This book is an account of one person's struggle to free himself from the shackles of the closed-mindedness of religion. It is the tale of how one comes to lose God. Alom Shaha describes his development from a child in a Muslim family to becoming an atheist adult. This book isn't about deep theology or philosophy, although there are references to such work, but it is more so a personal account of how he came to the point of being able to call himself an ex-Muslim. He addresses the contradictions of culture, faith and morality, and evokes the challenge of separating them in a world which often assumes they must go together. Shaha is open about the difficulties and freedoms that describing oneself as an atheist brings.
The stories from the author's childhood held my interest, and gave an engaging framework on which to pin the explanatory content. He covers the main arguments for atheism while putting them into the context of his own Muslim upbringing. It is especially intresting that the author comes from a Muslim background but grew up in a Christian environment. This offers him some interesting vantage points. For example, the anti Muslim standpoint prevalent in the west since 9/11 is thoughtfully discussed. I didn't realise that the Koran, being written in Arabic, was indecipherable to the vast majority of those who hope to use it. Shaha explains how he came to the realisation that there is no place for God in a rational person's view of the world. He does not preach, but gently explains how he came to think and behave the way he now does.
The book was intellectually engaging, but felt somewhat basic. While it doesn't really hold anything new for a non-believer, basic arguments are covered for someone considering their position on matters of personal faith. This is very much a humanist book, not an atheist one. You can find out more about Humanism by clicking here for 4 short animations narrated by Stephen Fry. While I didn't agree with all the views Shaha expressed, it did not detract from the book. Overall, I see it as a steppingstone to deeper works like that of Richard Dawkins.