Richmond Area Free Thinkers Society

The Haggis-On-Whey World of Unbelievable Brilliance volumes 1-3 are sheer, glorious nonsense. Done in the style of retro textbooks that echo the art of the trustworthy school books such as the How and Why series of the fifties and sixties, but without a leg of fact to stand on. (Read More »)

Peter Sis, the same author/illustrator who inspired us with the history of Galileo in Starry Messenger has done it again. This time he has made the life of Darwin come alive in the pages of The Tree of Life. Sis continues with his cherished theme of nonconformity for kids (and grown-ups too!). (Read More »)

Peter Sis’ superbly illustrated Starry Messenger takes its title from the published observations of the famous Galileo Galilei. Sis relates the story of Galileo’s life in sixteenth century Italy in child friendly faery tale prose. Italic factoids dance around the pages noting important accomplishments or milestones in Galileo’s life. (Read More »)

Bryson is neither Scientist nor Historian, which gives him a perspective on both topics to which most of us can relate. In this book, he takes us on a journey starting at the inception of the universe (the inaccurately named “big bang”), and on through to the 20th and 21st centuries. He covers many of the natural sciences, such as Geology, Astronomy, Biology, and Chemistry, but does so in a way that makes sense to someone who is an expert in none of them, peppering it with candid humor. (Read More »)

Disease is commonly thought to be a strictly bad phenomenon. Even the word itself has an “icky” sound to it. In this book, Moalem presents an alternate view: that today’s diseases were yesterday’s cures. Covering a variety of ailments that range from internally rusting to death (hemochromatosis) to diabetes to parasitic infections, the author synthesizes the work of researchers and scientists throughout history to support his thesis: surviving long enough to reproduce is key to the longevity of our species, even if our individual longevity suffers. (Read More »)

Is it good to tell your kids the Santa myth? The Easter Bunny myth? How about religious mythology? In Parenting Beyond Belief, McGowan presents a collection essays from many different sources (including Dan Barker, Julia Sweeney, Penn Jillette, Richard Dawkins, Margaret Downey, McGowan himself, and many others) discussing the virtues and the importance of encouraging freethinking children. The book itself does not give definitive answers, but rather illustrates the experiences of many other secular and freethinking families, so that the reader may decide what is best for their own family. (Read More »)

Darwin’s flagship work is a brilliant snapshot of a world when the notions of natural selection, common ancestry, and evolution were all merely just glimmers in Darwin, Wallace, and a few other relatively unknown biologists’ eyes. The book, having never been out of print in 149 years (as of 2008), shows a younger Darwin tenaciously considering over a rather revolutionary idea, ruminating over both its scientific implications, but with a definite sense that he is remorsefully aware of the controversial nature of what is being proposed. (Read More »)