Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2005), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 198 pages
Description
When sixteen-year-old Jason Bock and his friends create their own religion to worship the town's water tower, what started out as a joke begins to take on a power of its own.
User reviews
LibraryThing member keristars
Hautman's book is in the same tradition as Chris Cutcher, Robert Cormier, Laurie Halse Anderson, and E.L. Konigsburg (amongst others). While the superficial subject of the book is religion and the creation thereof, it's really all about growing up and learning to navigate the world without losing
One of the nice aspects of the novel is that although it raises doubts about the validity of organized religion - especially modern religions such as Scientology or Mormonism - it does not ultimately suggest that everyone should become atheist or agnostic. Rather, though the main character is an agnostic throughout, other characters are religious without condemnation.
Even though the novel doesn't condemn religiousity, it does ask the reader to think critically about faith and religion through the creation of Chutengodianism by the main characters. If Jason created this religion as a joke, knowing full well that the water tower is not actually a god, then who is to say that other religions weren't created the same way? But even while the novel asks this question, it shows how the water tower is a god of sorts (it provides all the water for the community, which allows them to live, for example) and students of mythology will recognize that this line of thought is how other gods have been created - think of Apsu and Tiamat, Gaea and Ouranos, or Ra and Nu.
The novel's religious theme asks the reader to recognize that religions are man-made, fallible things. Yet they are powerful, too, as Shin's obsession with Chutengodianism causes him to place himself in danger. Even so, it does not deny that many people derive comfort from their faiths, nor that there is a place for religion in societies, no matter how they came about. It is a mixed-bag sort of ending, providing support for both theism and atheism.
Probably the take-away message of the book is to not take everything at face value. Just as religions are exposed as having shady origins (compared to how they're touted by the faithful), Jason learns that people, too, are not always as they seem on the surface. Henry Stagg, for example, is a science-fiction fan and someone Jason discovers he could be great friends with, despite having previously thought Henry to be no more than an ignorant thug type.
I can't say that this is a book I would recommend to just any teenager, because I know that many would scoff at the title and the plot and not read closely enough to recognise the life lessons it has inside. But I think it's as good as any other for those people struggling with what it means to believe in the modern era, and could be a comfort for them.
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oneself. It does this through the plot of Jason Bock's experiment with religion creation and the effect it has on his friends.One of the nice aspects of the novel is that although it raises doubts about the validity of organized religion - especially modern religions such as Scientology or Mormonism - it does not ultimately suggest that everyone should become atheist or agnostic. Rather, though the main character is an agnostic throughout, other characters are religious without condemnation.
Even though the novel doesn't condemn religiousity, it does ask the reader to think critically about faith and religion through the creation of Chutengodianism by the main characters. If Jason created this religion as a joke, knowing full well that the water tower is not actually a god, then who is to say that other religions weren't created the same way? But even while the novel asks this question, it shows how the water tower is a god of sorts (it provides all the water for the community, which allows them to live, for example) and students of mythology will recognize that this line of thought is how other gods have been created - think of Apsu and Tiamat, Gaea and Ouranos, or Ra and Nu.
The novel's religious theme asks the reader to recognize that religions are man-made, fallible things. Yet they are powerful, too, as Shin's obsession with Chutengodianism causes him to place himself in danger. Even so, it does not deny that many people derive comfort from their faiths, nor that there is a place for religion in societies, no matter how they came about. It is a mixed-bag sort of ending, providing support for both theism and atheism.
Probably the take-away message of the book is to not take everything at face value. Just as religions are exposed as having shady origins (compared to how they're touted by the faithful), Jason learns that people, too, are not always as they seem on the surface. Henry Stagg, for example, is a science-fiction fan and someone Jason discovers he could be great friends with, despite having previously thought Henry to be no more than an ignorant thug type.
I can't say that this is a book I would recommend to just any teenager, because I know that many would scoff at the title and the plot and not read closely enough to recognise the life lessons it has inside. But I think it's as good as any other for those people struggling with what it means to believe in the modern era, and could be a comfort for them.
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LibraryThing member clik4
Jason Bock goes on a spiritual journey, founding his own religion, based on having fun and worshipping local landmark, much to the horror of his family and the local youth group leader. He finds new avenues and new ways to look at the people around him. I found this fascinating as a commentary on
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the lack of logic in religion. Jason ultimately finds that he can not control everything and things spin out of control leaving him to face the consequences. Show Less
LibraryThing member davedonelson
The imaginative concept of this book caught my eye and I have to say it fulfilled its promise. The characters rang true for the most part, with nobody really being either all good or all bad, including the protagonist. It got a little preachy at times, but I guess that's to be expected considering
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the subject matter. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjspear
Jason in defiance of his conservative Catholic up-bringing creates his own religion: the town's water tower as god. Intellectual discussion re: creed, beliefs, practices (commandment #1: Don't be a wuss) is balanced by the action of climbing (and entering!) the god (water tower). Trouble ensues.
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Anti-religion, anti-Catholic content will make this book offensive for some which is too bad as it challenges, not disputes, faith. Show Less
LibraryThing member cestovatela
Godless begins with an intriguing premise. Jay, the 15-year-old protagonist, is unsatisfied by his parents' rigid Catholicism, so he decides to create his own, nonsensical religion with the town water tower as the central deity. Soon he has recruited an odd band of followers, including his nerdy
I wanted to like this book very, very badly but left it with only lukewarm feelings. Although the premise is fascinating, the author didn't really know what to do with it. The result is a slow-paced narrative whose characterization sometimes strains credibility. Jay, the narrator, felt dull, and his friend Dan was nothing more than a puppet to round out the plot. Both female characters were consigned to hand-wringing and emotional instability, a pet peeve of mine. More seriously, Shin seemed to have a serious mental health issue that the author declined to confront. By the end of the book, I found the story as hollow and unsatisfying as the narrator found his original faith.
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best friend Shin, the town bully Henry, a preacher's kid named Dan, and a cute girl from his church group. For a week or two, the group has fun inventing commandments and rituals, but the story takes a more serious turn when they take a dangerous climb to the top of the water tower.I wanted to like this book very, very badly but left it with only lukewarm feelings. Although the premise is fascinating, the author didn't really know what to do with it. The result is a slow-paced narrative whose characterization sometimes strains credibility. Jay, the narrator, felt dull, and his friend Dan was nothing more than a puppet to round out the plot. Both female characters were consigned to hand-wringing and emotional instability, a pet peeve of mine. More seriously, Shin seemed to have a serious mental health issue that the author declined to confront. By the end of the book, I found the story as hollow and unsatisfying as the narrator found his original faith.
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LibraryThing member butler41600
After being punched in the face underneath the water tower a new realization is unearthed and Chutogionism is born. You can't disagree, after all water is the source of all life.
LibraryThing member franoscar
Young adult book. A boy is being force fed religion so he makes up a religion worshiping the town water tower, and various things happen; one kid gets caught up in it; there are odd friendships made & broken.
LibraryThing member KarriesKorner
A weird book for me. The story is realistic, but it's slow-moving and unremarkable.
LibraryThing member ahooper04
Interesting read about a teen boy who creates his own religion but it backfires. Slow at times but it really makes you think.
LibraryThing member womansheart
I read this book, because I had noticed that others had enjoyed it and it had won the National Book Award, also.
I decided to buy it for my granddaughter, who is a ninth grader in high school and has been thinking a lot about religion after attending and visiting a few different churches over the
I did enjoy it myself, although it didn't have the charge for me that I thought it would.
The young man who was the primary character decides to make the local water tower into *-od* and many of his friends over time listen to him and collectively and on their on take on various levels of commitment to this made-up religion of their friend. Most of the high jinks that occur are gut wrenching for parents to imagine, but, pretty believable from the standpoint of the teens involved in climbing the water tower and messing around, including a swim in the tank of the tower. The book deals with the aftermath of this escapade and the responsibilities meted out to the participants by the law and by their parents.
Less this appear to be a story primarily about teens getting in trouble and experiencing the consequences of their actions, I would remind you that this was the result of the beliefs of the group in the new religion and the tenants of the religion. It lets young adults, teens and other readers think outside the box of their own religion and the religion of their parents. It also gives the reader an opportunity to think about how religion(s) came to be and how each group of human beings has an idea of what and who the being of *-od* is for them and how religions are built up around that belief.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in the subject matter of this book. A teacher might us this book as a text in an English course for a topic of a paper written by the students, if not a classroom discussion which for some school guidelines might not be appropriate or acceptable. This book might be difficult for those who practice the Catholic faith and others who have an established religious practice that is meaningful to them. Please remember that this young man invents this religion and this *-od* for himself and his friends as somewhat of a joke.
I decided to buy it for my granddaughter, who is a ninth grader in high school and has been thinking a lot about religion after attending and visiting a few different churches over the
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years with close friends. She and her mom have discussed some of the ways people think about things and live their lives based on what they (or their parents) believe in. I did enjoy it myself, although it didn't have the charge for me that I thought it would.
The young man who was the primary character decides to make the local water tower into *-od* and many of his friends over time listen to him and collectively and on their on take on various levels of commitment to this made-up religion of their friend. Most of the high jinks that occur are gut wrenching for parents to imagine, but, pretty believable from the standpoint of the teens involved in climbing the water tower and messing around, including a swim in the tank of the tower. The book deals with the aftermath of this escapade and the responsibilities meted out to the participants by the law and by their parents.
Less this appear to be a story primarily about teens getting in trouble and experiencing the consequences of their actions, I would remind you that this was the result of the beliefs of the group in the new religion and the tenants of the religion. It lets young adults, teens and other readers think outside the box of their own religion and the religion of their parents. It also gives the reader an opportunity to think about how religion(s) came to be and how each group of human beings has an idea of what and who the being of *-od* is for them and how religions are built up around that belief.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in the subject matter of this book. A teacher might us this book as a text in an English course for a topic of a paper written by the students, if not a classroom discussion which for some school guidelines might not be appropriate or acceptable. This book might be difficult for those who practice the Catholic faith and others who have an established religious practice that is meaningful to them. Please remember that this young man invents this religion and this *-od* for himself and his friends as somewhat of a joke.
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LibraryThing member jimrgill
In *Godless*, Pete Hautman sets out to examine an issue that is largely neglected among many YA novels—faith, religion, and the role of spirituality in the lives of adolescents. What works in this novel—but especially what does not work—illustrates the difficulty of writing entertaining and
Jason Bock, the teenaged protagonist, is a rather unlikeable guy. Sarcastic to the point of obnoxiousness, relatively friendless, physically large (he describes himself as “large-bodied, hulking, and neckless”), and without any genuine interests or ambition, Jason—bored with the summer break from school—chooses to entertain himself by founding his very own religion. Rather than coming to this decision as the result of some sort of enlightening or relatable soul-searching or even as the result of a profound epiphany of some kind, Jason comes up with the idea of worshipping his town’s water tower after he’s decked by a punch from Henry Stagg, the town bully.
Without going into great detail about the rather uninspired plot, suffice it to say that Jason’s religion—founded on quite a flimsy notion to begin with—spirals out of his control, devolves into a source of his nerdy friend Shin’s neurotic self-doubt, and sets the stage for a sparsely developed love triangle among Jason, Henry, and Magda, the lone female member of Jason’s budding religion. An ill-advised adventure results in an injury for one of the characters, another character suffers a nervous breakdown of sorts, and Jason briefly considers the value of religious belief as a source of strength and motivation. As the story of Jason’s inability to identify why he feels so disillusioned and pessimistic about his desultory and pedestrian adolescent life, *Godless* works well. As a story that examines the purpose of faith, religion, and spirituality in the lives of adolescents—and why it’s imperative that teens question and examine these issues on their own rather than simply aping the beliefs of their parents and other adults—*Godless* falls short of the mark.
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meaningful YA fiction about this subject. Jason Bock, the teenaged protagonist, is a rather unlikeable guy. Sarcastic to the point of obnoxiousness, relatively friendless, physically large (he describes himself as “large-bodied, hulking, and neckless”), and without any genuine interests or ambition, Jason—bored with the summer break from school—chooses to entertain himself by founding his very own religion. Rather than coming to this decision as the result of some sort of enlightening or relatable soul-searching or even as the result of a profound epiphany of some kind, Jason comes up with the idea of worshipping his town’s water tower after he’s decked by a punch from Henry Stagg, the town bully.
Without going into great detail about the rather uninspired plot, suffice it to say that Jason’s religion—founded on quite a flimsy notion to begin with—spirals out of his control, devolves into a source of his nerdy friend Shin’s neurotic self-doubt, and sets the stage for a sparsely developed love triangle among Jason, Henry, and Magda, the lone female member of Jason’s budding religion. An ill-advised adventure results in an injury for one of the characters, another character suffers a nervous breakdown of sorts, and Jason briefly considers the value of religious belief as a source of strength and motivation. As the story of Jason’s inability to identify why he feels so disillusioned and pessimistic about his desultory and pedestrian adolescent life, *Godless* works well. As a story that examines the purpose of faith, religion, and spirituality in the lives of adolescents—and why it’s imperative that teens question and examine these issues on their own rather than simply aping the beliefs of their parents and other adults—*Godless* falls short of the mark.
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LibraryThing member Catnelson
When sixteen-year-old Jason Bock and his friends create their own religion to worship the town's water tower, what started out as a joke begins to take on a power of its own
LibraryThing member fromthecomfychair
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,
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Jason Bock is bored with religion and his Catholic religion classes for teens. When Henry Stagg punches Jason in the face at the base of the town water tower, Jason comes up with the idea of the water tower being God and forming a new religion. He recruits a handful of worshippers including his
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best friend Shin, beautiful Magda, and even Henry. But creating a religion is easier than controlling the worshippers. One night, Henry breaks the lock on the hatch and the kids go swimming in the town water supply only to be arrested later. Cowardly Shinn is determined to scale the water tower no matter what. Jason recognizes that he has religion but no faith and that's a trait he finds he envies in other people, the ability to just believe in something. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarahlh
A solid short novel by a talented author who deserves more recognition. It's never going to be my favorite Hautman novel but it certainly has its moments. Manages to handle the weighty subjects of adolescence and religion without being overzealous or trite. Couldn't stand the main protagonist,
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however, especially in the last chapter. Show Less
LibraryThing member lellis04
I love this book. It is short, funny, and makes one think about religion in a non-threatening way. I highly recommend this one for teenage boys (and girls).
LibraryThing member Sean191
As a National Book Award winner I thought I'd be in for a good read. And it started that way, but it fizzled before its conclusion. It feels like the book version of kids using a low-level curse word...they get that thrill that comes with going against expectations, but there's no harm really done.
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I think that's how they'd feel reading this book too. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Young People's Literature — 2004)
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Nominee — 2009)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 9-12 — 2006)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2007)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Recommended — 2008)
Minnesota Book Awards (Finalist — Young Adult Fiction and Poetry — 2005)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2005)
CCBC Choices (2005)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (High School — 2006)
Great Reads from Great Places (Minnesota — 2005)
Physical description
198 p.; 8.18 inches
ISBN
1416908161 / 9781416908166
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