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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionseBook editionsGodlessby Pete Hautman
AwardsWinner of the 2004 National Book Award in Young People's Literature
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:"'I refuse to speak further of the Ten-legged One...but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion? All you need is a disciple or two...and a god.'" Fed up with his parents' boring old religion, agnostic-going-on-atheist Jason Bock invents a new god — the town's water tower. He recruits an unlikely group of worshippers: his snail-farming best friend, Shin, cute-as-a-button (whatever "that" means) Magda Price, and the violent and unpredictable Henry Stagg. As their religion grows, it takes on a life of its own. While Jason struggles to keep the faith pure, Shin obsesses over writing their bible, and the explosive Henry schemes to make the new faith even more exciting — and dangerous. When the Chutengodians hold their first ceremony high atop the dome of the water tower, things quickly go from merely dangerous to terrifying and deadly. Jason soon realizes that inventing a religion is a lot easier than controlling it, but control it he must, before his creation destroys both his friends and himself. Pete Hautman, author of Sweetblood and Mr. Was, has written a compelling novel about the power of religion on those who believe, and on those who don't. Review:"'Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion? All you need is a disciple or two. And a god.' So says narrator Jason Bock, a high schooler rebelling against the church 'outreach' program his father insists he attend. On the spur of the moment, he starts his own church, the Chutengodians, who worship the 'Ten-legged God' their town's water tower. It begins as a joke, with Jason and his friends creating rules that he thinks are as arbitrary as the rules of the Catholic Church (they observe Sabbath on Tuesday, the first commandment is 'thou shalt not be a jerk'), but Jason's 'followers' begin taking the new religion seriously. Many teens will likely recognize or identify with Hautman's (Sweetblood; Mr. Was) religious critiques; others may be offended (discussing Holy Communion, Jason describes the host as 'a sliver of Jesus meat. But they make the host as different from meat as they can, so that even though communion is a form of cannibalism, nobody gets grossed out'). However, while Hautman pushes his satirical story line to the limit, he doesn't bring to it the depth or subtlety of his previous works (for example, Jason's dare to others to disprove that the water tower is God doesn't elicit the obvious response that the tower is man-made). The result is a provocative plot, but not an entirely challenging novel. Ages 12-up. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Anyone who has questioned his or her religion, especially as a teenager, will respond to Jason's struggles with belief. Many individuals, upon reading this, will consider their own questions once more." Booklist (Starred Review) Review:"[T]hought-provoking and disturbing." School Library Journal Review:"[T]he real strength of this novel lies in Hautman's sympathetic rendering of the everyday anarchy of adolescence." Children's Literature Review:"Inventive, frequently funny and sometimes scary, this...novel has a lot to offer readers." KLIATT Review:"Jason's explorations of faith, belief, and religion, told in a compelling and imaginative voice, will leave him a solitary, ostracized prophet. Thought-provoking and unique." Kirkus Reviews Review:"The book expertly captures the blend of snarky humorousness and seriousness with which young people often launch ideas — though Jason doesn't believe in the Ten Legged God per se, he's making a genuine inquiry into the nature of belief, and he's also sincerely struggling with questions about the consequences of his actions." Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Synopsis:As a joke, agnostic-going-on-atheist Jason Bock invents his own religion: the worship of his town's water tower. But what starts as a loose congregation of Jason's friend Shin and some classmates soon takes on a power of its own. About the AuthorPete Hautman is the author of Godless, which won the National Book Award, and many other critically acclaimed books for teens and adults, including Blank Confession, All-In, Rash, No Limit, and Invisible. Mr. Was was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Pete lives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visit him at petehautman.com. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
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