Back in April, I posted “Books maybe you should know about,” a list of upcoming freethought books I thought fellow freethinkers might like to read. We were about to cover about half the books on that list. And now, the march of progress continues! Here are four more books coming out between now and the end of the year, and I’ll try my damnedest to cover them all:
C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy by Jeff Sharlet (pub. by Little, Brown & Co., Sept 2010) – Sharlet continues the work he started in his stunning expose on The Family. Read my review of The Family, or listen to our podcast interview with Jeff Sharlet.
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Moral Values by Sam Harris (pub. by Free Press, Oct 2010) – How often have you heard it said that science can tell us how things are, but not how they ought to be? Sam Harris (The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation) may have bitten off more than he can chew with this one. I’m also considering blogging my chapter-by-chapter reactions to this book, similar to what I did when reading Dawkins’ The Greatest Show on Earth.
Hating God: The Untold Story of Misotheism by Bernard Schweizer (pub. by Oxford Univ. Press, Nov 2010) – Speaking of oft-heard questions, how many times have you been asked, once your atheism is revealed, “Why do you hate God?” The answer, of course, is that atheists don’t hate God–they don’t think he even exists! But it makes a certain twisted sense that some percentage of those who actually believe in God don’t see Him as the Loving, Merciful Creator. (I’d never heard the term “misotheist” before, so I’m really looking forward to reading this one.)
The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life without God by Dan Barker (pub. by Ulysses Press, Dec 2010) – Something tells me the former reverend Barker will approach the problem of atheist ethics from a slightly different angle than Sam Harris. Should be an interesting contrast–and just in time for Christmas!
I’m really excited and appreciative for the hard work you’ve put in to creating this list. I hope that it continues to grow. I think putting the Oxford annotated bible (especially the RSV version) is brilliant and a must read for a free thinkers.
In the vein, I’d love other secularists to weigh in on the best versions/translations of other holy books. I’ve been trying to find a version of Buddhism’s Tripitaka, and have no idea which to choose. The same goes for the Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, and the Rig Veda. The Bahá’í literature leaves my dizzy. I think it would be great to have a library of all the worlds’ holy books, so I can always know whereof I speak. Christianity is the most pressing for those of us in the U.S., but not always the most influential in the individual areas where we live individually.
Again, thanks for all the hard work!
I am loving the book list. I’ve read a few, but need to read a whole lot more of them. Since I haven’t been able to stomach the bible since I was a wee lass, I am looking forward to reading the annotated version… who knew there was one???? Thank you.
I have been a free thinker for over 20 years, and about two years ago, googled the word atheist and found my niche. I appreciate all of the work that goes into the website and podcast, because I didn’t know about a community of people who think, speak, and write to my heart and my head. Again, thank you.