My initial compliment was that it was better than the more famous recent books by Dawkins and Hitchens. I read both of those books and, although I liked them, I felt like something was missing. I agreed with them, but felt they would be of little help convincing someone who didn’t already agree or comforting someone who is dealing with the issues therein.

David Mills’ book is the total opposite. I felt it was logical without being cold, sympathetic without being sentimental, and structured so that anyone can find their pet question/answer or argument/refutation.

David Mills doesn’t set up straw men, he doesn’t engage in ad hominem attacks… he points out and concisely argues against the fallacies of the arguments people typically have against atheism (or for god). But within that, he respects the opposite view enough to give it a good simple arguing, leading to a simple conclusion, rather than a “seriously?” attitude.

He seems to have an understanding of what it is like for many people growing up in church, the arguments we learned from our pastors, parents, etc. He has a deep understanding of the history of religious belief but doesn’t go into 500 pages of history to tell you about it. It takes a special kind of author to get his point across in so few words.

Many sections of the book are written in Q/A format; other sections are written in an argument/for/against/conclusion format; both formats are easy to follow and worked very well for this subject. At the same time, at no point is this book ever dry or list-like. Maybe it’s the technical writer coexisting with the English major in me, but this guy’s book was written with admirable levels of logic AND sympathy, was organized exceptionally well, and it honestly felt personal enough, so relatable…I recommend it to anyone who has this subject on their mind.

I just wanted to thank you for your exceptionally generous compliments. I’m very pleased that you liked “Atheist Universe.”

Your friend,

David