mondojohnson

This was a very thorough biography of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the loudmouthed spokesmodel for modern atheism. She and her son (who later denounced her and turned to born-again Christianity) sued the Maryland Schools for having prayer sessions, and won in the Supreme Court. She parlayed that notoriety into a career, gladly claiming the title of “The Most Hated Woman In America.”

As the book points out, O’Hair wasn’t necessarily an original atheist thinker, she was more of a populizer. But that is not to say that she was not intelligent in her own right: her own writings and speeches are extremely tart, incisive and often funny.

I worry and wonder about her alleged forays into anti-Semitism and nasty homophobia… but apart from that reservation I would say she was a pretty remarkable character.