Coming Out Atheist

How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why

By: Greta Christina

Narrated by: Greta Christina

Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

Coming out as an atheist is a powerful, liberating act. It makes life better for you, for other atheists, and for the world. But telling people you're an atheist can be risky. What are the best ways to do it? And how can we help each other take this step?

In this compassionate, friendly, down-to-earth how-to guide, popular author of Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless and blogger Greta Christina, offers concrete strategies and guiding philosophies for coming out as an atheist. Based on hundreds of coming-out stories, the book offers a map of the territory atheists are likely to encounter and ideas on how to pick the path that's best for you.

This accessible, empathetic guide reflects a wide range of coming-out experiences. It includes dedicated chapters on:

• Family
• Friends
• Spouses and Partners
• Work
• The Internet
• Parents
• Students
• Conservative Communities
• The Already Marginalized
• And much more

For atheists who are already out, it gives practical ideas on how to help others join you in the sunlight. And for atheists who are on the fence, it offers guidance on making that decision - and gentle encouragement to take that step.

Inspiring and realistic, kind and powerful, Coming Out Atheist is the much-needed guidebook atheists have been waiting for.

©2014 Greta Christina (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Absolutely Perfect

If you could sum up Coming Out Atheist in three words, what would they be?

Informative, Inspiring, Brilliant

What did you like best about this story?

This book really lays out a great case for why we should, if we feel safe, come out atheist. It's extremely well-written, extremely well laid-out, and a very good read. And then, of course, you have this audiobook, read incredibly well by Greta Christina. She's always been great at live speaking, and hearing her read is even more of a treat.

Which character – as performed by Greta Christina – was your favorite?

As this is non-fiction, this doesn't really apply.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

(Same as subtitle)

Any additional comments?

I recommend this highly, even to believers.

Addresses Major Issues Head On

If you could sum up Coming Out Atheist in three words, what would they be?

On point.

What other book might you compare Coming Out Atheist to and why?

Greta's book "Why are You Atheists So Angry" is definitely the right companion to this book. This book is more for atheists, though the religious can gain a lot from it too. This other book is the reverse, theists can learn a lot from it, though highly recommended for atheists too. Greta is unwilling to let any tough issue go, be it sexism in atheism or the harm done even by the most benign liberal religions.

Which character – as performed by Greta Christina – was your favorite?

Greta performed herself admirably, of course! Her narration is excellent, and it feels like she's talking with you the entire time. She has an excellent voice, and listening to her is very enjoyable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Many of the stories Greta tells are very powerful, and often very funny. But the discussion of some of the real troubles in the atheist community can be hard.

Any additional comments?

Greta is on point. She addresses atheism not just for white guys like myself, but for all people, men and women, White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, cis, trans, gay, straight, etc. Highly recommended for all atheists to listen too, and religious people too, to understand the different perspectives we all have on atheism and being atheists.

All the Motivation You'll Need

When I asked Greta Christina to write and record for Audible “Why are You Atheists so Angry?” I had no idea the tremendous response it would get. It remains one of the best-selling books I’ve produced here at Audible.

“Coming Out Atheist” is a worthy successor. Greta reaches out to those who need encouragement and tells the experiences of those who took the plunge to let their friends, family and colleagues know what they really believe and who they truly are.

Greta is like a best friend offering, stories, advice, sympathy, and motivation to come out.

Excellent in every way

Easy to listen to and exceedingly informative and insightful. I can't say enough about the quality of the content and the narration.

Muy buen libro

muy buen libro para alguien como yo que quiere salir de esta vida de superstitions que traemos por generaciones,

Incredible Helpful

This book helped me through a tough time. I am grateful. Thank you Greta! Loved_It.

A very personal read

A very personal reading. I feel comfortable referring to her as Greta. She feels like a friend.

If you came out as anything else, read this book.

If you've previously come out as gay or trans or bi or poly - and you now want to come out as atheist - this book is definitely for you. If you've come out as native American or Asian or black or female, you will find a lot of very helpful stuff in this book. Even if you haven't otherwise come out - because you are a straight middle class white male, for example - you'll learn some stuff about how, why, and when to come out as an atheist, and to whom you should start coming out. If all you care about is the atheism part, and you don't care about all that other stuff, it's sometimes going to feel like Ms. Christina is not quite talking to you, and the reason for that is because she's not.

And if you think of yourself as an intellectual, and reading the word "stuff" four times in this review has been jarring, then you might wish to listen to a different book, because she uses that word fairly often. I'm sure she did it on purpose to make herself sound more friendly or colloquial or something, but it fell as flat as her verbatim reading of what she called "Standard Black English". I'm also not fond of her emphasizing the last word in seemingly every phrase or sentence. Sometimes, she placed so much emphasis on the last word that statements began to sound like questions. It's an affectation that, strangely, reminded me of Wil Wheaton. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

It felt like more than half of this book had special information for those "marginalized people" who also happen to be atheist. None of that information affected this listener, so the book seemed to drag when those topics came up again (and again and again). Even so, this is a good book for any atheist, closeted or not. There are some solid, helpful pieces of advice, and real encouragement to help someone who is thinking about coming out. There is also good information on getting into, or creating, atheist groups; how those groups can help you; and how you can help others.

It's a good book. I am glad I read it. With the above caveats in mind, I recommend it. And I will keep my eye open for an opportunity to attend one of Ms. Christina's speaking engagements, because I think they'll be enlightening and fun. I just don't think I'll buy any of her other books.

A Great Counseling Session !

Would you consider the audio edition of Coming Out Atheist to be better than the print version?

Brings closer the character of the author.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Coming Out Atheist?

Correlation between coming out atheist and LGBT

What about Greta Christina’s performance did you like?

Nice voice, very easy to listen to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions, but very deep thought.

Repetive, over-long, with few insights

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Should be shorter, less repetitive, more incisive. Need some real insights from the author instead of just a collection of anecdotes.

Would you ever listen to anything by Greta Christina again?

Probably.

What aspect of Greta Christina’s performance would you have changed?

More serious and less folksy presentation. Eliminate tiresome tone of self-absorbed amusement. Don't use rising inflection for declarative sentences.

Was Coming Out Atheist worth the listening time?

No, I couldn't finish it.

Any additional comments?

A big disappointment compared to her last book.