Hautman, Pete, (2004). Godless. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press. 0786270705: 239 pages, large print edition.

Summary and Evaluation: Written in the first person, Jason Bock tells the story of how he and his best friend start their own religion, worshipping the town water tower. The two quickly gain new members, and the most exciting point in the book is when the group is swimming inside the water tower and can't find the way to get out of the tank. They do get out and Jason Bock describes how his new religion quickly spirals out of his own control and understanding.

With a title like Godless, it's pretty easy to see that this book is going to discuss religion and faith. I could find this interesting, especially when geared toward young adults. This book, however, was not interesting to me. The prose is choppy and often oversimplified. Perhaps some young adults would appreciate the simple prose style. Perhaps they would be interested enough in a book that deals with faith issues to dwell on that aspect. Perhaps it is the approach to faith that bothers me the most. Hautman's created a character that knows too much (Bock talks about Buddhists, and Hindus and Jews...for someone who's grown up Catholic he already has some well rounded religious knowledge) and believes too little. It doesn't so much seem that his character is taking a faith journey as Hautman is trying to prove his point. The book felt didactic and rather predictable. In the end, I don't think it took its characters, its subject or its readers seriously enough to actually approach an interesting or complex story. It was a disappointed as it seems to me that the topic of faith and questioning one's faith could actually make an interesting story. For me, though, this one did not do it.

I am still trying to discern if my dislike of this book comes from my adult perspective or from the book itself. Perhaps all of my claims against the book are ones young adults wouldn't like. Perhaps young adults would relish the simplicity or the fact that knowledge of faith doesn't make one faithful. I just think this book could be better than it is.

Honestly, I began to wonder if this book would have been more successful as a graphic novel. Hautman's main character is a fan of comic books and a major scene with Bock's best friend Shin includes several descriptions of pictures of water towers. I wonder if this other format would have made the premise less overly apparent and allowed the characters and situations to be more organic.

Booktalk: I wouldn't book talk this book. I do think there is a place for books on questioning faith in the realm of YA lit, but this book felt trite and easy. Isn't there something else out there that does a better job of this?