The new book that I have co-edited with Tristan Vick called Beyond an Absence of Faith: Stories About the Loss of Faith and the Discovery of Self has been really favourably reviewed by those who have read it, and hopefully some of those reviews will filter trough the internet.
Here is the book description:
Leaving one’s religion behind, walking away from faith, is never an easy journey. With family, friends, jobs, and every aspect of one’s life to consider, the decision is not to be taken lightly. This anthology is made up of sixteen fascinating, and at times moving, accounts of such decisions, and the consequences they entail. Whether it be Christianity, Islam or any other life-impacting worldview, leaving it can be a difficult ordeal. This collection details the trials and tribulations, the joy and liberation involved, by people from various walks of life and corners of the globe.
Heartfelt, it offers hope to those equally questioning, and understanding to those who themselves question the motivations of these often brave people.
There are some really interesting deconversion accounts from ordinary people leaving faith and religion behind, often going through extraordinary experiences. I was really pleased to get Jeremy Beahan to contribute a foreword to this book since his podcast Reasonable Doubts to which he contributes as one of the presenters is really very good.
Two picks of the sixteen accounts are one from a seventeen-year-old Muslim girl who has an arranged marriage (it is beautifully written) and one from Vyckie Garrison who was once in the Quiverfull movement whereby women are ‘coerced’ in a cultish manner into accepting their lost as baby-making machines arming the world with little Christian soldiers. A moving tale.
I would appreciate any of my readers purchasing a copy, obviously, and leaving any favourable reviews on amazon or any other such site. Of course, in the unlikely event of you not liking it, keep it to yourself, eh?!
A new blogger at FTB, Kaveh Mousavi at On the Margin of Error, said on facebook:
I have read 2/3rd of “Beyond an Absence of Faith” edited by Johno Pearce and I’m ready to say it’s my number one favorite atheist book. Tune in to my blog to find out why soon (when I finish it).
[EDIT – He has posted a GREAT review] Whilst the book is not overtly atheist, concerning itself more with ideas of psychology, family, society and organised religion, it obviously does touch on atheistic reasoning as causal factors in leaving such cults and religions behind.
Click this image or here to buy it from amazon.com, US:
Click this image or here to buy it from amazon.co.uk, the UK seller, at the moment on Kindle only until tomorrow or the day after:
