God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales
By Penn Jillette.
Penn Jillette knows he’s a blowhard. He knows he’s the biggest and loudest and foulest-mouthed guy in the room. He knows that if he went on attitude alone, he wouldn’t have a prayer of convincing people of his diehard disbeliefs, the chief among them being that there is no god.
It’s not that Penn doesn’t have a moral code. He has never drunk alcohol or done recreational drugs, for starters. This book is framed as an attempt to rewrite the Ten Commandments for atheists, without the bombast and subservience. He’s going the whole distance here, not just questioning organized religion but offering thoughtful alternatives.
I’ve interviewed Penn Jillette a couple of times and seldom missed Penn & Teller when they toured to Boston or New Haven in the ‘80s and ‘90s, before they settled in Vegas. Jillette isn’t just outspoken and articulate, he has amazing natural timing. He can philosophize at the drop of a (rabbit-filled) hat, and make it sound like a Lenny Bruce routine.
In his carefully worded fresh non-commandments, Jillette places creativity on par with the highest spiritual values. He’s also unfailingly entertaining in all that he does. This is a book bursting with backstage anecdotes and frank lifestyle advice. We get a full description of Penn & Teller’s Vegas office space and work habits. We meet their friends and co-magicworkers. When Penn mentions celebrities he’s encountered (a ridiculously varied list, epitomized by the rock stars and others who attended a days-long party he threw at which the main attraction was an obese naked Elvis impersonator), he has nothing but respect for those who play the fame game squarely, and total disdain for assholes who rip off audiences and indulge in petty feuds. His settling of an ancient score with the Amazing Kreskin is a poignant short story worthy of F. Scott Fitzgerald, while his admiration of the bespangled Siegfrid & Roy is eloquently argued.
Penn Jillette knows that he’s arrogant—he co-hosts the skeptic series Bullshit!—but he thinks a ranker arrogance comes from those who inflict their (often unfortified) viewpoints on others without acknowledging honest differences of opinion. Jillette describes atheism as an honest admission of uncertainty. He can bitch and bellow as madly as the most enthusiastic evangelists, but with an unmatched sincerity, and a deep-rooted need to entertain and enlighten. God, what a book this is.