Reviewed by: G. Connor Salter, professional writing student at Taylor University

Introduction

Title: The Atheism That Saved Me

Author: Robert Morlan

Publisher: Westbow Press

Publication Date: July 2015

Format: Paperback

Length: 200 Pages

OVERVIEW

“Life, I believe, is made of defining moments.” Robert Morlan says this in the first chapter of this book. What follows is him reflecting on those key moments, beginning with his childhood in a broken family living in Illinois during the 1950s and continuing through his military service and decision to be an atheist in his early 20s. But when Robert and his wife Jan lose two children, and are on the brink of never receiving a child they want to adopt, Robert desperately calls out for help from a God he hasn’t believed in, and things begin to change.

Morlan is obviously a good storyteller, every chapter is interesting or insightful and often both, but his inexperience with writing stories professionally holds him back. The book is filled with well-written passages that convey his point, followed by other sections which fall flat because they are either too blunt or just awkwardly phrased. This is a self-published book, and they often suffer from a lack or professional editing. Still, the insights are good enough to warrant a reading.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

3 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience

Believers trying to reach out or understand atheists and people looking for wholesome but entertaining Christian memoirs.

Christian Impact

Every chapter is a single reflection about a particular part of Morlan’s life. Many of them contain sound insights on faith and life. Readers will benefit from those insights, and also enjoy the entertaining stories.

Other Notes

The execution isn’t quite good enough to make this book a classic, but I look forward to reading it again.

G. Connor Salter is a student at Taylor University, pursuing a BS degree in Professional Writing.

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