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review 2013-08-27 00:00
Every Day is an Atheist Holiday
Every Day is an Atheist Holiday - Penn J... Every Day is an Atheist Holiday - Penn Jillette This book contains an excellent breakdown of the "I Have a Dream" speech and some good anecdotes. Not much improved from my first assessment, which was:

Each chapter starts is labeled for a holiday, which has little or nothing to do with the rambling contents. Occasional bits of funny, but in general nowhere near as good as God No. Also, if I *never* hear Penn talk about Clay Aiken again, it will be too soon. Sheesh!

Overall rating - 2 star, "It was Ok".
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review 2013-08-21 00:00
Every Day is an Atheist Holiday - Penn Jillette I've been trying to read it for a month and a half, and it's just not working for me. There are things about Jillette that are vastly appealing: he loves his family, he's practical, he's worked hard, etc., but those are overbalanced by the dick jokes, and the random, disconnected flow of the book.review copy via NetGalley
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review 2013-07-06 00:00
Sock
Sock - Penn Jillette This is a difficult novel to review, especially if you are a fan of Jillette not only in his roll as bullshit bashing magician, but as a social commentator. Penn tells it like it is-constantly. And that is the problem with Sock.

As a debut novel it is brave, clever, insightful and raw. Unfortunately,if you've read any of his other works as I had with God,No! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8495145-god-no, read any of his work online, or seen Penn & Teller:Bullshit, it's all old and just comes across as preachy ranting.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the first 100 pages or so, and using 'The Little Fool's' childhood sock monkey as the central voice is an inspired move. After that, it does tend to become a chore, making the 'broken fourth wall' trick just tiresome and annoying; so much so, that in the end you're praying for another voice to come through. Annoyingly, when that 'voice' does come through, it's just and even louder, shoutier version of what's preceded it.
Like other reviewers, I'm split on the song lyrics gimmick. At times they're clever, but there are instances where it takes you out of the story while you sit there running said lyric through your head.

If you're new to Penn and his ways then go for it. If you're experienced, then don't get your expectations up.
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review 2013-05-22 00:00
God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales - Penn Jillette I've always enjoyed Penn and Teller's shows, and I am a fan of their "Bullshit!" program on Showtime, so I expected to be entertained by Penn Jillette, a self-described atheist.

As I got into the book I realized that atheism was just a loosely tied thread through the essays, but the book was more of a collection of entertainment tales (Sigfried & Roy, David Copperfield, etc.), which were only mildly funny.

Penn also describes himself as an "asshole," and I have no argument with him there. By the end of the book, it became more of a rambling libertarian screed ("let everyone take guns and knives on to airplanes..");and I hurriedly finished the book, so that I could read something by someone not so proud of being a loud, brash asshole.
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review 2013-04-26 00:00
God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales - Penn Jillette Audio book, performed by the author, who is a really funny guy. He makes a case for atheism by outlining the ten atheist suggestions (in place of the ten commandments) and a collection of anecdotes. The latter don't always correspond to the former, but most have a connection to the case for atheism. It's hard to refute Penn's argument that terrorists are a problem because of faith more than any specific religion, and I strongly agree with his statement that the majority of people are good. Overall a book both funny and thought provoking, and probably offensive to many.
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