Becoming Atheist

This will be a useful resource for those interested in secularism and humanism. * CHOICE *
An ambitious book. Lively and well-written ... Brown's imaginative treatment certainly provides rich material for lively debates. * Times Higher Education *
Brown’s research has an important role to play, and I commend his latest book for study and discussion. * Reviews in History *
[A] readable little book. * Sofia *
As the number of men and women rejecting religious faith continues to grow by leaps and bounds, so too grows the need for scholarship that illuminates this historical trend, and Callum Brown's latest work is among the best out there: astute, insightful, unbiased, and informative. So thorough, so thoughtful -- this work is highly recommended. Essential reading for those interested in religion's modern decline. * Phil Zuckerman, Pitzer College, USA and author of Living the Secular Life (Penguin, 2014) *
Any book by Callum Brown is sure to be lively, provocative and full of new ideas. He is already internationally renowned as one of the leading historians of secularisation. This oral history of modern atheism and humanism from Vancouver to Tallinn, with long stops on the way in the USA and Britain, is further enriched by vivid detail and a warm sympathy with those whose stories he tells. * Hugh McLeod, University of Birmingham, UK *
Callum Brown provides a convincing new interpretation of secularization in the West since 1945, using fascinating oral history narratives to identify key paths to atheism and humanism. He challenges a range of academic orthodoxies with compelling and original arguments. Brown demonstrates the significance of childhood rejection of religion for many lifelong atheists and the crucial intersection of feminism and family issues with the abandonment of religion for women, who have been central to secularizing trends since the 1960s. Other original arguments featured in this groundbreaking and very readable book further transform our understanding of the growing secularization of the modern West. * Lynne Marks, University of Victoria, Canada *
One of the biggest cultural shifts in the west - especially the English speaking west - in modern history has been the movement away from religion and towards humanist beliefs and values. This is a people's history as much as it is a tale of cultural and intellectual elites but until now it has been under-studied and under-told. Callum Brown's masterly narrative puts that right and his great skill as an oral historian suits him for the task better than any other. * Andrew Copson, British Humanist Association, UK *
A social and cultural historian, Brown (a specialist in late modern European history, Univ. of Glasgow, UK) has written extensively on secularism, humanism, and atheism. Part of a project that includes Religion and the Demographic Revolution: Women and Secularisation in Canada, Ireland, UK and USA since the 1960s (CH, Jun'13, 50-5537), the present book analyzes individual narratives of loss of religion and identifies patterns based on the narratives. Those studied reflect a wide range of positions about religion, from those who are anti-religion to those who are simply not concerned with religion. Brown provides a framework for understanding the positive impact of secularism in human development based on interviews with people from the US, Canada, and the UK and born between the 1920s and 1960s. The larger patterns diverge secondary to gender and ethnicity, but the whole is considered in Western Christian context. This will be a useful resource for those interested in secularism and humanism. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. * V. M. Ehret, Mercyhurst University *