Lessons from the Young Atheist’s Handbook
As you’ve probably gathered if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I’ve been relentlessly trying to build up interest in my book over the last few months in the hope that people might buy it when it’s finally released in the UK on July 19th. Not sure how successful my efforts have been (I suspect they’ve been pretty futile) but I’ve particularly enjoyed making this series of short videos which summarise what I think are the key “lessons” from the book. The films were animated by Jack Kenny and the music was composed and performed by Jack Challoner
Without saying very much, you said it all.
Thank you.
This book is special in that it addresses issues of crucial importance to the growing child and young person.I can’t think of another book that puts the essential concerns of becoming an adult so pertinently and cogently, and all set in a personal context of one man’s experience. It is this experience which has made the telling of it so powerful.
On a less dramatic scale my experience is similar. A Baptist Minister for ten years I resigned to become a social worker for 30 years until retirement 16 years ago. Since then I have found academia and married up my love of literature with theology and obtained a PhD in those joined subjects in 2005. Gradually over the years I have become more objective about the Christian religion and have steadily moved to my present atheistic or agnostic position. My love of books is vast and only matched by Alom’s love and devotion to them. Seeing the importance of getting this book into every School library, I am now seeking ways to do this best in my local district and in the new year will be publishing a letter in the local press telling of my intention. I would be delighted to have a closer contact with Alom as we seem to have so much in common.
Dear Alom,
You probably won’t remember me but we met briefly at SoF conference where you spoke in July . I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and you kindly signed my copy of YAH. I have only just finished the book, due to the far too busy life of a retired person. You wondered about the title and I wanted you to know that I found your work supportive of my own atheism and thought the description ‘Handbook’ most appropriate in that sense. I rather dislike the religious connotations of the word spiritual nevertheless I have so enjoyed reading of your spiritual path or maybe life path is better although I believe you are deeply spiritual in a very human way. I wish I could so adequately convey my own path so succinctly. From a decision against confirmation to the Anglican Church at 11 years I was an atheist without real conviction. This was followed by a profound psychological experience at age 35. In religious terms this is known as an ecstatic experience. I followed a path which led to the Spiritualist Church where I becaTme Medium and demonstrator of clairvoyance. I finally met in this setting a German psychoanalyst who would, along with my studies at university, out of my temporary confusion to the joy of everyday life. A life without gods or life after death. I have been so lucky to meet the people I needed to meet even if in a very irregular way. The occult or supernatural is the last bastion of religion so far as I’m concerned and I wrote about the fact that the referential framework of psychoanalytic theory helps us to understand the so called ‘occult’ in my M.phil thesis. I’ d love to write a book about this but may be too old now. Do hope that our paths will cross as we are definitely singing from the same non-hymn sheet. Thankyou for writing YAH we need it!
Very Best Wishes,
Bobbie