21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A philosophical orgy of farcical hilarity, March 26, 2002
Dale McGowan's "Calling Bernadette's Bluff" will make you feel good about being a humanist--but not _too_ good.
The protagonist is Jack Kassel, a closet humanist teaching at the College of St. Bernadette. CSB is a women's liberal-arts college which attempts to be simultaneously feminist, with a strong postmodern leaning, and devoutly Catholic. Needless to say, if you're an atheistic, rigorously intellectual humanities professor, it can be a strange place to work.
Nor is this the only clash of philosophies confronting poor Jack. His five-year-old son, who lives primarily with his ex-wife, is being sandwiched between Jack's own atheism and the sadly intolerant brand of Christianity he is learning in school. A group of students starts up a humanist club, with his help, but the club is taken over by nihilistic Satanists. To make matters even more surreal, an old friend of his, an atheist in the robes of a charismatic priest, arrives to lead the campus ministry. Soon, Humanism, Satanism, Creationism, Catholicism, and postmodernism are all frolicking about in a philosophical orgy of farcical hilarity.
McGowan is critical, although gently so, of postmodernists who insist on valueing all opinions, no matter how absurd. He directs much more biting satire at conservative politicians who use atheism as a whipping boy to bring in the votes of insecure Christians. Nor do students and their bloopers escape his pen; one student lambasts an author for referring to a woman as "Indian," rather than "Native American." When Jack corrects her, explaining that the woman is in fact from India, she replies that the author still has no right to be racist.
"Bluff" takes place right here, and right now. The World Trade Center attacks are referred to (although not excessively so) and for the first time in any novel I have read, a character uses the word "Doh." Some details leave a bit to be desired; McGowan never quite explains how male Satanists came to hang out at a Catholic women's college in the middle of nowhere. And as controversy builds around religion and secularism at the College, none of the national humanist groups are anywhere to be found.
"Bluff" will make you laugh in some passages, while others will make you want to cheer. Infuriated by a tired rehashing of Pascal's Wager at a church service, Jack envisions himself getting up and tearing the preacher's argument to shreds. Jack's initial meeting with an atheist student, at which he explains to her what humanism is and why she should care, is also quite convincing. Overall, "Bluff" is a rare breed: a complex, creative work of humor that will force you to think.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A refreshing combination of intellect and humor, July 8, 2002
This review is from: Calling Bernadette's Bluff: A Novel (Paperback)
This book is not only fun to read (I actually laughed out loud a number of times), but it really makes you think, and not about anything less trivial than the meaning of life, the origins of the universe, and the ignorance of the masses. McGowan's character names never ceased to make me smile (Robert Frapples was one of my favorites) and the dialog was very convincing. At some points I really felt as though I was sitting in a college bar with the author debating the intricacies of Faith vs. Reason over a pitcher of beer. Ultimately I felt both entertained and educated. This is a great book for anyone not afraid to think for themselves.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prepare to laugh hard and think harder, March 7, 2002
This review is from: Calling Bernadette's Bluff: A Novel (Paperback)
When I heard about a "new humanist novel" I was skeptical, expecting something heavy-handed, one-sided, simplistic... maybe even one of these "happy humanist" bits, just bursting with joy. Fortunately this is SO much better than that. It's a hysterical ride through the postmodern as the main character tries to live a reasonable life in a world of nonsense, religious and otherwise. The humanists come off just as nuts as the True Believers whenever they turn their backs on reason. Very even-handed.
Some of the philosophical references went past me the first time, but it didn't matter. The style is so original and the ideas so compelling that I reread it and picked up a lot more. Really rich, really thought-provoking. It goes after ideas, not people, so it's funny and convincing without feeling like a personal attack.
I'm buying copies as gifts for two Baptist friends and one atheist friend...and I KNOW they'll all love it. How many religious satires can you say THAT about?
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