A variety of people with one thing in common

Atheists in America, edited by Melanie E. Brewster (Columbia University Press, $28).

The title might lead readers to think this is a history of atheism in the United States; instead, it’s a collection of 27 essays by Americans who identify as atheists, detailing how they came to understand themselves as nonbelievers and what happened when they told other people that they didn’t believe in God.

That might not seem like much of a premise for a collection of personal essays, but more than a superficial look at theses stories makes clear what polls consistently show: Atheists aren’t very well understood or very well-liked in America.

It’s rare for an atheist to experience a “de-conversion” without some sort of ramifications, and the more profoundly religious that person’s family and cultural background, the greater the impact. But just living in a particularly religious area—as the essays “User Error: Coming Out Atheist in Utah” by James Mouritsen and “An Atheist in the Bible Belt” by Brittany Friedel make clear—adds a great deal of pressure to those who live skeptical, agnostic or atheist lives.

Another powerful point from these essays is the diversity in the atheist and nonbeliever community. Far from the usual straight white guys (think of the “Four Horsemen” of the “New Atheism”—the late Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris), these essays reflect the experiences of women, people of color, and LGBT folks.

One of the more thought-provoking pieces was Amy Watkins’ “Having a Baby Made Me an Atheist,” both because of the powerful emotion it contained and because it’s long been canon among evangelicals that having children will send people back to church.

Overall, this collection illustrates just how little we know about atheists—as well as how rapidly that is changing. Remember, there are still some states in this country where atheists may not run for public office—despite a constitutional prohibition on religious tests—so there’s always room for more of the reality about the lives of people who’ve rejected religious belief.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com ( )

Review originally appears here: http://www.thesteadfastreader.com/2014/02/freethinking-friday-atheists-in-americ...

The writing in the forward and introduction to the chapters is a little clunky. That being said, most of the essays were well written and thoughtful. This would be an excellent read for all American theists who wish to understand their atheistic neighbors and friends that are hiding in plain sight.

I would hope that a volume like this would be widely read by evangelicals and theists wanting to gain a greater understanding of who the atheist community is and maybe, just maybe, we could all learn to get along. I would recommend this book to atheists as well. There are essays by minorities and other marginalized groups that are often discounted by 'mainstream' atheists. It is these sections that I would guide the atheist and humanist to.

Each section consists of three or four short essays from atheists, often describing their 'de-conversion' experience, sometimes telling of their childhood, and too often describing heartbreaking loss that 'coming out' as atheists had caused them in their personal, professional, and social lives. The essays at the beginning are the weakest in the collection. This book does not have to be read in order and a reader might feel more comfortable spreading out the collection over time.

Each narrative is different but most describe a sense of freedom upon recognizing that they no longer 'bought into' whatever myths they had been raised with. There are a few stories from people who were raised without religion and their stories are compelling as well. While they never risked the loss of love and respect from family members or close-knit church groups there were other hurdles to be overcome. In the essay 'It's Complicated' by Ethan Sahker, who was raised without religion he had to overcome his own prejudices and rigidity to find a compatible partner.

There are some essays that come across as smug or pedantic, but I didn't find the tone in any of the essays to be up to par with Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens. May I even go as far to say that many of the essays were more sincere and less legalistic than many recent apologetics? (Yes, it's my blog, I'm going that far.) There were essays that echo my own feelings about being an atheist, though none of the stories were exactly like my own.

Ultimately this is a book about what it is to be an individual, theistic or not our worldview shapes a part of who all humans are.



If you're an atheist, you definitely should read this. If you're a theist looking for a better understanding of those of us with a different worldview, or just looking to get out of your comfort zone, this is a decent choice. (Spoiler: No one is mad at god or particularly rebellious.)
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