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Title: The Young Atheist's Handbook

Author: Alom Shaha

Narrator: Alom Shaha

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-14-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Growing up in a strict Muslim community in London, Alom Shaha learnt that religion was not to be questioned. Reciting the Qur'an without understanding what it meant was simply part of life; so was obeying the imam and enduring beatings when he failed to attend the local mosque. Shaha was more drawn to science, and as a teen, he lived between two worlds: the home controlled by his authoritarian father, and a school alive with books and ideas.

In this charming blend of memoir, philosophy, and science, Shaha explores the questions about faith and the afterlife that we all ponder. This powerful, insightful handbook is a must for anyone who thinks about what they should believe and how they should live.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic book

I am an atheist, raised Catholic by an Irish mother whose brother was a priest and two sisters, nuns. Take the word "Muslim" and replace it with the word "Catholic" and you have the story of my journey to atheism. It was the adult hypocrisy and utter lack of compassion that has driven me, my siblings and peers away from the Catholic Church. Particularly the churches altitude toward women and vcontraception. Does no one in the Catholic Church understand that virgin men (priests) preaching about sex to sexually active women is cosmetically tragic.

A gentle conversation

I really enjoyed this autobiographical apologetic for atheism. There is a gentleness and sensitivity in the author's approach that permits a relaxed engagement with the ideas that contrasts with the more strident writings of some other atheists. It's a very personal narrative that wraps within it some of the traditional arguments against theism which provides the book with a seductive pull that enables one to listen to the author rather than react adversarially - at least, that's how I experienced it. A narrow-minded fundamentalist of any persuasion will probably not even read the book given its title. That would be a shame. Even committed theists would do well to start listening to the journeys of non-theists if only to have a genuine understanding of the "other's" point of view.It is also refreshing to hear about atheism from an ex-Muslim perspective. The majority of atheist writings (I think) deal with the specifically Christian versions of theism. Of course, there are many other forms of theism within which believers struggle and emerge into some form atheism. This story enriches atheist writings with nuances that would be beneficial for atheists also to read.One of the most compelling aspects of this book is the way in which it illustrates the power of experience in shaping our beliefs. Very few people are convinced to change their beliefs by argument - even ones that are logically compelling. Our culture, family history, life events, where we're born - all of these and more are more influential than argument in shaping us. The author, by telling his life story, supplemented later perhaps by supporting arguments, illustrates this beautifully.This is not a book to argue with - it's a story to listen to and meditate on.