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Godless
"Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion?"
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.
198 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
69 people are currently reading
3335 people want to read
About the author
Pete Hautman
60 books357 followersPeter Murray Hautman is an American author best known for his novels for young adults. One of them, Godless, won the 2004 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. The National Book Foundation summary is, "A teenage boy decides to invent a new religion with a new god."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 819 reviews
October 16, 2017
Read for my young adult literature class.
January 13, 2015
It's easy to create a new religion.
All you need is a god and some disciples.
The hard part is keeping your followers from doing stupid things in the name of religion.
All you need is a god and some disciples.
The hard part is keeping your followers from doing stupid things in the name of religion.
April 16, 2011
I never would have thought that I'll have the chance to read this book, for the reason that I don't even know that this book exist. However, when I once again attended a meet-up by The Filipino Group in Goodreads last April 10 2011, which was also a celebration of the first anniversary of the group, Kwesi and I had the opportunity to swap books.
I have given him the book 1st to Die by James Patterson and he gave this book to me, which I don't have any idea what the book is all about. But judging on the title "Godless" I have a feeling that it will delve on Religion and Atheism.
Reading the backcover of it I was already fascinated, a teenage boy bored of his parent's religion (Catholicism) decided one summer to create his own religion, which was Chutengodianism, a new worship which fundamentally believe that the Town's Water Tower was the one and true God.
A big part of me immediately relate to that kid. I would say that I also found going to churh, listening to priest, praying rosary, reading the bible etc. boring. Most of the time, I believe I am a non-believer, an atheist, but no I think a Skeptic is the perfect word for me. I want to believe in God but I wanted proof, I want to see it before I believe it.
I find it really funny that this book is so natural. There are a lot of things the character said about Religion specifically Catholicism that are really offensive. I'm thinking if you're a believer of Christian Faith you might find it blasphemous or the book was like questioning Religion and it puts Religion on a bad state and there are a lot of the propaganda but for me it doesn't felt contrived or it doesn't felt like I was forced to believe in it. It's like here's the thing, think about it and it's not like here's the thing, believe in it. If that even makes sense.
I also love that the book is very funny and sarcastic. It's like reading this, I laughed out loud and I can't stop it. I even think about it's like a long time ago a book made me feel that way. And yeah I found books that made me laugh, special. It's like a very nice friend that could lighten up your mood and will give you a stomachache for its dry wit.
It's a very nice read and I really recommend it, just be open minded especially if you're a Catholic. I don't find questioning faith and God wrong or even found Atheists bad people. It's a very thought provoking and imaginative book that would really got you thinking about your own faith as well.
I also find the ending of it satisfying and it's a great way to end the book. Jason, the main character ended it with an epiphany or a reflection about himself, and there is that uncertainty about him and what he really believes in, that I find amazing and haunting.
I have given him the book 1st to Die by James Patterson and he gave this book to me, which I don't have any idea what the book is all about. But judging on the title "Godless" I have a feeling that it will delve on Religion and Atheism.
Reading the backcover of it I was already fascinated, a teenage boy bored of his parent's religion (Catholicism) decided one summer to create his own religion, which was Chutengodianism, a new worship which fundamentally believe that the Town's Water Tower was the one and true God.
A big part of me immediately relate to that kid. I would say that I also found going to churh, listening to priest, praying rosary, reading the bible etc. boring. Most of the time, I believe I am a non-believer, an atheist, but no I think a Skeptic is the perfect word for me. I want to believe in God but I wanted proof, I want to see it before I believe it.
I find it really funny that this book is so natural. There are a lot of things the character said about Religion specifically Catholicism that are really offensive. I'm thinking if you're a believer of Christian Faith you might find it blasphemous or the book was like questioning Religion and it puts Religion on a bad state and there are a lot of the propaganda but for me it doesn't felt contrived or it doesn't felt like I was forced to believe in it. It's like here's the thing, think about it and it's not like here's the thing, believe in it. If that even makes sense.
I also love that the book is very funny and sarcastic. It's like reading this, I laughed out loud and I can't stop it. I even think about it's like a long time ago a book made me feel that way. And yeah I found books that made me laugh, special. It's like a very nice friend that could lighten up your mood and will give you a stomachache for its dry wit.
It's a very nice read and I really recommend it, just be open minded especially if you're a Catholic. I don't find questioning faith and God wrong or even found Atheists bad people. It's a very thought provoking and imaginative book that would really got you thinking about your own faith as well.
I also find the ending of it satisfying and it's a great way to end the book. Jason, the main character ended it with an epiphany or a reflection about himself, and there is that uncertainty about him and what he really believes in, that I find amazing and haunting.
February 7, 2011
Imagine this: On a hot summer day, a 16-year old, rotund boy invites you to join a new religion. The rules are simple: you don't have to wear robes like the cult you see in movies (you don't need to sacrifice virgins too!), it's quite informal and Tuesday is the Sabbath. Your god will be called the Ten-legged One, the town's 207 feet water tower. Will you be one of the converts?
So, Jason Bock is a highly imaginative teenager who can ruin his chance with a girl by criticizing her habit of using 'so' to start a sentence. He's fed up with his parents' devoutness to Catholic and starts to doubt his faith. Agnostic-and-just-steps-away-to-atheist, Jason concocts his own customized religion. It's god is a water tower ("Water is Life." he reasons). And coming up with much of its doctrine off the top of his head, he names the religion Chutengodianism, the Church of the Ten-legged God. He also creates its own commandments:
His bestfriend, Peter "Shin" Shinner is his first recruit. As the founder and the Head Kahuna of the religion, Jason names Shin as the First Keeper of the Sacred Text. Shin is a dorky snail-farmer who, I think, is presenting the qualities of OCPD. He even begins to write their scripture, portions of which precede the chapter. Jason also converts the cute as a button, Magda Price (First Priestess), just normal Dan Grant (First Acolyte Exaltus) and Jason's nemesis, Henry Stagg (High Priest). And as the religion grows, conflicts emerge. And Jason struggles to control it.
The quote "Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion?" printed at the back cover of this book (and not to mention the National Book Award sticker) is the reason why I bought and decided to read this. How often will you find a YA that objectively discusses agnosticism and religion? Not often, for sure.
Godless is straightforward, fun and well-written... particularly to its target audience. I gave it 4 stars because I can easily relate to it. I think, there's really a stage in your life when you doubt your religion and your faith. As an agnostic-and-there's-nothing-wrong-being-atheist myself, I find Jason's thoughts easy to follow. I also asked some of his questions. Perhaps, the lack of character development and the simplicity of the plot will make some readers dislike Godless. But I think the book's message is enough to cover it.
This is not an atheist book nor an anti-Christ (though not a pro-religion either). This isn't also a book that criticizes Catholic churh (though some rites have an issue with Jason). It is about the effect of an organized religion to the people who support it. Some turn into an obsessed believer (like my Physics professor) and others become Protestant. We see schism in leadership and doctrine. We see the consequences of an action taken on a basis of presumed faith alone.
Here in the Philippines, where 85% are Christians (most are Catholics) and 10% are Muslims, talking about the possibility that there's no God or you believe in other holy entity is laughable. Remember those semi-cult religion who believes that Rizal is god? Media's laughing stock. Here, we don't ever know the separation of the church and the state. And reading this is kinda refreshing.
I like this book because it makes me think of my ah... faith. No, Godless is not a critique whether God exists, it is an exploration of one's struggle in faith. It is easy to say that you don't think God exists. But if you don't believe in God... what do you believe in?
Will I have a long lonely road? I don't really care, at least this is my road. I just hope that I don't have a god as steel and as rusty as Jason's.
*I'll just take a nap, then I'lltry to write a review. (Now, I wonder if I have narcolepsy.)
So, Jason Bock is a highly imaginative teenager who can ruin his chance with a girl by criticizing her habit of using 'so' to start a sentence. He's fed up with his parents' devoutness to Catholic and starts to doubt his faith. Agnostic-and-just-steps-away-to-atheist, Jason concocts his own customized religion. It's god is a water tower ("Water is Life." he reasons). And coming up with much of its doctrine off the top of his head, he names the religion Chutengodianism, the Church of the Ten-legged God. He also creates its own commandments:
Chutengodian Commandments
1. Thou shalt not be a jerk.
2. Get a life.
3. Thou shalt not eat asparagus.
His bestfriend, Peter "Shin" Shinner is his first recruit. As the founder and the Head Kahuna of the religion, Jason names Shin as the First Keeper of the Sacred Text. Shin is a dorky snail-farmer who, I think, is presenting the qualities of OCPD. He even begins to write their scripture, portions of which precede the chapter. Jason also converts the cute as a button, Magda Price (First Priestess), just normal Dan Grant (First Acolyte Exaltus) and Jason's nemesis, Henry Stagg (High Priest). And as the religion grows, conflicts emerge. And Jason struggles to control it.
The quote "Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion?" printed at the back cover of this book (and not to mention the National Book Award sticker) is the reason why I bought and decided to read this. How often will you find a YA that objectively discusses agnosticism and religion? Not often, for sure.
Godless is straightforward, fun and well-written... particularly to its target audience. I gave it 4 stars because I can easily relate to it. I think, there's really a stage in your life when you doubt your religion and your faith. As an agnostic-and-there's-nothing-wrong-being-atheist myself, I find Jason's thoughts easy to follow. I also asked some of his questions. Perhaps, the lack of character development and the simplicity of the plot will make some readers dislike Godless. But I think the book's message is enough to cover it.
This is not an atheist book nor an anti-Christ (though not a pro-religion either). This isn't also a book that criticizes Catholic churh (though some rites have an issue with Jason). It is about the effect of an organized religion to the people who support it. Some turn into an obsessed believer (like my Physics professor) and others become Protestant. We see schism in leadership and doctrine. We see the consequences of an action taken on a basis of presumed faith alone.
Here in the Philippines, where 85% are Christians (most are Catholics) and 10% are Muslims, talking about the possibility that there's no God or you believe in other holy entity is laughable. Remember those semi-cult religion who believes that Rizal is god? Media's laughing stock. Here, we don't ever know the separation of the church and the state. And reading this is kinda refreshing.
I like this book because it makes me think of my ah... faith. No, Godless is not a critique whether God exists, it is an exploration of one's struggle in faith. It is easy to say that you don't think God exists. But if you don't believe in God... what do you believe in?
My father sighed and sat back and said, "You think you're an atheist then?"
"I'm not sure what I am."
He looked at me for a long time then. I think it was the longest time he has ever looked at me without saying anything. Finally, he spoke.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Jason."
"Why?"
"Because it means you've got a long lonely road ahead of you."
Will I have a long lonely road? I don't really care, at least this is my road. I just hope that I don't have a god as steel and as rusty as Jason's.
*I'll just take a nap, then I'll
January 13, 2020
felt like this was very clearly written by a man with an incel-like atttitude. the one woman he writes about doesn’t have much dialogue besides widening her eyes and having big boobs. to the end of the book, the protagonist is upset that she dates another character and the protagonist’s violent behavior in reaction to that seems to be rewarded? not impressed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2007
Pete Hautman has a way of addressing weighty philosophical issues in oblique, readable ways. In Godless, Hautman tackles religion as a group of intelligent teenagers create a cult based on worship of the Ten Legged God, known by non believers as a water tower.
The book doesn't necessarily attack religion, as the main character is actually somewhat envious of the surety with which his father and other Christians cherish their faith. It does, however, provide a critique of fanaticism as well as the ability of religion to move people to action they'd normally not undertake.
In a world troubled by fanatical zealots capable of acts of terrorism and war, this relevant book should spark lots of discussion and provoke thoughts in any reader.
The book doesn't necessarily attack religion, as the main character is actually somewhat envious of the surety with which his father and other Christians cherish their faith. It does, however, provide a critique of fanaticism as well as the ability of religion to move people to action they'd normally not undertake.
In a world troubled by fanatical zealots capable of acts of terrorism and war, this relevant book should spark lots of discussion and provoke thoughts in any reader.
June 11, 2008
Interesting take on how different people approach faith and religion. As a teacher in a fairly conservative community, I wonder how many parents would truly appreciate the ideas discussed in the story. More than a few, I would guess, would feel threatened that it would give their children ideas contrary to their belief system. Worth reading and discussing, especially in how each character approaches "Chutengodianism" differently.
July 28, 2013
I was so excited when I saw this book on the shelf at the book store. A young adult book dealing with a teen who is questioning his parents religion and saying he has atheist/agnostic viewpoints? Absolutely! As an adult atheist, I strongly believe that teens who are questioning religion need to see themselves represented in literature and those who aren't need to read things that sharpen their critical thinking skills.
The book centers around Jason Bock. He is dissatisfied with his parents religion and confrontational in his TPO (teen power organization) youth group. One night, on a whim he says he worships the ten-legged god and not the catholic one. This develops into a religion surrounding the town's water tower. Jason does this because he believes that worship of the water tower is as arbitrary as any religious worship. Several of Jason's friends also join (one for fairly feminist reasons - women can't be Catholic priests).
Possible spoiler alert. I'm going to keep things pretty general so it won't reveal too much.
Jason's friends take on different aspects of religious belief in their worship of the water tower. The level of belief varies from participation for the sake of participation to extreme belief (in a danger to self and others kind of way). There is even a spin-off version of the religion, where the kids refer to themselves as protestants. Jason really struggles with how much the "religion" he started as a joke has gotten away from him and is now out of his control. He also has a hard time with how belief in his religion has harmed his friends.
Jason's relationship with his dad rings true for how an outspoken, non-believer teen would experience home life. Jason's dad forces him to participate in church activities, and as a part of a punishment, Jason needs to write book reports on religious themed books. Jason's dad seems to accept his disbelief in the catholic church towards the end, but does state that "maybe someday" Jason will find religion. The book ends with Jason envying his dad and friends beliefs. He states that he might someday find a religion he can believe in, and until then the water tower is good enough.
I'm really not sure how I feel about what Jason said at the end of the book. It really felt like he was searching for the "right religion." While, I respect the realistic portrayal of the relationship with Jason and religion. As a teen, I too went through a period of envy toward those who had simple religious belief, because not believing so dramatically altered the world view I was raised with. However, since this is fiction, I would have preferred for the book to end with agnostic/atheist and NOT searching for a god is OK. Kids who are questioning need to know that it is OK not to believe.
So overall mixed feelings, but I do like that the book exists and won an award.
The book centers around Jason Bock. He is dissatisfied with his parents religion and confrontational in his TPO (teen power organization) youth group. One night, on a whim he says he worships the ten-legged god and not the catholic one. This develops into a religion surrounding the town's water tower. Jason does this because he believes that worship of the water tower is as arbitrary as any religious worship. Several of Jason's friends also join (one for fairly feminist reasons - women can't be Catholic priests).
Possible spoiler alert. I'm going to keep things pretty general so it won't reveal too much.
Jason's friends take on different aspects of religious belief in their worship of the water tower. The level of belief varies from participation for the sake of participation to extreme belief (in a danger to self and others kind of way). There is even a spin-off version of the religion, where the kids refer to themselves as protestants. Jason really struggles with how much the "religion" he started as a joke has gotten away from him and is now out of his control. He also has a hard time with how belief in his religion has harmed his friends.
Jason's relationship with his dad rings true for how an outspoken, non-believer teen would experience home life. Jason's dad forces him to participate in church activities, and as a part of a punishment, Jason needs to write book reports on religious themed books. Jason's dad seems to accept his disbelief in the catholic church towards the end, but does state that "maybe someday" Jason will find religion. The book ends with Jason envying his dad and friends beliefs. He states that he might someday find a religion he can believe in, and until then the water tower is good enough.
I'm really not sure how I feel about what Jason said at the end of the book. It really felt like he was searching for the "right religion." While, I respect the realistic portrayal of the relationship with Jason and religion. As a teen, I too went through a period of envy toward those who had simple religious belief, because not believing so dramatically altered the world view I was raised with. However, since this is fiction, I would have preferred for the book to end with agnostic/atheist and NOT searching for a god is OK. Kids who are questioning need to know that it is OK not to believe.
So overall mixed feelings, but I do like that the book exists and won an award.
May 27, 2022
Ik vind het idee heel interessant, en het is mooi uitgewerkt. Geen vijf sterren, omdat de enige vrouw die enigszins een rol in het verhaal heeft, Magda, eigenlijk louter als object van begeerte dient. Ik snap dat het over puberjongens gaat die vooral erg in hun eigen wereld zitten, maar het valt wel op. Verder is het beslist een goed boek, dat lekker doorleest.
July 18, 2022
I read this book in high school at the beginning of my deconstruction journey. Now 10 years later, I still think about it from time to time. I rate it 4 stars because I enjoyed it at the time, and definitely found it thought provoking.
March 26, 2014
"Godless" is about a boy who is struggling with the religious beliefs he believes are forced on him and society. Because of this he starts his own religion, one in which they worship a water tower. Creating it was more of a joke and statement, but his followers soon get carried away. He must try to control them and face the consequences of society for his radical behavior.
The concept of this book was really good. Hautman did good at bringing up an issue that is on a lot of people's minds. The problem I had with the book was the main character. He just bugged me so much. He had a few redeeming qualities but actually creeped me out a little. In the book he was in love with this girl and liked to draw her with very little clothes on, or just naked period. It grossed me out and the whole book I wasn't able to connect with him at all because I'm pretty sure he'd be a porn addict in a just a couple of years down the line.
I'm guessing Hautman wrote this because that's the way a lot of guys are. Still, to me that took away half of his audience. No girl is going to want to read about some guy who's having all these demeaning fantasies. I guess my primary problem is that I have NO IDEA how that helped the story in any way. I thought his character was coming along perfectly until that part and then it completely threw me for a loop.
Another problem I had was that there was hardly any recognition for girls. Believe me, I'm not a radical feminist, but I do believe that this was the epitome of how I don't want to be represented. There was one girl in the whole novel and her only role was that of a love interest. That didn't and still doesn't seem fair to me. Plus the whole time all the guys were treating her as some object and under estimating her. It seemed she was just put in the novel to create a little conflict between the guys. At the ending she is also shown as being a little villainous when in reality she didn't do anything that was bad. Is it okay if a girl likes a guy more than another? Because it seemed that no matter who she chose he would have been a jerk, yet she was hated for her decision.
I may not be giving this book the credit that it deserves, but the characterization ruined it for me. It just didn't seem to represent many sides fairly. It definitely had literary value but there were just some aspects that made me really angry. I would recommend this book only for the themes not of religion but making your own decisions. The rest of the book was waste of my time.
The concept of this book was really good. Hautman did good at bringing up an issue that is on a lot of people's minds. The problem I had with the book was the main character. He just bugged me so much. He had a few redeeming qualities but actually creeped me out a little. In the book he was in love with this girl and liked to draw her with very little clothes on, or just naked period. It grossed me out and the whole book I wasn't able to connect with him at all because I'm pretty sure he'd be a porn addict in a just a couple of years down the line.
I'm guessing Hautman wrote this because that's the way a lot of guys are. Still, to me that took away half of his audience. No girl is going to want to read about some guy who's having all these demeaning fantasies. I guess my primary problem is that I have NO IDEA how that helped the story in any way. I thought his character was coming along perfectly until that part and then it completely threw me for a loop.
Another problem I had was that there was hardly any recognition for girls. Believe me, I'm not a radical feminist, but I do believe that this was the epitome of how I don't want to be represented. There was one girl in the whole novel and her only role was that of a love interest. That didn't and still doesn't seem fair to me. Plus the whole time all the guys were treating her as some object and under estimating her. It seemed she was just put in the novel to create a little conflict between the guys. At the ending she is also shown as being a little villainous when in reality she didn't do anything that was bad. Is it okay if a girl likes a guy more than another? Because it seemed that no matter who she chose he would have been a jerk, yet she was hated for her decision.
I may not be giving this book the credit that it deserves, but the characterization ruined it for me. It just didn't seem to represent many sides fairly. It definitely had literary value but there were just some aspects that made me really angry. I would recommend this book only for the themes not of religion but making your own decisions. The rest of the book was waste of my time.
February 20, 2014
The book "Godless" is about a boy that is not satisfied with his Catholic religion, so he created his own. Jason created the religion of the Ten Legged God, or Chutengodism. He got a couple members to join with him. The members were Henry, Dan, Shin, Magda, and of course Jason. One night the kids decided to climb on top of the tower with the help of Henry Stagg. Dan, Shin, Magda, Jason, and Henry managed to get up to the top. Shin couldn't conquer his fear of heights though, so he went home. The members that got to the top decided to take a dip in the tower and go swimming. When Jason jumped into the tank he knocked the flashlight into the water. It was completely dark. The kids finally managed to find the ladder to get out of the tank. That's when Henry slipped. He fell onto the catwalk, and was hurt bad. The rest of the kids were into a lot of trouble, and they blamed Jason.Towards the end of the book, Jason realized that it's up to everyone to decide what they believe in, and you can't force anyone to truly accept a religion.
The book "Godless" was great. I really enjoyed the point of the book. It proved that you need to make your own decisions when it comes to faith. You can force beliefs, but it won't ever be the same. Another part of the story that I liked was that Shin said "You have to believe in something to understand it." There is a crazy amount of atheists that are atheist, because they don't understand Christianity or any other religion. I would definitely recommend this book to someone that needs to open up their perspective on others or even religion. The age group that would probably enjoy reading this book the most would be teenagers. That's when you can really decide what you believe in, if you believe in anything. This book was very good!
The book "Godless" was great. I really enjoyed the point of the book. It proved that you need to make your own decisions when it comes to faith. You can force beliefs, but it won't ever be the same. Another part of the story that I liked was that Shin said "You have to believe in something to understand it." There is a crazy amount of atheists that are atheist, because they don't understand Christianity or any other religion. I would definitely recommend this book to someone that needs to open up their perspective on others or even religion. The age group that would probably enjoy reading this book the most would be teenagers. That's when you can really decide what you believe in, if you believe in anything. This book was very good!
May 30, 2011
I totally thought this book was going to be about an incredibly intelligent teenage boy who thinks up a ridiculous religion. He would then form reasons why it's inevitable to worship a giant water tower, rally up a bunch of people, con them for their money and then make them all realize (to some extent) that faithfully attending religious meetings and believing in it alone, is not going to get you saved.
I was so excited to read this book but it just turned into an epic fail.
The book is about an ignorant teenage punk who likes drawing naked chicks (no respect for women) and gets a few other stupid teens to make ignorant decisions that only get them in trouble with the authorities. A perfect reason for their parents not to trust them. What's the moral to this book? Lying is the best way to make yourself look like a fool? Great lesson but I already knew that. This was a waste of my time.
I wouldn't recommend this book.
Warning: Probably a waste of your time as well.
I was so excited to read this book but it just turned into an epic fail.
The book is about an ignorant teenage punk who likes drawing naked chicks (no respect for women) and gets a few other stupid teens to make ignorant decisions that only get them in trouble with the authorities. A perfect reason for their parents not to trust them. What's the moral to this book? Lying is the best way to make yourself look like a fool? Great lesson but I already knew that. This was a waste of my time.
I wouldn't recommend this book.
Warning: Probably a waste of your time as well.
December 28, 2015
What an absolute waste of time. This story is a journey to nowhere. The main character is a self-obsessed, self-important ass who sees everyone else in terms of what they can do for him. He has no respect for anyone else, their ideas, and zero remorse for anything he does wrong. I finished the book because I thought there would be some character development -- some kind of realization, growth, and change in the main character, because I couldn't believe that an author would build such a unlikable character with such simple and transparent ideas and not set him up to change, but he simply continued to be a one-dimensional narcissist.
The novel tries to explore religion, but the author seems afraid to explore anything important or profound, instead opting for the "whiny teenager doesn't like something so it must not be right" approach.
The novel tries to explore religion, but the author seems afraid to explore anything important or profound, instead opting for the "whiny teenager doesn't like something so it must not be right" approach.
June 26, 2013
It can be hard to find young adult realistic fiction that isn't about Issues. While I totally understand the import of books on serious topics, sometimes teens are interested in regular kids with regular problems. This book is relatively straightforward: there's nothing supernatural, probably nothing that could trigger something overcoming trauma (except for a short aside about how one character's dead father was physically abusive), and just deals with a regular guy navigating his social circle and, oh yeah, his struggles with faith. I particularly enjoyed the way that aspect of the book worked, because it seemed like a non-traditional approach to growing up in a religious household but believing.
April 27, 2023
This was a very interesting book, about a teenager who creates a new "religion" worshipping the local water tower... it explores a lot of questions about faith and comparative religion in an irreverent but intriguing way. I'm thinking of suggesting it to my son's book club (he's entering 9th grade).
January 3, 2024
A thought-provoking dark comedy about a teenage boy who decides to invent his own religion involving worshipping water towers. Although the "religion" is not taken seriously by Jason, the main character, it soon escalates into something he didn't intend as others join the group. The book could be interesting to raise questions about faith and belief in a classroom setting. I kind of disliked Jason by the end, because he didn't seem to have a real guiding moral compass--he just did what he felt like in the moment. Sometimes we worried about other people, but mostly he just worried about himself.
The book could be read as anti-religion, but at the end Jason says, "I envy everyone who has a religion they can believe in." It really comes down to the fact that faith is complicated concept.
The book could be read as anti-religion, but at the end Jason says, "I envy everyone who has a religion they can believe in." It really comes down to the fact that faith is complicated concept.
January 31, 2019
Jason doesn’t like having religion forced on him, so he creates his own. Everyone knows that,“Water is life,” so it make sense that god should be the town’s water tower. Jason somehow manages to get the bully, the beautiful girl, and his two best friend to follow him in his new religion. Humorous, easy to access YA fiction.
March 16, 2019
I really loved this book. I am in no way a fast reader, but I got through this in a week. An honest achievement for me. This book is so lighthearted and fun, and it was a wonderful escape for my brain. The character development is thorough and fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone of practically any age, (besides the occasional swear word, of course).
October 21, 2020
great teen book
July 28, 2025
Read like a book that was trying to get an award (which it did so objective achieved I guess but it shouldn’t have)
September 29, 2017
My original thoughts on this book were very positive. But the more I discussed it with some classmates, the less I began to like it.
This is the first book I’ve read in a long time, and perhaps the first YA title I’ve ever read, that deals with religion in such a forthright, skeptical way. This appealed to me personally, as I’m not a big fan of organized religion; but I believe there’s also a very valuable lesson for young people in this book. I think everyone can only benefit from taking time to really consider the foundation of their beliefs and decide which of those foundational concepts they truly embrace, and which ones are just dogma that they’ve been following because that’s what everyone else around them does. I think the issue of religion in this book is incidental to that idea of questioning and probing what one really believes in.
Ironically, although Jason (the protagonist) seems to start this process of questioning beliefs off with his creation of a satirical/rebellious religion, he seems like the one who gains the least from the events that follow. At the end of the story, he seems to have ended up more or less exactly as he was at the beginning; and it seems to me that he didn’t even see what was going on around him enough to appreciate the experience and learn something about himself, the people around him, or the situation.
Jason's best friend, Shin, goes on the most extreme journey, and seems to end up the worse off from it;
Jason has more guts and imagination than a lot of realistic fiction characters - he’s willing to turn his life, and the lives of others, upside-down to try to prove a point - and he takes action when things are not to his liking. But despite his action, he doesn’t seem to move forward. It’s an unusual character arc. I’m curious to see what others take away from this book.
The more I think about the story, the more irate I get with Jason, and with Hautman. I was so focused on the plot, which was interesting enough to keep me engaged, that I kind of missed that the characters are not very well realized, and that Jason is pretty selfish. Though I guess that does help explain why Jason's the only one that doesn't really seem to learn much from the experience - he's so focused on himself that he pretty much misses how this was a transformative experience!
Jason is an unreliable narrator because he's so focused on himself that he is leaving major gaps in the story (mostly in terms of helping the audience understand why the other characters are involved - Jason seems content to just accept that they are joining up) and is not as aware as he should be of the impact of his actions. In that sense, Jason is unreliable at providing a complete view of what is going on. It's almost like we're watching the movie Rashomon, which tells a story by showing the same event from several different characters' perspectives to provide the audience with the full picture - except this version only gives us one perspective, and it's limited by a decent dose of egotism.
This is the first book I’ve read in a long time, and perhaps the first YA title I’ve ever read, that deals with religion in such a forthright, skeptical way. This appealed to me personally, as I’m not a big fan of organized religion; but I believe there’s also a very valuable lesson for young people in this book. I think everyone can only benefit from taking time to really consider the foundation of their beliefs and decide which of those foundational concepts they truly embrace, and which ones are just dogma that they’ve been following because that’s what everyone else around them does. I think the issue of religion in this book is incidental to that idea of questioning and probing what one really believes in.
Ironically, although Jason (the protagonist) seems to start this process of questioning beliefs off with his creation of a satirical/rebellious religion, he seems like the one who gains the least from the events that follow. At the end of the story, he seems to have ended up more or less exactly as he was at the beginning; and it seems to me that he didn’t even see what was going on around him enough to appreciate the experience and learn something about himself, the people around him, or the situation.
Jason's best friend, Shin, goes on the most extreme journey, and seems to end up the worse off from it;
Jason has more guts and imagination than a lot of realistic fiction characters - he’s willing to turn his life, and the lives of others, upside-down to try to prove a point - and he takes action when things are not to his liking. But despite his action, he doesn’t seem to move forward. It’s an unusual character arc. I’m curious to see what others take away from this book.
The more I think about the story, the more irate I get with Jason, and with Hautman. I was so focused on the plot, which was interesting enough to keep me engaged, that I kind of missed that the characters are not very well realized, and that Jason is pretty selfish. Though I guess that does help explain why Jason's the only one that doesn't really seem to learn much from the experience - he's so focused on himself that he pretty much misses how this was a transformative experience!
Jason is an unreliable narrator because he's so focused on himself that he is leaving major gaps in the story (mostly in terms of helping the audience understand why the other characters are involved - Jason seems content to just accept that they are joining up) and is not as aware as he should be of the impact of his actions. In that sense, Jason is unreliable at providing a complete view of what is going on. It's almost like we're watching the movie Rashomon, which tells a story by showing the same event from several different characters' perspectives to provide the audience with the full picture - except this version only gives us one perspective, and it's limited by a decent dose of egotism.
December 12, 2010
I would give this book a 3.5/5*, or possibly even a 4*. This book was 196 pages long and the story was well written.
This is a book about a teenager named Jack, who lives with a mother who is determined to prove that her son is sick. With what, who knows...every time he coughs, sneezes, sleeps too long or drinks too much she is sure that there is something wrong with him and so she has him at the doctor all the time getting tests done. And then there is his father who is a lawyer but also who is very religious. He has his family attend church every Sunday and Jack has to attend TPO classes, which is similar to bible study classes, once a week. The problem with that is that Jack doesn't believe in God.
And that is what the story is about, without all the talk about God. Jack and his friend are hanging out by the town's water tower one day when Jack has an ephinany. Why not make the water tower a god?
So Jack starts asking his few friends if they want to join him in worshipping this water tower. What starts out as a joke of sorts develops into something more during only a few weeks time.Something that started off as something innocent and just for fun ended up becoming something a little more serious and ended up changing people's lives.
Jack had gotten 4 of this friends to join him and together they came up with a name for their "religion" and a set of commandments. Also, one of the kids started a "bible" of sorts.
Jack didn't think that anyone would take this whole water tower as being a "god" thing seriously and so he continued on with it. Before you knew it they were all climbing to the top of the water tower for a "midnight mass". All of them, except one. One who was afraid of heights.
While up on the top of the water tower they thought it would be fun to go SWIMMING inside the tower and so they cut off the lock and dove in. Into this tower of drinking water for the town! When they had enough they got out and started to get their stuff back on. But while one of them was trying to get his boots on he slipped and something terrible happened.
Something that almost ended up being fatal made the kids open their eyes and see what they were actually doing. I am sure the fact that they all got in trouble with the police and with their family also had something to do with it.
Jack got blamed for the whole thing even though the whole thing was not his fault, but his father said that his friends are always going to do what Jack says. OK, I understand about peer pressure, but there are some things you just have to take responisibilty for for yourself and I think that this was one of those things.
Just when we think that everything is over and they all had learned their lesson and came to their senses that a water tower simply cannot be a "god", the boy that didn't climb to the top of the water tower does something very shocking.
This book was a coming of age story and even though it is about discovering who God is or isn't, it isn't heavy at all on religion. Even people who don't believe or are unsure of what they believe can read this book without feeling like they are pressured into thinking one way or another.
I really liked how this story was written ( and even though I only read 1 John Green book-An Abundance of Katherines...this book reminded me of the writing style of Green) and the character development was well done.
If you haven't read a Pete Hautman book you should check out this one.
This is a book about a teenager named Jack, who lives with a mother who is determined to prove that her son is sick. With what, who knows...every time he coughs, sneezes, sleeps too long or drinks too much she is sure that there is something wrong with him and so she has him at the doctor all the time getting tests done. And then there is his father who is a lawyer but also who is very religious. He has his family attend church every Sunday and Jack has to attend TPO classes, which is similar to bible study classes, once a week. The problem with that is that Jack doesn't believe in God.
And that is what the story is about, without all the talk about God. Jack and his friend are hanging out by the town's water tower one day when Jack has an ephinany. Why not make the water tower a god?
So Jack starts asking his few friends if they want to join him in worshipping this water tower. What starts out as a joke of sorts develops into something more during only a few weeks time.Something that started off as something innocent and just for fun ended up becoming something a little more serious and ended up changing people's lives.
Jack had gotten 4 of this friends to join him and together they came up with a name for their "religion" and a set of commandments. Also, one of the kids started a "bible" of sorts.
Jack didn't think that anyone would take this whole water tower as being a "god" thing seriously and so he continued on with it. Before you knew it they were all climbing to the top of the water tower for a "midnight mass". All of them, except one. One who was afraid of heights.
While up on the top of the water tower they thought it would be fun to go SWIMMING inside the tower and so they cut off the lock and dove in. Into this tower of drinking water for the town! When they had enough they got out and started to get their stuff back on. But while one of them was trying to get his boots on he slipped and something terrible happened.
Something that almost ended up being fatal made the kids open their eyes and see what they were actually doing. I am sure the fact that they all got in trouble with the police and with their family also had something to do with it.
Jack got blamed for the whole thing even though the whole thing was not his fault, but his father said that his friends are always going to do what Jack says. OK, I understand about peer pressure, but there are some things you just have to take responisibilty for for yourself and I think that this was one of those things.
Just when we think that everything is over and they all had learned their lesson and came to their senses that a water tower simply cannot be a "god", the boy that didn't climb to the top of the water tower does something very shocking.
This book was a coming of age story and even though it is about discovering who God is or isn't, it isn't heavy at all on religion. Even people who don't believe or are unsure of what they believe can read this book without feeling like they are pressured into thinking one way or another.
I really liked how this story was written ( and even though I only read 1 John Green book-An Abundance of Katherines...this book reminded me of the writing style of Green) and the character development was well done.
If you haven't read a Pete Hautman book you should check out this one.
September 1, 2014
This was an honest and irreverent tale of an agnostic kid who decides to start his own religion for kicks. What I really liked about it was that the followers he recruits are all in the joke cult for different reasons (just like real religion) and all practice differently (just like real religion) and some would rather split into their own sect than follow rules the founder sets (just like . . . well, you know). What's also WONDERFUL about this book is that the cult members--"Chutengodians," who worship the town's water tower as a god--do some stupid and dangerous things as a show of their faith, and in most books a preachy author would use this pattern of "kid doubts faith, kid gets in HUGE trouble or gets hurt due to events following directly from his lack of faith, kid returns to established faith and finds happiness." But in THIS book, that does not happen (thank the Ten-legged One). Despite not having any actual belief that the water tower is God, the main character, Jason Bock, manages to have "religious experiences" in association with his Chutengodian adventures, and admits that they were wonderful and will be remembered his whole life. Some of his followers, he finds, are doing it to prove they're rebels. Some are doing it because everyone's doing it. Some are doing it to impress someone else. And some . . . as Jason finds out all too bizarrely . . . actually believe the craziness, even with full evidence in front of them that they made it up themselves. The narration is borderline blasphemous at times without being nasty (like when Jason tells his dad that Catholicism is just as made up as Chutengodianism, or his suggestion that transsubstantiation can be described thus: "the host the priest places on your tongue is actually a sliver of Jesus meat"). I'd also like to say Mr. Hautman gets brownie points for making his main character decidedly overweight without making it this big point or sticking in dumb self-improvement messages where he loses weight as a symbol of bettering himself. It always annoys me when the fat kid is either the comic relief, the obvious target of bullying, or a symbol of something to get past. It's nice to just see a fat kid once in a while and have nothing made of it except he's a fat kid.
October 3, 2009
Wow. It's been awhile since I've been on GoodReads. I wasn't really keeping up with GR since school ended last year... *sweatdrop*
But with the new 7th graders looking eagerly for books they'll enjoy, and in addition to this amazing new book I read, well, I just had to review this one.
Let me start out truthfully. Usually I don't read books with those little golden or silver seals on them. I like discovering new books that no one has read yet, and help make it worthy of a seal. But from the minute I read the synopsis of Godless, I was hooked.
I myself am agonistic-going-on-atheistic like the main character from Godless, Jason Bock. He goes to church, and TPO, but he doesn't believe a word of it. But one day while collecting snails with his friend Shin, after a forceful blow in the face by Henry Stagg, he asks himself: What if the water tower in his tiny town is God?
I know, crazy sounding, right? But think about it. What makes life on Earth possible? Water. Where does the water from the city come from? Water towers. Even the idea seems a little far-fetched he recruits a group of worshippers of the new religion - Chutengodianism - including Henry Stagg himself.
One Tuesday, he five Chutengodians have their first Midnight Mass - on top of the tower itself. And when standing on top of a 150-foot structure in the dead of night isn't dangerous enough, things get even worse. Deadly even. How? Hey, I can't tell you that much, can I?
All in all, Godless was an amazing, definate 5-star book. Probably one of the best I've read in a while. This book has brought me back from my bad-book slump I've been in lately. And it can be enjoyed by anyone, especially you new 7th graders, my fellow 8th graders, and every grade beyond; and still beyond that.
But with the new 7th graders looking eagerly for books they'll enjoy, and in addition to this amazing new book I read, well, I just had to review this one.
Let me start out truthfully. Usually I don't read books with those little golden or silver seals on them. I like discovering new books that no one has read yet, and help make it worthy of a seal. But from the minute I read the synopsis of Godless, I was hooked.
I myself am agonistic-going-on-atheistic like the main character from Godless, Jason Bock. He goes to church, and TPO, but he doesn't believe a word of it. But one day while collecting snails with his friend Shin, after a forceful blow in the face by Henry Stagg, he asks himself: What if the water tower in his tiny town is God?
I know, crazy sounding, right? But think about it. What makes life on Earth possible? Water. Where does the water from the city come from? Water towers. Even the idea seems a little far-fetched he recruits a group of worshippers of the new religion - Chutengodianism - including Henry Stagg himself.
One Tuesday, he five Chutengodians have their first Midnight Mass - on top of the tower itself. And when standing on top of a 150-foot structure in the dead of night isn't dangerous enough, things get even worse. Deadly even. How? Hey, I can't tell you that much, can I?
All in all, Godless was an amazing, definate 5-star book. Probably one of the best I've read in a while. This book has brought me back from my bad-book slump I've been in lately. And it can be enjoyed by anyone, especially you new 7th graders, my fellow 8th graders, and every grade beyond; and still beyond that.
June 20, 2020
This book made me think critically about religion and belief systems when I first read it and still comes to mind every time I discuss religion with someone who thinks differently than I do.
November 6, 2014
Pete Hautman’s got a bunch of books, YA and otherwise. The first one I read was
Blank Confession
, a crime thriller with a light comic touch - it had that feel of a paperback you take to the beach and read all in one sitting. I enjoyed it. I wanted to read more Pete Hautman. My second title was
Godless
, which received a National Book Award and was billed as having a more heavy comic touch.
Premise of Godless is this - a bored agnostic kid in a small Midwest town makes up his own religion (Chutengodianism), where you worship the town’s water tower (the Ten-Legged One). He makes it all up as a joke, and his goober best friend Shin starts writing a knockoff satire Bible with verses about water being the source of life, et al. Then they pick up a posse, at least one member of which is dead serious about worshiping the water tower. Then they climb the tower, go swimming in the tank and piss off the entire town. Then there’s in-fighting, and their “faith” splits in two factions. Then it’s pretty much over.
Godless had a lot of promise - at least, it did when I’d just heard about the premise but before I’d actually cracked open the book. The satire is too softball and far-fetched. The comedy, most of it, is too cheap and obvious to score major laughs. The plot is practically nonexistent. The characters, while crafted as fairly well-rounded weirdos, have simple motivations and conflicts. But I gotta say, for the rest of my life, when I see a water tower, I’ll think of Godless .
Premise of Godless is this - a bored agnostic kid in a small Midwest town makes up his own religion (Chutengodianism), where you worship the town’s water tower (the Ten-Legged One). He makes it all up as a joke, and his goober best friend Shin starts writing a knockoff satire Bible with verses about water being the source of life, et al. Then they pick up a posse, at least one member of which is dead serious about worshiping the water tower. Then they climb the tower, go swimming in the tank and piss off the entire town. Then there’s in-fighting, and their “faith” splits in two factions. Then it’s pretty much over.
Godless had a lot of promise - at least, it did when I’d just heard about the premise but before I’d actually cracked open the book. The satire is too softball and far-fetched. The comedy, most of it, is too cheap and obvious to score major laughs. The plot is practically nonexistent. The characters, while crafted as fairly well-rounded weirdos, have simple motivations and conflicts. But I gotta say, for the rest of my life, when I see a water tower, I’ll think of Godless .
Read
February 2, 2016Teenagers and adults some people read and then some people don’t read but for the people that do read i would suggest they read the book Godless and the Author of the book was Pete Hautman, In the book it talks about these kids Henry Stagg, Shin but his real name is Peter Stephen Schinner Jason a lot goes on in the story and the kid in the story named Jason Bock was tired of his parents boring and old religion stuff they tell him and get him too read. So what Jason does is that he gets his friends and they make a new god in their small boring town at the water tower the people that he gets too help Shin and Magda Price and lastly Henry Stagg.
Jason is having a little trouble keeping the faith in the group and religion strong in everyone, Shin his friend is obsessed in creating the bible for the group. This new religion that they create begins too eat at the kids and they are starting too break apart from each other. Jason then eventually makes Henry the head priest of the religion and of all of the ceremonies, I really liked this book godless I thought it was a little funny that they started too create their own religion I think If I had too suggest this too someone too read if they were bored or really in general i would suggest it too Teenagers who are in high school and Adults because I believe that everyone would like this book
If there was a group like this I would probably join a group like this and in someway i do believe that I know some people like the people in this book In this book some of the people in the book do get arrested because someone spray paints the water tower and the kid gets grounded for it
Jason is having a little trouble keeping the faith in the group and religion strong in everyone, Shin his friend is obsessed in creating the bible for the group. This new religion that they create begins too eat at the kids and they are starting too break apart from each other. Jason then eventually makes Henry the head priest of the religion and of all of the ceremonies, I really liked this book godless I thought it was a little funny that they started too create their own religion I think If I had too suggest this too someone too read if they were bored or really in general i would suggest it too Teenagers who are in high school and Adults because I believe that everyone would like this book
If there was a group like this I would probably join a group like this and in someway i do believe that I know some people like the people in this book In this book some of the people in the book do get arrested because someone spray paints the water tower and the kid gets grounded for it
January 16, 2008
This book would go under a drama/religion genre, and the theme is trying to find something to believe in.
Jason (main character) decides he no longer wishes to be Catholic like his parents and decides to create his own religion, Chutengodianism, a.k.a to worship the town's water tower. Along the way he find followers: Shin, his best friend, Dan, the Preacher's son, Henry the bully, and Magda, the some what practical one. Later on their religion begins to grow and soon enough they're able to come up with their own set of commandments as well as their own Sabbath, which includes climbing the water tower and taking a little swim. Throughout the book Jason learns the meaning of how strong one's hold on religion is. This book is filled with funny parts as well as some writing that will make the reader stop and think about what is being said.
What I really liked about this book was the why the author was able to write about such a taboo topic, noting believing in a religion. In some parts the tone of the charters would be serious and then comical. The mood of the story would change from time to time. In the beginning it was very carefree and humorous and at the end you find the charter surrounded in a hectic situation where he really understands what the effects of religion are on people. In the end, I really didn't think the conflict was resolved, but more understood by the charter. The author left me feeling like there was more to the story then was actually written.
Jason (main character) decides he no longer wishes to be Catholic like his parents and decides to create his own religion, Chutengodianism, a.k.a to worship the town's water tower. Along the way he find followers: Shin, his best friend, Dan, the Preacher's son, Henry the bully, and Magda, the some what practical one. Later on their religion begins to grow and soon enough they're able to come up with their own set of commandments as well as their own Sabbath, which includes climbing the water tower and taking a little swim. Throughout the book Jason learns the meaning of how strong one's hold on religion is. This book is filled with funny parts as well as some writing that will make the reader stop and think about what is being said.
What I really liked about this book was the why the author was able to write about such a taboo topic, noting believing in a religion. In some parts the tone of the charters would be serious and then comical. The mood of the story would change from time to time. In the beginning it was very carefree and humorous and at the end you find the charter surrounded in a hectic situation where he really understands what the effects of religion are on people. In the end, I really didn't think the conflict was resolved, but more understood by the charter. The author left me feeling like there was more to the story then was actually written.
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