Library
We are slowly accumulating a secular library. There aren’t many books about atheism, secularism, or related topics in the Ames Public Library or the Iowa State University Library, so this is an important resource for students. We also maintain a collection of religious texts and books about religions for academic purposes.
Hopefully, our library will be housed in the new Multicultural Center in the Iowa State Memorial Union. Until we have a location, simply contact isuaas@gmail.com and we will arrange for you to “check out” a book.
On this page, you can find a list of books and videos (alphabetical by author) that have been donated. Thanks to our donors, including FFRF, Anastasia Bodnar, and Jim Stearns. Please contact us if you are interested in donating a book or video. For more book suggestions, please view our Book store. A small portion of purchases made at our book store will help fund AAS events.
Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists by Dan Barker “recounts his journey from evangelical preacher to atheist activist, and along the way explains precisely why it is not only okay to be an atheist, it is something in which to be proud (comment from Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine).” Donated by FFRF.
Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist by Dan Barker “describes the intellectual and psychological struggle required to move from fundamentalism to freethought. Sections on biblical morality, the historicity of Jesus, bible contradictions, the unbelievable resurrection, and much more” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
The Book of Mormon from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Donated by Anastasia Bodnar.
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel C. Dennett “calls for a scientific, rational examination of religion that will lead us to understand what purpose religion serves in our culture… Dennett explores religion as a cultural phenomenon governed by the processes of evolution and natural selection. Religion survives because it has some kind of beneficial role in human life, yet Dennett argues that it has also played a maleficent role” (review by Publishers Weekly). Donated by Anastasia Bodnar.
Lead Us Not Into Penn Station by Anne Nichol Gaylor “commemorates the 28-year tenure as president of FFRF’s founder [with a] personal and appealing introduction to nonbelief, reason-based ethics and timely state/church issues by one of the nation’s leading freethought activists” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
Woe to the Women – The Bible Tells Me So by Annie Laurie Gaylor “documents the bible’s punitive, antediluvian rules and attitudes toward women… [It] is a timely warning that the bible is a handbook for the subjugation of women, and that the only true barrier standing between it and women is a secular government” (review by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
Women Without Superstition: “No Gods – No Masters” edited by Annie Laurie Gaylor is “the first anthology of women freethinkers, featuring more than 50 activists and writers critical of religion. Includes biographical sketches, selected writings, 51 photographs, and full index” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
The Born Again Skeptic’s Guide to the Bible by Ruth Hurmence Green. “Ex-Methodist Missouri grandmother critiques the “Good Book” with wit and insight. Invaluable to freethinkers engaging in debate with religionists over the merits of bible contents. Neatly arranged into 12 chapters, such as “Mass Killings Ordered, Committed, or Approved by God,” “Treatment of Women in the Sweetest Story Ever Told,” “Discrepancies and Contradictions,” and “Preposterous Passages from the Pages of the Holy Book” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
Rhymes for the Irreverent byYip Harburg. “The great American songwriter who wrote the lyrics to “Over The Rainbow,” “Paper Moon,” “April in Paris,” and Finian’s Rainbow delights us with his poetic genius in this new collection of humorous, iconoclastic, and exhilaratingly human verses” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby. “Is America really one nation under God? Not according to Pulitzer Prize–finalist Jacoby (Wild Justice, etc.), who argues that it is America’s secularist ‘freethinkers’ who formed the bedrock upon which our nation was built. Jacoby contends that it’s one of ‘the great unresolved paradoxes’ that religion occupies such an important place in a nation founded on separation of church and state”(review by Publisher’s Weekly). Donated by FFRF.
American Infidel: Robert G. Ingersoll by Orvin Larson is the “warmly told biography of Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), celebrated orator of 19th-century America, Civil War officer, personal friend of three U.S. presidents, the individual most responsible for the flowering of freethought in the United States” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
What Are Saints? by C.C. Martindale “comprises seventeen studies in sanctity, originally prepared as broadcast talks [inculding dicussions of] St. Augustine, St. Francis Xavier, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. John Vianney” (from the book cover). Donated by Anastasia Bodnar.
One Woman’s Fight by Vashti Cromwell McCollum describes the “historic legal battle to the landmark Supreme Court victory ending religious instruction in the public schools. (McCollum vs. Board of Education, 1948) A compelling introduction to state/church separation, describing the personal toll exacted when the wall of separation is violated at the expense of schoolchildren. Appealingly told from the family’s perspective” (description by FFRF). Donated by FFRF.
Day by Day with the Saints by Patrick R. Moran “presents a daily calendar of reflections and breif biographical vignettes of at least 365 saints with commentaries by a vairety of well-known religious personalities” (from the book cover). Donated by Anastasia Bodnar.
Bhagavad-Gita translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood is the “divine discourse spoken by the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself and is the most popular and well known of all the sacred scriptures from ancient India” (description from the Bhagavad-Gita Trust). Donated by Anastasia Bodnar.
The Cell’s Design: How Chemistry Reveals the Creator’s Artistry by Fazale Rana “uses a common scientific method based on pattern recognition to identify the God of the Bible as the Creator… Going far beyond irreducible complexity, Rana shows how the molecular features of the cell—some of the smallest structures in nature—manifest the same characteristics displayed in human designs. This similarity points to a resonance between the mind of man and the mind of God.” Donated by Jim Stearns.
Journey Toward Creation, a video produced by Reasons to Believe, is based on the book The Creator and the Cosmos by Hugh Ross. “Explore the astronomical evidence for a universe that is meticulously fine tuned for the benefit of human life.” Donated by Jim Stearns.
The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis by Hugh Ross is “an apologetics commentary on that portion of scripture that accounts for the vast majority of challenges to the credibility of Christianity… The book describes in colorful detail the highlights of each creation day. It demonstrates the consistency of the Genesis 1 and 2 creation accounts. This 2nd edition of The Genesis Question, written with clarity and simplicity, is a valuable book to read and to share.” Donated by Jim Stearns.
Creation as Science: A Testable Model Approach to End the Creation/Evolution Wars by Hugh Ross “brings a calm, confident voice to the acrimonious clash between intelligent design/creation and evolution advocates. He understands why naturalists cling to their evolutionary models despite serious weaknesses–models that ultimately thwart scientific progress and leave humanity without hope or purpose.” Donated by Jim Stearns.
