Godless (novel)
| Author | Pete Hautman |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing |
|
Publication date
|
2004 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 52386196 |
| LC Class | PZ7.H2887 Go 2004 |
Godless, a young adult novel by Pete Hautman, was published in 2004 by Simon & Schuster. It won the annual U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Godless tells the story of Jason Bock, a fifteen-year-old boy, who questions his father's Catholic religion. Jason invents his own religion, "Chutengodianism". Jason and his fellow "Chutengodians" worship the water tower, dubbed Ten-Legged One. While Jason does not really believe the Ten-Legged One is God, his friend, Shin, does. Jason does not see the consequences of his seemingly obvious jest.
Godless sparks religious controversy as many parents question the motivation behind the story. Pete Hautman responds to this controversy on his webpage.
Frustrated with his parents' Catholic religion, agnostic-going-on-atheist Jason Bock invents a new god—the water tower. He recruits an unlikely group of worshippers, including: his snail farming best friend, Shin; incredibly ordinary Dan Grant; cute-as-a-button Magda Price; and violent, unpredictable Henry Stagg. As the Chutengodian religion grows, it takes on a life of its own. While Jason struggles to keep the faith pure, Shin obsesses over writing their bible as Henry schemes to make the faith even more exciting—and dangerous. As a result, when the Chutengodians hold their first mass atop the dome of the water tower, things go from dangerous to deadly.
Jason Bock is a large, 15-year-old boy from St. Andrew Valley. Fed up with Catholicism, he invents his own religion, Chutengodianism, worshipping the town water tower. His father forces him to attend weekly Teen Power Outreach meetings, which Jason refers to as brainwashing sessions. He enjoys messing with Just Al, the "head brainwasher,". His best friend, Shin, is a snail farmer. Jason has uncertain feelings for Magda Price. He does not much care for the infamous Henry Stagg and his "three stooges." At first, Chutengodianism seems to be going great. As things progress, Founder and Head Kahuna, Jason, must try to hold his religion together while it decomposes.
Shin (real name: Peter Stephen Schinner) is Jason's best friend and First Keeper of the Sacred Text of Chutengodianism. As a hobby, he farms snails. Shin is Jason's first follower. Unlike the other Chutengodians, Shin takes the religion seriously, believing the water tower is speaking to him. His belief is so deep that he sneaks out during a midnight thunderstorm to climb the water tower, seeking some sort of enlightenment. Jason cannot convince Shin to come back down. Shin wants to swim in the godhead, like the others had done at the first mass.
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