Growing up in a strict Muslim community in south-east London, Alom Shaha learnt that religion was not to be questioned. Reciting the Qur'an without understanding what it meant was simply a part of life; so, too, was obeying the imam, praying to god he wasn't sure existed, and enduring beatings when he failed to attend the local mosque. Shaha was more drawn to science and its power to illuminate. As a teen, he lived between two worlds- the home controlled by his authoritarian father, and a school alive with books and ideas.

In a charming blend of memoir, philosophy, and science Shaha explores the questions about faith, and the afterlife that we all ponder. Through a series of loose 'lessons', he tells his own compelling story, drawing on the theories of some of history's greatest thinkers and interrogating the fallacies that have impeded humanity for centuries. Shaha recounts how his education and formative experiences led him to question how to live without being tied to what his parents, priests, or teachers told him to believe, and offers insights so that others may do the same.

This is a book for anyone who thinks about what they should believe and how they should live. It's for those who may need the facts and the ideas, as wel as the courage, to break free from inherited beliefs. In this powerful narrative, Shaha shows that it is possible to live a compassionate, fulfilling, and meaningful life without God.


'A touching personal account that makes for a courageous and compelling read. This is among the most powerful and convincing arguments against religion I have come across, written in a way that is never patronising or trivialising.'
-Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE, physicist and broadcaster

'Insightful, conversational, intelligent, enlightening, intimate, and just plain eye-opening. Shaha opens his life, his heart, and his mind to us in a compelling journey towards unbelief.'
-Leslie Cannold, author of The Book of Rachael

'Illuminates the route to a better destination for all those who seek what Alom found- namely, that precious liberty of mind which makes its possessor open to all good things.'
-A.C. Grayling, author of The Good Book