Atheist Awakening

Atheist Awakening provides an intriguing take on the look and practices of secularists in the United States by highlighting one of the most aggressively debated issues within the humanist/atheist movement: community...[T]he book makes an important contribution to studies on humanism, atheism, and secularism in the United States. --The Journal of Religion Atheist Awakening provides a thorough analysis for stimulating growth in secular organizations and mobilizing online and offline grassroots activism in the 21st century. I applaud Cimino and Smith for articulating what others have not-that understanding contemporary secularism cannot be done independent of America's unique religious culture...the book is an excellent read and makes a significant contribution to several bodies of sociological literature, including nonreligious studies, religion, deviance, culture, and social movements. --Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion This book fills an important gap in the literature by examining atheism/secularism as a social movement. Although the focus is on the last three decades, the authors provide ample historical context so often missing from sociological analysis. Two themes that recut throughout the book are the interdependence between the atheist and evangelical Christian movements in America and the tension within atheist movement between those who seek to accommodate and those who seek to confront. By exploring how these themes manifest themselves in various stages of the movement, the authors illuminate both continuity and change from the past...This is careful scholarship... --Journal of Church and State Like many of my colleagues, I have long been impressed - and influenced - by Cimino and Smith's pioneering research on contemporary American unbelief. But Atheist Awakening goes beyond even what I might have hoped for. This meticulous, innovative, and engaging book is essential for understanding the New Atheism within its wider social, cultural, and political contexts. --Stephen Bullivant, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics, St Mary's University, Twickenham Scholars are just beginning to explore secularist, humanist, atheist, and free thought activism as a coherent social movement. At the forefront of that research are Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith. In Atheist Awakening, Cimino and Smith continue their previous work with new qualitative and quantitative data to provide a nuanced picture of this nascent social movement. Scholars interested in studying this movement should familiarize themselves with Cimino and Smith's influential body of work. --Ryan Cragun, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Tampa This insightful and comprehensive study of how secularists are attempting to form a collective identity and build community in contemporary America is a fine piece of sociology. The authors show a real understanding of the political dilemmas and possibilities this new demographic faces. They also provide a valuable analysis of the ways the new media environment is driving this social phenomenon. --Barry A. Kosmin, Research Professor, Public Policy & Law Program, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut This is an insightful exploration of the nature of secular communities in the 21st century... Highly recommended. --CHOICE This book fills an important gap in the literature by examining atheism/secularism as a social movement. -- Journal of Church and State