New Books and Books to Give Away

Hemant Mehta has just published a new book, The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide. It’s about the growing and increasingly important demographic of atheist high schoolers – their trials and travails, the opposition and sometimes shocking persecution they’ve faced in their schools and their communities, and the hope they offer for the future of the secular movement. Here’s Hemant on what he set out to accomplish by writing it:

There are more atheists under the age of 30 than ever before. While a lot of media attention has been paid to college atheist groups and their accomplishments, relatively few stories have been written about the unique struggles of high school students who don’t believe in God. This book shares many of their stories, from standing up against graduation prayers to sitting down during the Pledge of Allegiance. These students advocate for their atheism, often at tremendous personal cost. It also talks about what students and adults can do to alleviate these problems and what the future holds for secular students everywhere.

I wrote a blurb as well:

“All across the country, atheist high school students are bullied, persecuted and denied their legal rights, even by school administrators who should know better. But as atheism becomes a more influential and mainstream voice in our society, freethinking high schoolers are increasingly coming out of the closet and standing up for themselves, forming communities to support each other and advance the secular point of view. Hemant’s book shows how it can be done with many inspiring examples of brave student activists.”

Now, to the next order of business: I’ve got five paperback copies of my own book, Daylight Atheism, to give away. These are from an earlier printing, and contain some minor formatting errors that have since been fixed. I’d like to clear them out so I can make room for some copies of the newest printing. I’ll give them away to anyone who promises, within a reasonably timely period, to read the book and write a review (good or bad, however it strikes you) on Amazon and/or your own blog, if you have one.

Again, I have only five copies, so first come, first serve! Send me an e-mail at [email protected] with your name and mailing address, and I’ll have them in the mail to you this week.

UPDATE: All five copies have been claimed. Thanks to everyone who responded!