“Eric Maisel is clearly the atheist’s Wizard of Oz to have created a book with such brains, so much heart, and a lion’s share of real courage.” — Dale McGowan, PhD, editor of Parenting Beyond Belief and 2008 Harvard Humanist of the Year
“Millions of people lead happy, moral, loving, meaningful lives without believing in a god, and Eric Maisel explains in exquisite rational and compassionate detail how we do it.” — Dan Barker, author of Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist and co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation
“I find Maisel’s writings more witty than Hitchens, more polished and articulate than Harris, and more informative and entertaining than Dawkins. A 5-star read from cover to cover!” — David Mills, author of Atheist Universe
“The Atheist’s Way offers a meaningful approach to life that is sublime, eloquent, and inspiring. This book is a true breath of fresh air.” — Phil Zuckerman, PhD, author of Society Without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment
“Maisel provides a foundation for making meaning and living purposefully without supernatural intervention. A book to be relished by atheists, skeptics, humanists, freethinkers, and unbelievers everywhere.” — Donna Druchunas, writer on Skepchick.org
“How do you bravely face the world as it is and create meaning for yourself without the crutch of a divine benefactor? Eric Maisel’s wise suggestions, musings, and insights are a wonderful resource for your quest.” — John Allen Paulos, author of Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don’t Add Up
“Eric Maisel has given us a lovely, thoughtful book about belief outside of the narrow confines of organized religion. The Atheist’s Way offers an uplifting positive answer for anyone interested in how to live life without gods, superstitions or fairytales.” — Nica Lalli, author of Nothing: Something to Believe In
“With this book, Eric Maisel does what none of the New Atheists have succeeded at doing: elaborating what atheists do believe.” – Hemant Mehta, author of I Sold My Soul on eBay
“Imagine that you’ve just become an atheist. Maybe you read The God Delusion and you’re pretty sure you’re not religious. But now, you don’t know what to do. The New Atheists have done a nice job of convincing you to drop your faith in any god. But they never told you what to put up in its place.
“Enter Eric Maisel and The Atheist’s Way.
“This book picks up from where Dawkins and the other popular atheist writers leave off. It talks about the kinds of things atheists do believe in. We have traditions and ethics and we live meaningful lives — those things don’t come from one book or one faith. Furthermore, they’re different for all of us.
“By using anecdotes told to him by a number of atheists, Maisel puts together a collection of ways that atheists are living their lives. Just because they no longer believe in God or belong to a religion doesn’t mean they’ve let go of many of the aspects of life we typically associate with religion.
“It’s a great book for anyone who’s on the cusp of atheism — someone who’s not quite there or someone who just became one. I’m not sure if Christians or long-time atheists will get as much out of it, but it’s an easy read and a nice gift to give to anyone who asks how you can get through life without a god.” – the friendly atheist, friendlyatheist.com
“Eric Maisel is special to the numerous struggling creators, successful or not, who have used his many creativity books to motivate them and improve their art. I am one of them. My favorite Maisel books, to which I return often, are The Van Gogh Blues and Coaching the Artist Within.
“Anyone who has read Maisel’s last few books will have observed the emergence and sharpening of a consistent philosophy. The Atheist’s Way: Living Well Without Gods is the culmination of that thinking. Infused with palpable joy, but also with hardheaded practicality, The Atheist’s Way offers a manifesto and operational paradigm for unbelievers.
“The bedrock of The Atheist’s Way is a very existential perspective (and here I’m expressing matters far less eloquently that Eric Maisel): the world intrinsically holds no purpose, so we cannot find life’s meaning. Instead we boldly make meaning. We decide what is meaningful to us and then take action, minute by minute, month by month, to make meaning. When the nihilistic nature of the universe threatens our mind, as it must often do, we employ courage (Maisel calls this, in one of his many wonderful turns of phrase, ‘nominating yourself as the hero of your own story’). We decide what values matter and we make ourselves moral beings. Life is not seeking but personal making.
“Maisel’s clear, sparkling exposition brings The Atheist’s Way to life, and his logic from beginning to end is highly persuasive. Unlike most of his books, this one does not offer ‘exercises’ to put the book’s ideas into practice, but he points to parts of two other books (not coincidentally the two I mentioned above) for more concrete assistance. Above all, The Atheist’s Way makes one proud of being an atheist. This book is highly recommended for those of similar persuasion, or those wavering in their belief in the supernatural.” – Andres Kabel, Cultural Pilgrim
