Customer Reviews

The Atheists Are Revolting!

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I am going to start off my review by saying that perhaps the best thing that could have happened to UK atheist Nick Gisburne was to be banned from YouTube. Why? Because, besides producing a great website with instructive, entertaining and mind-opening videos, it also has produced this splendid book.

Gisburne transfers both his humor and his rationality with ease into this fine publication which should entertain and bolster fellow atheists. In addition, the strength of his arguments will hopefully encourage those "sitting on the fence" to hop over to the side of reason.

Mr. Gisburne's book addresses the many contradictions and absurdities of the Bible.
But he goes beyond this to use analogies between the belief in god and the belief in Santa (a definite must read), and gives a lucid account of why evolution is not only true but is an ongoing process. He also challenges Christians to ask themselves some pretty important questions regarding what they believe to be true about their god and the existence of a supposed heaven and hell. Lastly, the author points out how refreshing it truly is to be a non-believer, and not have any threatening or irrational fears hanging over one's head like the sword of Damocles.

In sum, The Atheists Are Revolting is a book which should be of interest to those who might find Richard Dawkins a bit too dry, yet don't want to be talked down to in any way. Gisburne is funny, witty, but also determined to show the absurdity of religious beliefs. In addition, he provides us with an excellent resource to use when confronted with anyone who chooses mythology over pure rational thought.

Sometimes being banned can be a good thing!

First off, let me say that I/m glad that Nick wrote this book because it's infinitely easier to digest than some of his You-Tube videos. Don't get me wrong, I loved most of this You-tube videos, but a lot of the time he seemed to have William Shattner syndrome, i.e. the guy LOVES dramatic pauses.

Second, the title. What's up with that? Now I'm sure that the idea was "It's an Atheist revolt!" But an interesting side note is that at one point I was at work reading this book and a co-worker asked me what I was reading. When I showed her the cover, she said "Yeah I think they're revolting too."

With the unfortunate title aside, this is a very entertaining read that seems to balance witt, facts, theology and religion in a way that few books I've read have done. While it's not on the same level as Say a Dawkins or Harris, what this book has is humor. And lots of it. If you are a fan of Nick from his Youtube days, then this is going to be one of your favorite books. If you're looking for an introductory book on reasons for atheism and arguements against theism then pick it up as well. It's worth it for the wonderful CHAPTERS (yes, more than one) on the Noah's Ark story.

The only down sides are that this book is really preaching to the choir. He admits it on like the first page or so, so while it's a fun and interesting read, you won't be sharing this with your southern Baptist friends or co-workers. Also, I'd have to mention that this book often feels like a journal or collection of esseys. They are mostly good pieces, but it's similar to the difference in reading Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time and then reading The Universe in a Nutshell. Same author and a lot of the same subject matter, but the flow that one feels reading a completed work just isn't there when reading a collection of different completed pieces that are put together.

This will be going on my book shelf right next to the wonderful book, Illustrated Stories from the Bible (that they won't tell you in Sunday School) by Paul farrell.

A light hearted yet passionate look at one of the most controverial and important issues of our time. The book is a nice easy read that is great if you have watched his youtube video series. Not the most well written book in the world, at times it feels a little disjointed and one topic does not lead well to another, but the authors passionate no holds bared and often shocking aproach to the subject is a refreshing change in a world of political correctness with a topic usually only approached by intellectuals and schollars.

Nick Gisburne's book is one of the best things I have read on the subject of atheism, an "ism" which is widely misunderstood as some kind of cult or group. He makes crystal clear that atheism is simply a lack of belief in any god, and gives many reasons for that lack of belief in language that is often deep, as well as refreshingly light and funny for such a serious topic. This book gets my highest recommendation.

I dont usually go for writing reviews of my purchases but this one will be the exception. I only recently started watching Mr. Gisburne on Youtube and have loved every second of it. When I found out he had written a book it only took a matter of minutes for me to track it down and buy.

Its a great read and I honestly feel happy to have found an author that isnt 'talking down' to me. His attitude throughout the book is one of a very real perspective that I feel daily and havent hesitated recommending to other like minded friends.

Nick Gisburne's delivery is quite different from Richard Dawkins's, Sam Harris's, Christopher Hitchens's, or Dan Dennett's, as he himself states. However, within this light-hearted manifesto of his atheism and critique of Christianity Mr. Gisburne gives a fine summary of what (most) atheists believe and don't believe and much ammunition for any atheist who might become involved in "discussions" with believers. His style is no-holds-barred, as you may expect from his YouTube videos. He's not afraid to call down BS on BS, but he is not gratuitously profane or vulgar.

He makes a few points really well, perhaps better than I've seen anywhere else. In particular, I liked his dissection of the teachings of Christianity (original sin, forgiveness of sins, definition of sin, atonement by Christ, heaven, and especially hell), his discussion of natural law versus scientific theory, and his review of the arguments used by Christians for their God and their dogma. Great stuff.

I found this book to be superbly readable. I think most of the chapters were originally written for his YouTube videos and, since they were written to be read aloud, they flow effortlessly. I enjoyed Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, and Hitchens very much; but this book is a really fun read. It's a real page-turner (at least for an atheist.) Mr. Gisburne's sense of humor shows throughout. I plan to pass this along to several people. For those who don't care to read more serious works like The God Delusion or Breaking the Spell, this is a great alternative. Not that he doesn't cover serious issues, he does and well; but it's done in a more entertaining and light-hearted way.

One epigram of black humor from this book that I keep repeating: "Build a fire for a man and keep him warm for a night. Set a man on fire and keep him warm for the rest of his life." My 16-year-old also loved the title! He's reading the book now.

Well, there is not much to say about this book because I just dont know how to begin. It is pretty much just a random bunch of occasionally humorous thoughts. Not worth the money. I would just watch the dude's videos, he probably has the same content on youtube in video form.

Finally a book that speaks the truth about religion and especially Christianity! I wish more people would read this. A must-have for teenagers.

The writing is not the best and is even erroneous in part. However, it is still a good argument for dropping false beliefs in ancient and man-made religious fables posing as "history" and embracing reason and reality for a cure.

This is a waste of money I bought this book looking for some good hard facts instead what I found is a person trying to be funny and has no real sense of direction. What a waste of time and money.