Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“I REALLY did not like the ending of this book. Nothing really changed, and I was hoping for something bigto happen. I am dissapointed.”
Reihn wrote this review 9 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Only got halfway through the book before other books lured me away. I'll have to try this one again another time. ”
Kim Sheibley wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This realistic fiction book is aabout a boy named Jason whos parents are agnostic. He is tired of being agnostic so he decides to praise a new god, the watertower. His friends, Shin, Magda, and Henry, also decide to worship this watertower. Henry is trying to write the bible for this new religion. Once they decide to hold the religions first meeting (ontop of the watertower) it turns dangerous. What happens? Read the book to find out.”
Greta Werner wrote this review Sunday, March 25, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“great book but it challenges religion and is a little mature”
boye mafe wrote this review Thursday, March 22, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a fiction book that will change how you look at teens and religion. Jason is tired of old religions so he decides to make up his own based around his town's water tower. Along with his friends, they discover how hard it is to maintain a religion and the consequences that come with it.”
L Tappa wrote this review Wednesday, March 14, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I thought that it was a very good book. It is one of my favorites although some people I know that read it didn't enjoy it very much. ”
Theresa wrote this review Sunday, March 4, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Ever questioned the religion your parents raised you in? Jason Bock is a teen who is tired of his religion and one day on a whim decides to invent his own. He chooses the town's water tower as his "god" and names it "The Ten-Legged One." He recruits a couple of friends, a girl he has a crush on, and a guy who once beat him up. It's all a harmless joke until the religion starts to take on a life of its own, in a heart-pounding scene that takes place on top of the tower. It's a story that makes you think about the way religions affect people, but it also made me laugh out loud quite a lot. Jason Bock is one wisecracking guy I would have liked to meet in high school.”
Sue L wrote this review Tuesday, January 17, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Jason Bock is a self-proclaime atheist. When his Dad starts making him attend a special Youth group of the Catholic church, he devises a way to rebel. Jason starts his own religion the Chutengodians (they worship the town water tower). Things get out hand and Jason is trying to figure out how to fix things. The story is an interesting commentary on the state of religion. How things can get out hand and how prolific religions can get. This is a quick story, but there are many things to truly think about and discuss. Well written and thoughtful. Worth the time to read.”
Owl wrote this review Saturday, December 31, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Godless is about Jason, a high school student who rebels against his parent's Catholicism and their insistence that he attend Catholic youth group meetings by starting his own religion. Jason figures, "Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion? All you need is a disciple or two. And a god." He finds his god in the town water tower, and his disciples in his gastropod-collecting best friend, Shin, his "normal" friend, Dan, a cute girl in his religion group, and the short, angry troublemaker, Henry. The group develops roles, rituals, and Shin becomes obsessed with writing the bible for this new religion, Chutengodianism. They continue to elaborate their religious observances until they end up in physical peril because of a "ritual" concerning the watertower that went too far. The end of the book deals with the ramifications of this incident, and its effect on the members of the group and their opinion of the religion they created. This book is well-written, often funny, and very thought-provoking. I think that sixth grade through high school students would find a lot to discuss when they read this book. One important question that comes up as you read the book is, what IS religion? What makes people join religions, and what does religious observance do for them? Understanding the role of religion in society is important for young people (and adults), and this book will help them think about that.”
Jody D wrote this review Thursday, December 1, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I'm not sure why this book was awarded the National Book Award.
Brent Wescott wrote this review Thursday, November 24, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Jason Bock is a typical kid, bullied by a jerk, best friends with an obsessive nerdy kid no one else seems to like, can't get a girl.
The premise is that on a whim Jason starts telling people he worships the water tower in the middle of his small town. He doesn't know what to make of the religion of his father and thinks he might be an atheist. So what does it matter if he worships a The Ten-Legged One? What's the difference?
He recruits a few others to join his religion, including his best friend (named Shin), the bully who punched him in the nose, and a girl he has a crush on. They end up climbing the tower one night and calling it worship, and several complications ensue. While Jason begins to question why he started this whole thing in the first place, Shin becomes obsessed with it and seems to be heading for the nut house.
And I suppose this is where the book awards come in. It's a pretty simple story, simply told. But it does ask some heady questions about the nature of faith and religion. Is Shin any more crazy than Jason's father for believing in a God?
Hautman doesn't really come to any conclusion, and it's clearly not anti-religion, and I liked the book for both of those reasons. Faith is an exceedingly personal issue, and Hautman tackles these complex ideas with aplomb. I didn't really know what to make of it while I read, but I found myself thinking deeply about it afterward. Which is perhaps why it deserved the National Book Award. ”
