50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God by Guy P. Harrison

Read: 21 May, 2009

Harrison goes through all the usual arguments against belief in gods, repackaging them in a new format. Similar to 'Question and Answer,' he uses a 'Reason for Belief and Response' format. Each chapter begins with a single sentence reason, a few quotes that either explain the reason or debunk it, followed by a 2-5 page summary of the arguments against that reason.

Unfortunately, 50 is a very attractive round number and makes for a standard book length. I have seen all these reasons whittled down to only three essential arguments. The result is that many of the reasons are essentially the same with different wording. While I think that it was a good idea not to get into the specifics of one religion or another, this left Harrison with fairly little to say. His entire argument could be summarized as "there are millions of gods to choose from, so how do you know which one is real?" Imagine this, repeated 50 times with only a little variation.

My greatest disappointment is that 50 Reasons lacks focus. I know that I often complain that books, those on Atheism in particular, try to fill too many roles at once. Maybe it's because there are so few books on Atheism on the market, or maybe it's just authorial ego - either way, many authors seem to set out with great ideas, great arguments, and great potential only to fumble because they are trying to catch two rabbits at the same time.

For example, Harrison can't seem to decide who is target audience is. He will sometimes address believers directly, asking them to consider this or that point. At these times, his writing style is soothing and inviting. At other times, he addresses non-believers, as thought this were a "response to every situation" style manual. These passages are interesting, but could easily be interpreted by believers as offensive or condescending. Had Harrison settled on either of these audiences, I am confident that the book would have been greatly improved.

Another symptom of this lack of focus is a lack of efficiency in Harrison's writing. A chapter called "people have gone to heaven and returned" begins with a two-page description of Harrison's travels in which he finds two rotting bodies and stumbles onto a funeral. All this before the afterlife is even mentioned. This happens throughout the book to varying degrees. These passages are very interesting and I would love to read Harrison's travel narrative, should he ever write one, but they simply do not contribute to his arguments.

And finally, I often found myself reading from a believer's perspective and thinking "well, okay, but..." To be fair, Harrison covered far more objections than he missed, but it was enough for me to decide against recommending this book to believers.

I know that this review has been harsh, but only because 50 Reasons was a very good book with a lot of potential. Harrison's writing style is very accessible and he has a non-aggressive way of phrasing his arguments. I sincerely hope that 50 Reasons receives a second edition that addresses my concerns, or at least that Harrison learns from his mistakes and publishes a better book in future.

In the meantime, 50 Reasons is certainly an interesting and worthwhile read. If you've spent much time reading Atheist books or speaking with Atheists, most of this book's arguments will be familiar. But I found Harrison's focus on the 'Many Gods Problem' offers a fairly fresh perspective.

Discworld #12: Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

Read: 26 April, 2009

A beautiful young servant girl is destined to marry a handsome prince, thanks to her fairy godmother. The ball has been arranged, the gown made, and everything prepared so that Ella can meet her prince charming and live happily ever after.

But there's a catch. Three witches have come to put a stop to this fairy tale and make sure that Ella never marries the prince. Ella couldn't be happier!

Terry Pratchett's twelfth Discworld novel returns to Bad Ass and to the adventures of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat.

There isn't much to be said about this novel that can't be said for pretty much any of the other Discworld books. As usually, Pratchett his hilariously funny. I love Granny and Nanny and how they play off each other. The inversion of the classic fairy tale is quite clever as well.

But this isn't just about fairy tales. A large portion of the novel could better be called a mock-travel narrative, which was very interesting.

Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham

Read: 6 May, 2009

There was a tall pile of them on the sale table, just $4.99 each. I'd never heard of the title, or the author of that matter, but I had my allowance in hand. This was why I had come - to experiment, to sample the books no one else had wanted. $4.99 is nothing, really, especially for a hardcover. So I grabbed a pile of books, anything that looks interesting. I blew my entire allowance. It doesn't really matter. If just one or two of these books turn out to be gems, they will have enough value for the entire pile.

I'm not sure why I picked this one. I don't think I even bothered to read the jacket. The cover is interesting and it says "by the author of The Hours." Hadn't I heard that title before? I was sure it was a movie I had seen, maybe even liked.

I've been chewing my way through the pile of books I've bought in that way, but months went by before I got to this one. In the meantime, the bookstore marked it down to $2, and then only $1. The pile, sans my copy, never seemed to get any smaller. For whatever reason, this is a novel that has failed to catch the public's eye.

But I like the cover. I like the dandelion parachute ball, green and glowing. I would see it on my shelf and try to imagine what the story could be about. With a name like Specimen Days, it could be just about anything. Horror, maybe? I think I confused The Hours with The Others.

I had just finished Witches Abroad. Discworld novels are safe; I know what to expect when I crack the spine onto the first page. I was ready for something different, unexpected, adventurous.

So I picked the glowing green dandelion parachute ball with the black background. Why not?

Specimen Days is not a novel, no matter what the cover says. Specimen Days is a meditation, a thought experiment. It glides through experiences like a breeze, offering no explanations and no resolutions. To call itself a novel, it experiences the world through three characters: the child, the woman, and the man. Each of these receives a chapter, an age, and a genre. The book is at once historical fiction, detective story, and science fiction. Somehow, the whole is held together by an experience of Walt Whitman. I won't try to explain - I can't. You'll just have to read it for yourself.

I'm not surprised that Specimen Days can now be purchased for only $1 on the book's sale table. It isn't bad, it's just so experimental, different, and genre-defying. It's an experience of beauty and thought that can be both marvellous and uncomfortable. It isn't a casual read.

That being said, it was a wonderful experience and I feel enriched for having been seduced by that glowing green parachute ball. Read it, give it a chance, and let yourself experience the touch of the literary numinous.