Nothing: Something to Believe In

Christian Century, July 24, 2007

Nothing: Something to Believe In.

By Nica Lalli. Prometheus, 271 pp., $17.00 paperback.

This is the best of the recent spate of books by atheists, mostly because Lalli has not given up on wonder. She grew up in a doggedly atheist household; the book's title comes from her father's answer when she asked him what they were (her friends were Jewish, Presbyterian or whatever). "Nothing," was the matter-of-fact and almost cheerful reply. Lalli can turn a phrase, and her tone is not caustic (as with Christopher Hitchens) or dismissive (as with Richard Dawkins). Her stance is more that of a seeker, open to wonder, unwilling to let hard questions alone. Some Christians will find a fair amount of common ground with Lalli, for Christians also believe God is no thing, that creation happened out of nothing. Lalli has a thing or two to teach believers--not least how not to relate to unbelievers.