The Young Atheist's Survival Guide: Helping Secular Students Thrive Paperback – December 3, 2012

I am both an atheist and a regular follower of the author's blog the "Friendly Atheist", so I eagerly purchased this book when I first learnt of its publication, and I was not disappointed.In a fast moving and well written manner the book discusses the problems, and solutions to these problems, encountered by young American atheists in the public school system. These problems centre around discrimination by their religious school mates, and school officials. One telling example from the book was a pastor who asked his students to draw a picture of both a christian and an atheist. The students drew the christian as a happy and good man, while the atheist was depicted as a drinker, a smoker, and a bad person.In response to this, and more generally, to meet like minded people and to discuss issues, atheist students are now forming atheist clubs across the USA. It would be warming to be able to say that school teachers and administrators unreservedly performed their job and duty and helped and encouraged these students to do so, but this is not the case. Atheist students were confronted with opposition and outright vilification by their teachers and their school bureaucracy. More so, from their fellow students and parents, some students received physical threats. No sign of "love thy neighbour". In response many students successfully called upon the USA constitution, which separates church from state, in a bid for equal recognition and acceptance.In the USA, it is illegal for public schools to promote religion, and schools must deal equally with students of all and no faiths. More so, atheist clubs are legal entities, and must be granted the same rights and privileges as other student groups. Interestingly, students can legally chose to remain seated and not recite the oath of allegiance, as it refers to god.The book concentrates on examples from the lives of the students concerned. Interwoven with this is the wider world, parents (there's and others), the media, lawyers, the school, the community, priests and pastors, and how these affected the struggle by the student's to form their own groups and participate in their school life. It is very sad to say that some parents disowned their children when their atheism was revealed. Happily, the book does conclude with a realistic and optimistic view of the future.The book is both a summary of the situation to date, and a primer on how to form and foster an atheist group at school. It contains examples, contact details, and text that will help any student interested in pursuing this worthy goal.If you are a student, the parent of a student, either in or not in the USA, or you work or have dealings with a school or students, or if you have an interest in human rights, then read this book.

-I purchased from AMAZON: "The Young Atheists Survival Guide" Helping Secular Students Thrive"-Question: (From Amazon) "Did "The Young Atheists Survival Guide" Helping Secular Students Thrive"meet your expectations?-------My Answer: NO!-I say: This book is very DANGEROUS!Although purporting to "guide" IE. 'help', or, 'assist' "Secular", 'atheist', "students"this book uses half it's pages for recounting events that caused atheist studentsa great amount of embarrassment, angst, psychological, and familial harm!And accomplished little more than an ego trip; and, an increase in the determination of fanatical 'theists' to forcefully exert more pressure on Society, and The Public SchoolSystems to include prayer, and other religious activity therein.Intelligent students who read this book will refrain from mimicking actions of the would-be defenders of our US Constitution Separation of Church and State requirements.Only an extremely rare happenstance ever effected a successful result of a Lawsuit byMadelyn Murray O'Hare, that "Ended School Prayer"; for which she was killed!And the Legal Decision therein has since been totally ignored in many States, and cases.Other pages in this deceptive, beguiling, misleading, and fallacious missile, promote'tolerance' of those who are the cause of secular students discomfort, who musteither suffer, attempts at proselytizing or, bear the brunt of the religious fanatics harassment.The Author demonstrates inanity when suggesting: beginning at Page 87: "Read books(about religion) and watch lectures by popular Christian apologists---": P.90 "Partner"-ingwith a religious group at school"(?)`---(for)"debating the existence of God"(?) p.90: "Have a Religious Roundtable"(?); P.92: "Have an Atheist Bible Study"(?): P.94: "Watch (Religious) Movies"(?);Then at the bottom of page 98 is something (Promoting religion?) that seems to havecome from a Church 'Missal', or religious Catechism? IE. "Deeply devout Christiansknowing---(they) will always --- get a job promoting their faith---(as a) pastor,(?)a staff position for--Campus Crusade for Christ,(?) or, Working at a Christian School."Hemant Mehta may be 'fishing' for a "Templeton Prize"? Or, he may be a type of 'Mole'?-Religion today, in the 21st century! only survives because of 100 Generations of well-meaningmothers forcing their infants to believe 100 generations of 'hearsay' assertions about a'ghostly-apparition' having "suddenly appeared"! and "supposedly" "created" what 'already existed'!-Re: "The Young Atheists Survival Guide" ------Helping Secular Students Thrive" (?)To truly "help" "Young Atheists"(!) A "Guide" for them ought to delineate the atrocious evils perpetrated by phony, "religious" lying corrupters of children's minds and bodies; who ceaselessly work to undermine and defeat rational thinking, and, addict people to slavery, and mind-control to propagate and perpetuate their ceaseless efforts to eventually dominate all humanity with a Theocratic form of world government!To suggest "young atheists" should associate or tolerate the inanity of "religious people", and, or "read religious books"; contradicts and works in opposition to "helping" "The Young Atheists Survival"! Rational "atheists" not only do not believe or accept the insane assertions of the Ponzi-racketeering thieving pedophile agents of religion, they are hopeful that the entire world will soon awaken to the sickening atrociousness and absolute 'fraudulence' religion represents!-

Hemant Mehta, known as the Friendly Atheist via Patheos has always been a role model to me regarding advocacy with the separation of church and state. Especially now in these times where religious groups clamor to influence America's future via legislators and children. His stories and advice are true in fact regarding events and also the law mandated by the Constitution. I hope that The Young Atheist's Survival Guide finds its way to many more whether students, teachers, administrators and parents. This is our next generation and we have a paramount responsibility to ensure they are given education that is true to fact, not dogma. Let there be a day where mankind realizes that every member's blood is the same, and nothing divides us and nothing casts one superior to the other in the universal community.

Very informative, I didn't know about the history of the Equal Access Act and other things touched on.The author makes a good point that when atheists speak up against religion in school, they aren't just speaking up for atheists. They're speaking up for people of other religions too. (Examples include Unitarians and Jehovah's Witnesses.)I read the author's first book years ago and did think that his blog was a little less "friendly" than that book, but this book is friendlier than the website.Includes great ideas for student groups.Also, Edwin Kagin's "Thoughts for Atheists at Graduation" at the end was amazing.It's even fun. The unibrow! (You'll have to read to know what I'm talking about :)And it's only $3 right now!