WHY ATHEISTS LOVE BREASTS

De Shadley’s compilation of blog posts written while she attended college.

De Shadley is not the author’s real name, but is, as she describes it, her “nom de blog,” and the book’s title is taken from one of her blog’s musings. Rinth is a young woman on the verge of graduating from a top-tier women’s college. Reading her blog, one gets the impression of an intelligent, dedicated scholar, anxious to test-drive her newly gained knowledge. In the guise of her alter ego, the author is able to bare herself both figuratively and, as the title suggests, literally. Rinth has no qualms about voicing her every opinion. In one section she confesses to being given a post-hypnotic suggestion while watching a YouTube video. Preparing for a visit home, Rinth hopes her mother will not notice her new “tramp stamp.” With each entry, Rinth ponders some new idea and grounds her opinions with research. However, at times her youth and naiveté color her otherwise sound judgment. The author has far more faith in positive outcomes than a more seasoned observer might, as some of her political commentary indicates. Rinth truly believes herself to be open-minded, but constant references to the tenets of her Catholic faith inevitably cloud the picture. Nevertheless, it’s obvious the author is expressing herself honestly. Her chapter on eating healthily at McDonald’s will put naysayers of the Golden Arches to shame. An entry on what she would and wouldn’t do for money is both informative and funny. Rinth reveals a good deal about who she really is. Like a tale from Aesop, all of the essays have a moral, delivered with charismatic tongue-in-cheek humor.

A provoking, entertaining glimpse inside the still-coalescing mind of a smart young woman.