God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales [Kindle Edition]

Penn Jillette (Author)

Book Description

FROM THE LARGER, LOUDER HALF OF THE WORLD-FAMOUS MAGIC DUO PENN & TELLER comes a scathingly funny reinterpretation of The Ten Commandments. They are The Penn Commandments, and they reveal one outrageous and opinionated atheist’s experience in the world. From performing blockbuster shows on the Vegas Strip to the adventures of fatherhood, from an ongoing dialogue with proselytizers of the Christian Right to the joys of sex while scuba diving, Penn Jillette’s self-created Decalogue invites his reader on a journey of discovery that is equal parts wise and wisecracking. God, No! is a roller coaster of exploration as Penn shows that doubt, skepticism, and wonder—all signs of a general feeling of disbelief—are to be celebrated, rather than suppressed. And he tells some pretty damn funny stories along the way.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not only can the man rant, he can write. From the larger, louder half of the world-famous magic duo Penn & Teller comes a scathingly funny reinterpretation of The Ten Commandments. They are The Penn Commandments, and they reveal one outrageous and opinionated atheist's experience in the world. In this rollicking yet honest account of a godless existence, Penn takes readers on a roller coaster of exploration and flips conventional religious wisdom on its ear to reveal that doubt, skepticism, and wonder -- all signs of a general feeling of disbelief -- are to be celebrated and cherished, rather than suppressed. And he tells some pretty damn funny stories along the way. From performing blockbuster shows on the Vegas Strip to the adventures of fatherhood, from an on-going dialogue with proselytizers of the Christian Right to the joys of sex while scuba diving, Jillette's self-created Decalogue invites his reader on a journey of discovery that is equal parts wise and wisecracking

Amazon Exclusive: Teller Interviews Penn Jillette

Teller is an American magician, illusionist, comedian, writer, and is the smaller, quieter half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette.

Teller: I presume your new book is all about me, right?

Penn Jillette: We've done three magic books together and I wrote two novels without you. I wanted to put something out there that was all me, my ideas and beliefs and take on things that would be thought-provoking and funny. I do a lot of op-ed stuff and TV pundit stuff. I'm always the nut on those panels that they go to for a joke, but end up being the guy the host says "Hey, Penn’s a whack job, but he’s right." Oh, and I guess I talk about you, too.

Teller: I'm going to pretend to ask you about the book, as if I haven't read it yet. So Penn, what's your book about?

Penn: It's a pretty funny look my life and all the goofy things that are important to me: skepticism, truth, atheism, our show, my family and friends, libertarianism. I share funny stories about those things and talk about my beliefs and even tell one about the skin falling of my scrotum. Oh, and I guess I talk about you, too.

Teller: I love the Siegfried & Roy story in the book.

Penn: I think it's my favorite and it really captures the essence of the book. It's funny, nutty and from my heart.

Teller: Do you have to be an atheist to read this book?

Penn: God No! (get it?). I’m very respectful of Christians in the book. And it's not all about being an atheist. It's a funny, humorous book about a lot of stuff that goes on in the life and head of a nutty Vegas magician. There are lots of heavy books out there about religion and Atheism. But this one might be the feel good one. Too bad Oprah’s Book Club has shut down.

Teller: Why should I buy this book if you’ve already given me a free copy?

Penn: Well, you owe me $24.99.

Review

“Penn Jillette is a 21st-century Lordof Misrule: big, boisterously anarchic, funny, Rabelaisian, impossible—andunique. There isn't—couldn't be—better not be—anybody like him.” —Richard Dawkins, bestselling author ofThe Greatest Show on Earth and The God Delusion

“There are few people in the country who question more boldly, brashly and bravely than my friend Penn Jillette. This book is funny, provocative and profane. But is it right? God, no!” —Glenn Beck

“This planet has yielded exactly one mutual friend for Glenn Beck and me and that friend has written a brilliant book called God, No!. Penn reveals ‘the big secret of magic,’ tells you why tattoos are perfect expressions of atheism and exactly what to eat when you know you're going to vomit later.” —Lawrence O’ Donnell

"People who say that libertarians have no heart or atheists have no soul need to read this book. Because Penn Jillette has a lot of both." —Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park and award-winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon

"Jillette has made a career as a provocateur, and it is tempting to dismiss this book as another piece of carny shtick, but there is a forceful intelligence at work here that demands to be taken seriously. He has shaped his argument with care." —Daniel Stashower, Washington Post Book World

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 676 KB
• Print Length: 258 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1451610378
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 16, 2011)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004G8QTNE
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,171 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #14 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Religion
  • #57 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Essays

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

222 of 251 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A moderately amusing ramble August 15, 2011

By TChris TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

God No! is, I think, about the possibility of being a good person without believing in a supreme being. When Penn Jillette stays on point, he uses humor effectively to make meaningful arguments. When he rambles and digresses -- which he does frequently -- he dilutes that message. In the introduction, Penn tells the reader that he rambles, but the admission should be in all caps, printed in bright red ink, surrounded by stars and preceded by a WARNING sign.

Penn tells us that he is an atheist, not an agnostic, because anyone who doesn't know whether there is a god necessarily doesn't believe in one and must therefore be an atheist. It seems to me Penn defines agnosticism out of existence. Most people I know who call themselves atheists deny the possibility of a deity while those who argue that the existence or nonexistence of a supreme being is unknowable tend to call themselves agnostics. Penn understands the distinction but rejects it; in his words, "If you're not willing to pretend that matters of god can be certain, you're an atheist." I suppose Penn can define his terms any way he wants, but he didn't persuade me that "Do you believe in god?" is a question "that needs to be answered yes or no." I think it's a question that can legitimately be answered however an individual wants to answer it (including "I have no belief either way"), even if Penn thinks that any answer more nuanced than "yes" or "no" is "a cheesy grade school dodge."

Definitions aside, there is something to be said for Penn's larger point: It is possible to live an ethical life based on rules derived from shared experiences that are not dependent on biblical commandments. This book, Penn tells us, is a response to Glen Beck's challenge "to entertain the idea of an atheist Ten Commandments...." Penn offers ten "suggestions" that, to a large extent, parallel the Ten Commandments. He illustrates each of his suggestions with a group of funny stories -- or, more accurately, with stories that are intended to be funny. Some are, some aren't, some are funnier than others. While Penn's sense of humor isn't always on key with my own, I found many of his stories to be at least moderately amusing. My favorite is a very funny story about battling the TSA over his right to drop trou. Despite his general abrasiveness, some of his stories, particularly about his family, are sweet. I also appreciated his ability to use self-deprecating humor to tone down the preachiness of his message.

I can't quarrel with the "suggestions" Penn offers in place of "commandments" but I do think he made some odd choices to illustrate them. For instance, his first suggestion is "The highest ideals are human intelligence, creativity, and love. Respect these above all." After positing the suggestion, Penn launches into a lengthy discussion of Siegfried and Roy. Penn loves Siegfried and Roy despite belittling their glitziness, their animals, their magic, and their music, because of the "desperate purity" of their desire to be onstage. They may have invented "a new art form," as Penn argues, but if Siegfried and Roy's Vegas act represents our highest ideals, we are in serious trouble.

Despite Penn's occasional takes on atheism, God No! is less about religion than it is a stream of consciousness ramble about the people Penn knows (including a surprisingly large number of strippers and porn stars) and the random events that have shaped his life. If you're a Penn & Teller fan, you might enjoy the backstage stories, the gossip about other magicians, the venting about Kreskin, or the descriptions of Penn's house and the parties he throws.

I imagine someone will post a "review" of this book without reading it, complaining that the book is anti-Christian. It isn't. It could be viewed as anti-religion (Penn skewers a variety of religious beliefs) but his larger point -- that religion isn't a necessary component of an ethical life -- is not a concept that depends upon hostility to religion. The book doesn't have a mean-spirited feel (although religious people might be offended by some of the things he says). One of Penn's precepts is that most people are fundamentally good, whether or not they belong to a religion. Penn is actually meaner to self-described agnostics (who, in his view, "are really cowardly and manipulative atheists") than he is in his discussions of sincerely held religious beliefs.

While nothing in this book offended me, neither did much of it delight me. I don't hold it against Penn that he doesn't believe tax money should be used to fund libraries or cancer research (he's entitled to his opinion, after all) but I wasn't impressed with his defense of those positions, among others. In the end, I was indifferent to much of the book and a bit put off by its rambling nature, but I liked enough of the stories to give it 3 1/2 stars. Read more ›

82 of 93 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny farrago with surprising sentiment and wit. August 16, 2011

By Greg TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Penn is profane and obnoxious, as anyone who's seen him on TV shows such as [and the irony here is that although they can sell it by name, I can't write the actual name without being censored, so let's just say "BS"] knows. And there's plenty of that in "God, No!" What some readers might not be as prepared for are the moments of sentiment, sometimes slipping into sentimentality. Penn is a big guy with a big voice, big opinions, big appetites, and a big heart. He values individuality above most things, and wears his admiration for courageous action and original thought on his sleeve. All of that comes out in this book.

All of it.

And not in any organized format, either, but as it occurs to Penn. And you know what? That's actually pretty cool. I found the book very hard to put down, precisely because of its conversational nature. The one thing I could live without--something Penn also employed in his novel "Sock"--is the more-or-less random use of song titles and quotes.

Sometimes I found myself wishing he were a little less obscene because there are plenty of people I would love to share "God, No!" with, but a sizeable percentage of them would be put off by some of the language. But in truth, that's Penn's style, and even saying one wished things were different sounds like wishing "Lady Gaga would put some damned clothes on." Absurd on its face.

So take Penn as Penn, and prepare to meet an interesting cast of characters from all strata of society, punctuated by a fresh take on the "Ten Commandments" that is unbelievably sane and erudite. But the heart of "God, No!" relates to friendship and family. The "baptism" of former Hassidic Jews into a sort of sacrament of bacon, for example.... Or the way Penn's mom left their church because of bigotry against its pastor.

The book ends with a rant against faith that is a funnier, more emotional version of what Sam Harris says in his ground-breaking "End of Faith," and bears some resemblance to what Bill Maher says at the end of "Religulous." But it probably cannot be said too often, or in too many ways. As long as people consider faith--pretending to know something they can't possibly know, using no evidence whatever--a virtue, the bold, the loud, the fearless will have to stand firm and say "eff faith." Penn does so in "God, No!" with not-to-be-missed aplomb. Read more ›

170 of 211 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars funny but an amateur on politics and serious science August 29, 2011

By Kevin Gurney

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I must admit that my feelings about this book are a bit schizophrenic. I do really enjoy Mr Jillette - funny as hell, irreverent, outspoken, unfiltered. All stuff I love. Hence, it was fun to read about his escapades and outlook. Yes, I am an atheist, a scientist (climate change - yes, we exist!) and have an eclectic political viewpoint. So, I am a forgiving reader of Mr Jillette, for sure.
So, first the bad news: The trouble I had is a similar problem I have had with some books of late written by entertainers in which they attempt to tread, at times, on more serious matters with a license borrowed from their celebrity. It is a danger that a big microphone has on many..... they think because the big microphone keeps showing up (because they are funny, sing well, act well, entertain) their view on politics, family psychology, science, etc are equally sharp, informed and worth listening too. This is often just not true (though there are exceptional cases). His libertarian snippets for example...... he falls into the same childish, simplistic view of the world that most unstudied libertarians do. Once you spend any time actually trying to manage anything bigger than a 2-man show or a small business, you quickly learn that the Randian bumper stickers sound great but are for dorm rooms and chat rooms - not serious contributions to actually governing much and just serve to add to the clatter of uninformed opinion.
Similarly with climate change - though Jillette confesses he doesn't know much about it and recounts his overstatements in the past, he does so with the "insult first, then say it was a joke" approach. "I don't know" is indeed an honest position if he had just left it there. But while proclaiming to do that, he plays that "maybe" game that just comes off as manipulative.... Hey, just read a few scientific papers and/or talk to some experts who actually do it for a living. But, it is the big microphone problem again .... Why actually work hard at learning about a subject when you can fill the airwaves with opinion riding on the coattails of your "fame". Ugh.
There is a certain irony embedded in the book. A cornerstone of atheism and skepticism is the requirement of evidence and Mr Jillette has long spoken out about the ease with which modern society gullibly swallows religion, hucksterism, false politicians, etc. But skepticism is the initiation of the process of learning. The next step is to roll up your sleeves and build understanding of reality. Why not do that with political theory and earth science? Mr Jillette retires to the same chat room crap that passes for "informed opinion" among the lazy. This is frustrating - a sharp mind filled with wit and creativity should do more before treading on this ground.
The good news? Because the guy is so damn funny and he is sincere in his humility about most of the more bombastic stuff, it remains a worthwhile read. He is a unique spirit and he has brought a bit of edgy art subculture (burning man, performance art) into the lives of people that go to Vegas shows.... A very good thing in a world of homogenization and bland titilation. Read more ›

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