All The Words Of Penn

I've been a fan of Penn & Teller for years, and even vaguely know Penn.  I've read the books they wrote together and now I've just finished Penn's solo work. It's loosely held together by Penn's version of the Ten Commandments for atheists, but even "loosely" is too kind. It's actually a bunch of separate, rambling chapters where Penn tells stories about his life and philosophy.

Among his subjects: why he hates Kreskin, why Bruce Springsteen is special because he's not special, how much his older sister loves him, the fun you can have in zero gravity, how much he admires Siegfried and Roy, how Penn and Teller achieved their dreams right off the bat and the infamous story of how he burned his penis on a blow dryer.

Not that there's no religion--it comes up a fair amount.  He has stories about how newly formed atheists regularly come to talk to him about their experiences, how agnostics are condescending, how his argument that religious people should preach their beliefs has made him many fans among evangelists, how his parents lost their religion, how religion isn't the problem, faith is.

As such, the book is hit or miss, but if you don't mind Penn's discursive style and his casual profanity, there's a good chance you'll enjoy it.