God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales

Jillette, Penn

ISBN 10: 1455825158 ISBN 13: 9781455825158

Publisher: Brilliance Audio, 2012

Synopsis

From the larger, louder half of the world-famous magic duo Penn & Teller comes a scathingly funny reinterpretation of The Ten Commandments. They are The Penn Commandments, and they reveal one outrageous and opinionated atheist’s experience in the world.

In this rollicking yet honest account of a godless existence, Penn takes listeners on a roller coaster of exploration and flips conventional religious wisdom on its ear to reveal that doubt, skepticism, and wonder—all signs of a general feeling of disbelief—are to be celebrated and cherished, rather than suppressed. And he tells some pretty damn funny stories along the way.

From performing blockbuster shows on the Vegas Strip to the adventures of fatherhood, from an ongoing dialogue with proselytizers of the Christian Right to the joys of sex while scuba diving, Jillette’s self-created Decalogue invites his listener on a journey of discovery that is equal parts wise and wisecracking.

“People who say that libertarians have no heart or atheists have no soul need to read this book. Because Penn Jillette has a lot of both.” —Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park and the award-winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon

“There are few people in the country who question more boldly, brashly, and bravely than my friend Penn Jillette. This book is funny, provocative, and profane. But is it right? God, no!” —Glenn Beck

“This planet has yielded exactly one mutual friend for Glenn Beck and me and that friend has written a brilliant book called God, No! Penn reveals ‘the big secret of magic,’ tells you why tattoos are perfect expressions of atheism and exactly what to eat when you know you’re going to vomit later.” -Lawrence O’Donnell

“Penn Jillette is a twenty-first-century Lord of Misrule: big, boisterously anarchic, funny, Rabelaisian, impossible—and unique. There isn’t—couldn’t be—better not be—anybody like him.” —Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The Greatest Show on Earth and The God Delusion

About this title

Review:

Not only can the man rant, he can write. From the larger, louder half of the world-famous magic duo Penn & Teller comes a scathingly funny reinterpretation of The Ten Commandments. They are The Penn Commandments, and they reveal one outrageous and opinionated atheist's experience in the world. In this rollicking yet honest account of a godless existence, Penn takes readers on a roller coaster of exploration and flips conventional religious wisdom on its ear to reveal that doubt, skepticism, and wonder -- all signs of a general feeling of disbelief -- are to be celebrated and cherished, rather than suppressed. And he tells some pretty damn funny stories along the way. From performing blockbuster shows on the Vegas Strip to the adventures of fatherhood, from an on-going dialogue with proselytizers of the Christian Right to the joys of sex while scuba diving, Jillette's self-created Decalogue invites his reader on a journey of discovery that is equal parts wise and wisecracking

Amazon Exclusive: Teller Interviews Penn Jillette

Teller is an American magician, illusionist, comedian, writer, and is the smaller, quieter half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette.

Teller: I presume your new book is all about me, right?

Penn Jillette: We've done three magic books together and I wrote two novels without you. I wanted to put something out there that was all me, my ideas and beliefs and take on things that would be thought-provoking and funny. I do a lot of op-ed stuff and TV pundit stuff. I'm always the nut on those panels that they go to for a joke, but end up being the guy the host says "Hey, Penn’s a whack job, but he’s right." Oh, and I guess I talk about you, too.

Teller: I'm going to pretend to ask you about the book, as if I haven't read it yet. So Penn, what's your book about?

Penn: It's a pretty funny look my life and all the goofy things that are important to me: skepticism, truth, atheism, our show, my family and friends, libertarianism. I share funny stories about those things and talk about my beliefs and even tell one about the skin falling of my scrotum. Oh, and I guess I talk about you, too.

Teller: I love the Siegfried & Roy story in the book.

Penn: I think it's my favorite and it really captures the essence of the book. It's funny, nutty and from my heart.

Teller: Do you have to be an atheist to read this book?

Penn: God No! (get it?). I’m very respectful of Christians in the book. And it's not all about being an atheist. It's a funny, humorous book about a lot of stuff that goes on in the life and head of a nutty Vegas magician. There are lots of heavy books out there about religion and Atheism. But this one might be the feel good one. Too bad Oprah’s Book Club has shut down.

Teller: Why should I buy this book if you’ve already given me a free copy?

Penn: Well, you owe me $24.99.

About the Author:

Penn Jillette has been one half of the Emmy Award–winning, world-famous magic duo Penn & Teller for more than thirty-five years. He is the author of God, No! and the novel Sock, as well as several books cowritten with Teller. He has appeared everywhere in the media, from Howard Stern to Piers Morgan to the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times, to The Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars, Numb3rs, MTV Cribs, and Chelsea Lately. As part of Penn & Teller, he has been featured more than twenty times on David Letterman, and on The Simpsons, Friends, Top Chef, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and more. Jillette is the producer, with director Paul Provenza, of The Aristocrats. He cohosted the controversial series Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, which was nominated for sixteen Emmy Awards. Jillette lives with his family in Las Vegas.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1455825158
• ISBN 13: 9781455825158
• Binding: Audio CD