm not worrying about the impact I'll have on my next life, but more concerned about the connections and impacts in this one.Why only 3 stars? Well, he's not the greatest writer in the world. As others have mentioned, he can meander around a bit. So, I didn't want to rate him like I would a writer who had finely honed his craft (4 star) and hit on an amazing story on top of that (5 star.) less

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Reviews (see all)

rg78

Wow. This is a book that I think people will either love, or hate. As divisive-looking as the title may be, the book itself isn't that way, at least to me. It contains a lot of thinking about what makes art, well, art.In some cases, the material is a little harsh, and the language is definitely rough, but in it Penn Jillette is a wholly different person than the stage persona, and it's interesting to see his devotion to family, friends, and art entertainingly presented.This book made me laugh right out loud, and moreover, made me think. If you work, or even enjoy, the arts, it's got a lot of meat in it. If you think that you'll have a problem with the atheist view, give it a read. I found his viewpoint tolerant in the most honest meaning of the word. Great read, laughs, and thought-provoking. There are some real conversations starters in here.

Alyssa

This book was just okay. Nothing stellar about it. I really enjoyed his first book because it was very raunchy, laugh-out-loud funny, and talked about atheism in just about every chapter. In this book however, I feel he had toned down his writing style a bit and I was very disappointed that he covered atheism in only several chapters. It was still a funny book, but I wasn't as impressed. Also, I found several spelling errors. Words were missing in sentences, etc.

Dawn

Phenomenal.

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