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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Growing Up “Nothing”: Reflective Memoir Puts Female Face on Nonbelief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2007
Media Contacts:
Kelly Hughes, DeChant-Hughes & Assoc. Inc. Public Relations
(312) 280-8126, kelly@dechanthughes.com
Jill Maxick, Prometheus Books
800-853-7545, jmaxick@prometheusbooks.com
Amherst, NY -- The public face of atheism has recently been that of bestselling authors Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Victor Stenger, and Daniel Dennett, academic males and vocal critics of religion. A new memoir puts a kinder, gentler face on religious dissent.
Nica Lalli—wife, mom, and former PTA president—adds a personal perspective to the conversation about nonbelief with Nothing: Something to Believe In ($17, Prometheus Books, http://www.prometheusbooks.com/catalog/book_1876.html).
Lalli is not a scientist or a philosopher. Rather than critique God, religion or theology, Lalli dissects her own history, examining how she came to embrace being “nothing.” Lalli prefers to call herself “nothing” instead of atheist, explaining, “I like the word nothing because it makes no reference to a god, it cuts out that root (‘theo’) to stand on its own. I decided to share my journey to show people that I could be sure of my beliefs and my convictions, even if they are not based on a holy book, messiah or organized church.”
Lalli grew up nothing, with resolutely secular parents. She felt odd about it as a kid, because everyone else was something—her school friends were Catholic, Presbyterian, Jewish. Her memories of evangelists knocking on her door, her time at a religious ski retreat, and the lesson of life and death when she memorialized a dead bird, portray why the religion issue was such a big deal, and why, at times, being nothing was scary.
By the time Lalli married and had children, she was comfortable as a nonbeliever. But her born-again Christian in-laws did not accept her, she says: “They made it clear that without my conversion to Christianity, there could be no real friendship and maybe not even familial cordiality.” The strained relations with her in-laws spurred her to sit down and revisit all the times religion has come into her life.
She chronicles her experiences while confronting the broader issues of faith, tolerance and respect in the confusing religious landscape of America.
In the end, she finds the courage to define what she is rather than what she’s not. “Just because I call myself ‘nothing’ doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas. I have belief, I just don’t have religion,” she says.
So what does she believe? Her two young children have challenged her to articulate her beliefs, asking the same question she once asked her parents: “What do we believe in?” She tells them: “We believe in the human spirit, the strength and regenerative possibilities of people. And the kids ask, ‘What about God and Jesus?’ So I say that I do not believe in God and I do not believe that Jesus was the son of God.”
Lalli says she had to figure out how to present the lack of religion in their lives as something to be proud of: “We may not have a church, but we have community, and we work hard to help our neighbors and strengthen our neighborhood.” Her confidence has given her children a sense of security about what they are. “They see it as a way to keep open to possibilities in the world. They see wonder and mystery in life, love, and even in death.”
“Through helping the children find respect for their beliefs, I have had to find respect for mine,” Lalli says, “and tolerance for others, even for those who cannot tolerate me.”
Visit www.nicalalli.com and http://www.prometheusbooks.com/catalog/book_1876.html.
# # #
NOTE TO MEDIA: Nica Lalli (Brooklyn, New York) is an educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art working in the Outreach, Access and Family Programs. To interview Nica Lalli, contact Kelly Hughes at (312) 280-8126, kelly@dechanthughes.com. To request a review copy of Nothing: Something to Believe In (ISBN: 978-1-59102-529-0) contact Prometheus Books publicity at 800-853-7545 or publicity@prometheusbooks.com.
*****
About Religion Press Release Services
Religion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others.
The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
March 20, 2007
Media Contacts:
Kelly Hughes, DeChant-Hughes & Assoc. Inc. Public Relations
(312) 280-8126, kelly@dechanthughes.com
Jill Maxick, Prometheus Books
800-853-7545, jmaxick@prometheusbooks.com
Amherst, NY -- The public face of atheism has recently been that of bestselling authors Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Victor Stenger, and Daniel Dennett, academic males and vocal critics of religion. A new memoir puts a kinder, gentler face on religious dissent.
Nica Lalli—wife, mom, and former PTA president—adds a personal perspective to the conversation about nonbelief with Nothing: Something to Believe In ($17, Prometheus Books, http://www.prometheusbooks.com/catalog/book_1876.html).
Lalli is not a scientist or a philosopher. Rather than critique God, religion or theology, Lalli dissects her own history, examining how she came to embrace being “nothing.” Lalli prefers to call herself “nothing” instead of atheist, explaining, “I like the word nothing because it makes no reference to a god, it cuts out that root (‘theo’) to stand on its own. I decided to share my journey to show people that I could be sure of my beliefs and my convictions, even if they are not based on a holy book, messiah or organized church.”
Lalli grew up nothing, with resolutely secular parents. She felt odd about it as a kid, because everyone else was something—her school friends were Catholic, Presbyterian, Jewish. Her memories of evangelists knocking on her door, her time at a religious ski retreat, and the lesson of life and death when she memorialized a dead bird, portray why the religion issue was such a big deal, and why, at times, being nothing was scary.
By the time Lalli married and had children, she was comfortable as a nonbeliever. But her born-again Christian in-laws did not accept her, she says: “They made it clear that without my conversion to Christianity, there could be no real friendship and maybe not even familial cordiality.” The strained relations with her in-laws spurred her to sit down and revisit all the times religion has come into her life.
She chronicles her experiences while confronting the broader issues of faith, tolerance and respect in the confusing religious landscape of America.
In the end, she finds the courage to define what she is rather than what she’s not. “Just because I call myself ‘nothing’ doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas. I have belief, I just don’t have religion,” she says.
So what does she believe? Her two young children have challenged her to articulate her beliefs, asking the same question she once asked her parents: “What do we believe in?” She tells them: “We believe in the human spirit, the strength and regenerative possibilities of people. And the kids ask, ‘What about God and Jesus?’ So I say that I do not believe in God and I do not believe that Jesus was the son of God.”
Lalli says she had to figure out how to present the lack of religion in their lives as something to be proud of: “We may not have a church, but we have community, and we work hard to help our neighbors and strengthen our neighborhood.” Her confidence has given her children a sense of security about what they are. “They see it as a way to keep open to possibilities in the world. They see wonder and mystery in life, love, and even in death.”
“Through helping the children find respect for their beliefs, I have had to find respect for mine,” Lalli says, “and tolerance for others, even for those who cannot tolerate me.”
Visit www.nicalalli.com and http://www.prometheusbooks.com/catalog/book_1876.html.
# # #
NOTE TO MEDIA: Nica Lalli (Brooklyn, New York) is an educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art working in the Outreach, Access and Family Programs. To interview Nica Lalli, contact Kelly Hughes at (312) 280-8126, kelly@dechanthughes.com. To request a review copy of Nothing: Something to Believe In (ISBN: 978-1-59102-529-0) contact Prometheus Books publicity at 800-853-7545 or publicity@prometheusbooks.com.
*****
About Religion Press Release Services
Religion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others.
The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
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About Religion Press Release ServicesReligion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others. The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
