Teenage Idiocy?

Godless. ISBN-10: 1-4169-0816-1 (pbk). Pete Hautman. 2004. ALA Best Book for Young Adults Award, New York Public Library Best Book for Young Adults Award, Minnesota Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. Age 12-17. White working class.

Synopsis

Godless is the story of Jason Bock an intelligent, overly imaginative nonbeliever. After being forced into a religious group for teens by his fanatical father, Jason decides to make up a religion of his own. Jason has a “religious experience” after being punched in the face by Henry Staggs under the water tower. After this, it is during one of his Religious group’s meetings that Jason expresses to everyone that he doesn’t believe in God as we know it. Instead he believes in the Ten Legged God (referring to the 10 beams that the water tower stands upon). Jason calls his new found religion Chutenengodianism

After thinking logically about whether or not the water tower could actually be god, Jason convinces himself and a few friends into believing in his idea. Henry, Magda, Dan, Shin and Jason decide to climb the tower as a sign of their “faith,” but each had their own ulterior motives for climbing. Henry climbed to show that he was fearful of nothing. Magda climbed to express interest in Henry, Dan climbed to spite his overzealous father. Shin's first attempted climb and second successful climb were to prove that he is not a coward and to show that he had real faith in the oceans and water towers as supreme beings. Jason climbed on one hand because he thought it was fun, and on the other to prove that if we can believe in one religion based on often ridiculous ideas, then we can believe in a water tower as our God.

When the kids get caught on top of the water tower, each has his/her own personal revelation. Jason realizes that you have to believe in something in order to understand it. So just as many people believe in and understand God, Shin believed in and had a true understanding of the Ten Legged God. It is with Shin's strong beliefs that Jason realizes that Chutengodianism is not the religion for him. He doesn't truly believe in it and therefore does not understand it the way Shin does.

Discussion Topics
1. Power
2. The existence of God.
3. Different Religions - how they came to be.
4. Parental defiance (in what cases is it okay/not okay).
5. Teenage angst, destructive behavior.
6. Reality (literal proof).

Critique

Hautman does a fantastic job with character development in this novel, creating Jason as a young man that the reader can relate to. Jason is very conversational with the reader, making this book a more personal experience. Hautman also does a great job in describing Jason's friends and the reasons each one of them may be interested in worshiping a water tower as their god. For instance Henry wants to worship because he fears nothing and does not care what happens to him, while Jason wants to worship because he is a confirmed Atheist, that finds religion ridiculous.

The plot is gripping. At first the reader thinks that Jason is simply kidding when he introduces his religion in chapter three, but as he continues to make things up the more people get involved. The novel offers an anxious twist when four of the five members decide to climb the water tower and go for a swim. The reader will be holding on to their seat in fear and anticipation, hoping that these kids make it down safely.

The themes in this novel, God and religion, are some that most think are very taboo, especially if taught in a public school. Instead of giving a correct or prescribed answer to the question of who we should worship as our god or what religion should we be, this novel gives students the opportunity to question these things and hopefully establish their own belief system - one that works for them. Jason's father refers to the kids' activities as "teenage idiocy" (133), which climbing in the water tower definitely was. However, Jason and even Shin are far from idiots. They are reasoning logically about God and religion in a way that makes a lot of sense. Perhaps religion as we know it started the way Jason started Chutengodianism. These kids all realize that religion and God are things that are all based on the ideas of individuals, and they choose to question it. This novel displays to the reader that there are many faiths and many gods, and we have no proof of which one is the "right" one. It teaches the reader to be tolerant of many belief systems.

This novel can be used to facilitate many different discussions. It can be used to discuss faith, religion and God - topics adolescents don't often get to address, and may feel conflicted about. It opens up the opportunity to discuss teenage angst, defiance and destructive behavior. It also gives students the opportunity to analyze reality or what they believe reality is. They can discuss whether or not they need to have literal proof in order to believe in something.