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Atheism books (beyond Hitchens, Dawkins, & Harris)

Right now, I'm reading "Doubt, a history" by Jennifer Hecht and am finding it to be one of the best books on skeptical and atheist thought but had hardly seen any suggestions for it in most places I visit.

I think we'd all consider the big 3 (Hitchens, Dawkins, & Harris) as authors to suggest to someone wanting to get a better handle on their emerging atheism, or just for continued contemplation. That said, what other atheism books have you found helpful that maybe aren't receiving so much attention on, for example, Amazon

Tags: atheism, dawkins, harris, hitchens

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Thompson on May 20, 2010 at 5:47pm

I just finished Ayaan Hirsi Ali's biography 'Infidel'. It was completely captivating and I could hardly put it down. She has led a truly heroic life.

I also recently read Bart Erhman's 'Jesus Interrupted' which was an easy read but simultaneously educational and devastating to a literal interpretation of the bible.

Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on July 14, 2010 at 10:12am

I'll second Infidel. I had a hard time putting it down.

Permalink Reply by Serenity S. Macaluso on June 2, 2010 at 6:37pm

I enjoy fiction with an atheist message. "Tiny Alice" by Edward Albee is one of my favorites, as is "The Flies" by Jean Paul Sartre. I feel the genre of allegory is dominated by religion, and I like to see it used by atheists for a change.

Also, while I enjoy the big 3, I find they are often echoes of people like Bertrand Russell. His "Why I am Not a Christian" has had a definitive hand in my own understanding of atheism and the logic behind it.

Permalink Reply by Crazy Cat Lady on June 10, 2010 at 7:41pm

Michael Onfray The Defense of Atheism (title in Canada) Atheist Manifesto in (US I believe & kick ass title). A French philosopher who pisses all over the early Christianity which after years in University studying history and listening to Christian biased apologetic professors was refreshing.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Thoss on June 10, 2010 at 8:20pm

Looks good. Thanks, I'd not seen this one

Permalink Reply by Ralph Dumain on August 1, 2010 at 12:17am

Consolidating responses:

"Doubt, a history" by Jennifer Hecht
"Sleeping With Extra-Terrestrials" by Wendy Kaminer
"Freethinkers A History of American Secularism" by Susan Jacoby.
Taner Edis,
Michael Shermer
"The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality" by Andre Comte-Sponville
Mark Twain, "Letters from the Earth"
Living Without God by Ronald Arondson
Philosophers Without Gods edited by Louise Antony
Dan Dennett
Carl Sagan
"Losing Faith in Faith" by Dan Barker
"The Wisdom to Doubt" by J. Schellenberg
Victor J. Stenger's "God: The Failed Hypothesis"
"Misquoting Jesus" by Bart Ehrman
Olive Schreiner, "Story of an African farm"
Atheism Advanced: Further Thoughts of a Freethinker by David Eller
Natural Atheism by David Eller
Gaylor, Annie Laurie, ed. Women Without Superstition: "No Gods—No Masters"
Whitehead, Fred; Muhrer, Verle, eds. Freethought on the American Frontier.
Michel Onfray, The Atheist Manifesto
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America -- And Found Unexpected Peace
by William Lobdell
Christian No More by Jeffrey Mark
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
"Atheism: The Case Against God" by George Smith
"atheist universe" by david mills
"Everything You Know about god Is Wrong": The Disinformation Guide to Religion by Russ Kick, Neil Gaiman and Richard Dawkins
Darrel W. Ray's "The God Virus How Religion Infects our Life and Culture"
John Allen Paulos book " Irreligion a Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up"
Religion Explained by Pascal Boyer
Bertrand Russell, "Why I am Not a Christian"
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 'Infidel'
"Tiny Alice" by Edward Albee
"The Flies" by Jean Paul Sartre
Bart Erhman, 'Jesus Interrupted'
Bart Erhman, "Misquoting Jesus"
"Like Rolling Uphill"

Permalink Reply by Dr. Thoss on August 1, 2010 at 6:06am

Ralph, thanks so much for pulling the list together!!

Permalink Reply by Ralph Dumain on August 12, 2010 at 9:46am

I consolidated this list after reading someone's blog enumerating the alleged most important atheist/freethought books of all time, most of which were recent publications, esp. by the "new atheists". I don't think these newer books are all that great, and in any case it's a denial of history to make excessive claims for them as if nothing as or more lasting or significant was accomplished earlier.

Regarding history, see my bibliographies:

Historical Surveys of Atheism, Freethought, Rationalism, Skepticism, and Materialism: Selected Works
http://www.autodidactproject.org/bib/freethought_history_bib.html

Secular Humanism—Ideology, Philosophy, Politics, History: Bibliography in Progress
http://www.autodidactproject.org/bib/humanism-ideology.html

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on August 12, 2010 at 6:07pm

Thanks, I need this.

Permalink Reply by Dennis Washburn on September 9, 2010 at 11:03pm

One book I did not see represented is called "The GOD part of the brain" by Matthew Alper. It starts with a wonderful breakdown of the author's personal journey to rationalism and continues with some very interesting cutting-edge neuroscience that strongly suggests that "spiritual" experiences can be explained fully by neurological processes. I don't agree with all of his conclusions but the book is worth reading just for the first couple of chapters.

Permalink Reply by Christopher on January 1, 2011 at 2:15pm

Try Disbelief 101: A Young Person's Guide to Atheism.

http://www.amazon.com/Disbelief-101-Persons-Atheism-ebook/dp/B004BL...

Permalink Reply by Smiley Courtney on January 6, 2011 at 2:56pm

The Faith Instinct, by Nicholas Wade

Outstanding expose' into the biology of why humans have been so religious.

Infidel and Nomad, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

One of the best current calls for reason from within the darkness of superstition. I recommend listening to the audio books, as her voice adds a whole dimension to her words.

Great Transformation, by Karen Armstrong

One of the greatest thinkers about the history of religion alive today, Karen's books (like "The History of God") are not written to promote nor dethrone religion, but to explain its history.