Let's be honest - nobody has more fun than atheists. Don’t believe it? Well, consider this: For nonbelievers, every day you’re alive is a day to celebrate! And no one celebrates life to the fullest like Penn Jillette - the larger, louder half of legendary magic duo Penn & Teller - whose spectacularly witty and sharply observant essays in Every Day Is an Atheist Holiday! will entertain zealots and skeptics alike.
Whether he's contemplating the possibility of life after death, deconstructing popular Christmas carols, or just calling bullsh*t on Donald Trump's apprentice training, Jillette does not fail to shock and delight his fans. And as ever, underneath these rollicking rants lie a deeply personal philosophy and a generous spirit, which find joy and meaning in family, and peace in the simple beauty of the everyday.
Every Day Is an Atheist Holiday! is a hysterical affirmation of life's magic from one of the most distinctly perceptive and provocative humorists writing today.
©2012 Penn Jillette (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
"Yes, he curses"
Another reviewer complained about Penn's cursing. Unless you were completely unfamiliar with his style, it should come as no surprise. If you enjoyed his other works, you will enjoy this one as well. Buy with confidence if your ears can handle bad words.
"Some good stuff but a lot of rambling"
I have mixed feelings about this book. Some of it was good while other parts not so much.
I liked the sections of the book where Penn talks religion and atheism. Humor is a great means of communication and he uses it to effectively examine the many hypocrisies and fallacies of religious belief. He is not afraid to lay it all out there in his unique irreverent way. Those who are very religious will likely be offended by these passages but then they are unlikely to be reading this in the first place.
I also enjoyed some of the insight into his performances but there should have been more of this with some secrets revealed. I know he can't give away his whole act but a few juicy tidbits of revealed magic would have been nice.
Now the bad. To much rambling steam of consciousness stuff about uninteresting events. Why is it parents who have kids late in life feel the need to wax on and on about them? Nobody cares. It may be fascinating to you but it is boring to everybody else.
Too much about what music Penn is into. Again, interesting to him but nobody else. We want to know more about what makes Penn unique, not his love of Bob Dylan and NRBQ.
He is a little too into his own genitalia. Everybody has those parts. Again, not interesting.
I could have easily fast forwarded half of this book and it would have been a lot better.
I only paid $5 for it. Would not have been worth more.
Sorry Penn. Still like you though.
"If you're a Penn Jillette Fan you'll love it."
No. No fault of the book, I just never re-read, re-watch, or re-listen to anything other than music.
I enjoyed Penn narriting his own work.
His own attitude.
Penn was black mailed?!? WTF.
over-all an enjoyable listen, I LOLed more than once.
"more of a mini bio, but interesting"
I love that he is taking a word [atheist] that was meant to be derogative and embracing it.
"come on baby, you can take all of me" [in a sleazy spanish accent]
But what I can't get out of my mind is the standoff between Penn and Hitchens. Hitch was spot on with his assessment of Penn's "religious" views on alcohol.
==HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!== Disney
consistent
"Family" or "my heart to heart with Clay Akin"
It's a book filled with digressions that to an extent are not needed to support the thesis of the book and yet are at times entertaining. Penn, and every other libertarian need to stop making the embarrassingly ignorant catchphrase "at gunpoint". They are and he is referencing taxes of course and the ultimate use of force but fail to realize that their proposed alternative system also requires force "at gunpoint".
Cosmic Dreamer
"Penn does it again"
A great performance and a very easy listen if the language doesn't offend you. But he does go off the deep end sometimes. In one place he seems to think that Dr. Martin Luther King was accepting of atheists. Then later he says his friends say President Obama is an atheist but he is keeping it a secret. From there he blames Obama for being a silent atheist. He should be blaming his friends for making stuff up.
But Jillette is best at being polemical, not political. Liberalism, not libertarianism. Skeptical, not cynical. Well, that might all seem like cheap shots. But, hey, I like Penn and I liked this book. It's not quite as good as "God, No!" but then sequels almost never are.
I read with my ears...
"Telling it like it is..."
It's pretty much like listening to Penn's Sunday School podcast. If you are a fan of Penn or Penn&Teller you are going to enjoy this book. Oh, and it will help if you are a hardcore atheist and skeptic.
iowacitydoc
"Thank You, Penn Jillette!"
This book isn't for everyone!!! Lots of explicit language & crazy stories. But it is also touching & honest. I lost track of how many times I laughed out loud listening to Penn's crazy stories. His thoughts on facing death (without the hope of an afterlife) are surprisingly helpful & reassuring. I'd like to hear Penn put together a thorough talk on his observations & criticisms of religious belief. I bet it would be powerful. In this & his other book on atheism he airs some of his views, but they are mixed in with many semi- & completely unrelated (usually laugh-out-loud funny) stories that only he could tell.
"Typical Penn"
Smart, funny, interesting
Penn
Penn
Sure, but who has the time!
How can you neat a book written about Penn, by Penn and read in his sexy voice. I loved it!
"penn is just fun"
sent i have trouble reading due to dyslexia i real enjoy listen to books when it read by the persom who wrote it and i cant imgation anyone lease doing a better job
"One of the best Audiobooks I have ever listened to"
In terms of content, this is one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. In terms of quality of narration, its is far and away the best. Some autobiographies can be narrated by anyone, but this one was so much better because Penn was reading his own work.
I liked this book so much that about half way into it, I purchased Penn's other book to listen to next.