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 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. ( )

It was really stupid and crazy, i liked it but not as much as some books. I gave it a 1 1/2 because it wasn't put together well and it seemed like someone just voicing their opions about religion, and making it into a chaotic book. ( )

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

There is a reason that GODLESS won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and I don't believe it's because author Pete Hautman wrote a book he intended to be satire, as other reviews have suggested. To me, GODLESS is the epitome of everything that is both bad and good about organized religion--it is, in effect, an entreaty to the leaders of religions around the world to look at how blind faith funds their coffers.

Yes, maybe I'm reading more into the book than the author intended. If so, I can only hope that he appreciates the fact that I've obviously thought about the words he wrote long after they were published, and that he'd be happy about that fact. Now, though, on to the story...

Fifteen-year old Jason Bock is an agnostic ("I'll believe in God when I see Him") bordering on being an atheist ("There is no God"). His mother is obsessed over his health, coming up weekly with a new ailment that he just has to be suffering from. His father, though, is more concerned with his son's soul. That's why Jason, regardless of his personal beliefs, finds himself attending weekly Sunday Mass at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and even occasionally joins in at Thursday night TPO (Teen Power Outreach) meetings. The fact that he's ordered to attend the meetings more frequently when he's in trouble doesn't escape his notice.

Until one day, agnostic slash atheist Jason wonders what would happen if he started his own religion. Along with his best friend, Shin, fellow TPO attendee Magda, preacher's son Dan, and town rebel Henry, Jason creates the Chutengodians, a religion who worships the Ten-Legged One. That the Ten-Legged One is the town's water tower doesn't seem to deter them.

I know what you're thinking--who in their right mind would worship a water tower, even if they are teenagers? The answer, of course, is pretty simple. Why do people worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? Why are there Buddhists, Muslims, Scientologists, Mormons, Protestants, or Latter Day Saints? Why does anyone worship anything? They do it because someone came up with their own ideas, made up some rules, implemented some commandments, created posts of leadership, and recruited parishioners.

Jason does the same, with some of the same consequences other organized religions have faced over the centuries--infighting, backstabbing, persecution, and doubts. When one Chutengodian almost ends up dead in an accident, and another seems determined to take his own life, and the others doubt the wisdom of associating with the creator of their religion, things start to fall apart. Sounds to me a lot like what happens in most "normal" organized religions found throughout the world today.

GODLESS is, without a doubt, one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone searching for their own truths, regarding not only religion but finding your sense of self. You won't be disappointed--I know I wasn't. ( )

Great read! The narrator has a strong voice, funny and realistically teen, self-aware and intelligent. I particularly like the way his voice lapses easily into fantasy versions of reality (my brain still does that). The plot was believable and authentic. I know quite a few people who invented their own religion during their teen years; it is such a great example of the endless process of building your identity that becomes so important during adolescence.

Which all sounds very heady, but this is also just really fun. You like the characters. They seem like people you know. There's just enough excitement to keep things interesting but grounded in reality. The only quibble I have with this one (and it probably isn't the author's doing) is that the back cover description makes it sound more like a fantasy novel than a coming-of-age story and I'm a big fan of truth in advertising. ( )

Interesting read about a teen boy who creates his own religion but it backfires. Slow at times but it really makes you think. ( )