12 atheist books you may have overlooked: Part 1

http://chrisstedman.religionnews.com/2014/06/17/12-atheist-books-may-overlooked-part-1/

Looking for some nonreligious books to add to your summer reading list? Want some recommendations beyond the “new atheist” bestsellers?

Below, six atheist and Humanist activists, authors, or scholars offer their picks for atheist books you may have missed and explain why you should read them. Check back tomorrow for the second half of this list!

1. The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality by André Comte-Sponville

For anyone deafened by the culture war, this accessible but substantial little book is like hearing refreshing new music. Instead of reacting and defending as so many books do, this is the work of an intelligent atheist thinking out loud, honestly and well, about things like community and loyalty, the ways people stay attached to ideals and committed to each other after faith is gone, and how they handle grief and loss without the traditional supports. It’s a happy surprise of a book. —Dale McGowan, author of In Faith and In Doubt and Executive Director of Foundation Beyond Belief | @InFaithAndDoubt

2. Freethinkers by Susan Jacoby

It is widely believed that America is a Christian nation devoid of a secular heritage. Freethinkers is the perfect antidote for this false claim, showing that America has a rich history of secular political thought and activism. Jacoby discusses usual figures like Thomas Jefferson, but also lesser known secular champions such as Thomas Paine and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In the process, she leads us from our founding to the Golden Age of Freethought to the rise of religious fundamentalism to the Civil Rights Movement to our modern legal battles. Given its subject matter, Freethinkers is particularly relevant to atheists and secularists in America. But I submit that it should be required reading for all Americans. —Michael De Dora, Director of Public Policy at Center for Inquiry | @mdedora

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