In April, Angelina was killed in a domestic violence murder/suicide. She was a non-believer, just beginning to get involved in public/ organized atheism. She was a friend of Mandisa Thomas (founder and current president of Black Nonbelievers, Inc., and member of Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta) and Bridgett ‘Bria’ Crutchfield (board member at Black Nonbelievers, Inc., president of Black Nonbelievers of Detroit, and founder of Minority Atheists of MI).

A college fund is being raised for her three children — Quantance, Robyn, and Jaden.

So I have a couple of questions for you. Question One: Do you think that one of the most important jobs for organized atheism is to build supportive communities, so people leaving religion won’t be alone and can get the kind of practical and emotional and social support they typically get from religion?

We have an opportunity here to do exactly that.

Question Two. Do you think atheists, and organized atheist communities, should do more about other social justice issues? Especially when they intersect with atheism/ religion issues — or when they intersect with our goal of building supportive atheist communities? When I was writing my recent series on why it isn’t “mission drift” for organized atheism to get involved with other social justice issues, and why it’s essential for us to do that if we’re going to be welcoming to a wider range of non-believers — were you either nodding and going, “Yes, absolutely, say it,” or “Oh, that’s a good point, I hadn’t thought of it that way”? Were you thinking, “That’s a really good idea — I’m going to look for opportunities to do exactly that”?

We have an opportunity here to do exactly that.

A member of our community has been murdered. She was a victim of domestic violence. And we have a lousy safety net in this country, which is going to make things even harder on her kids in this already terrible situation.

Please help Angelina’s kids. Even small amounts make a difference. I know a lot of people think “Oh, I can only donate five or ten dollars, that won’t help” — but it really does. It adds up, faster than you might think. You can also help by spreading the word: on Facebook, Twitter, other social media, blogs, word of mouth. Seriously: if all you do is donate five or ten bucks and Tweet or Facebook this, it would help enormously. (If you’re involved in a local organization or a student group, you could also do fundraising in your group.)

Domestic violence is a social justice issue. Underfunded education and the lousy safety net in our country is a social justice issue. And this isn’t just a social justice issue. This is about pitching in to create a community that supports each other in terrible times. Please help Angelina’s kids. Thanks.

Greta’s advice seems eminently sensible throughout—I did not reach any point where I said “oh, no, she shouldn’t be telling the reader to do that!” The counsel given in the book advises some contextual lenience when it comes to time and place, and pushes the reader to follow a wise path of very selective silence in those situations where outing oneself would bring either no benefit or, worse, cause significant losses.

If you are an atheist who is already open and out about it—or slightly bemused by the idea that people ought to be out—it is worth reading Greta’s book for the stories of how other people came out and the sort of challenges they faced.

If you aren’t out: whatever in blazes hell are you waiting for? Public honesty cripples the attempts by religious cranks and political opportunists to stereotype and demonize us. Coming out—whether as non-religious or as LGBT—makes the world a better place and makes those coming out into happier, more liberated people. You have nothing to lose but your closet.

Oh, and once again, here is ordering info for the book, in all three formats — print, ebook, and audiobook.

Ebook edition:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon. (That’s the link for Amazon US, btw — it’s available in other regions as well.)

The Nook edition is available at Barnes & Noble.

The Smashwords edition is available on Smashwords. Right now, it’s only available on Smashwords in epub format: I’m working to make it available in other formats.

All ebook editions and formats cost just $9.99.

Print edition:

The print edition is now available through Powell’s Books.

The print edition is also available at Amazon. However, be advised (if you haven’t been already) that seriously abusive labor practices have been reported at Amazon warehouses. Please bear that in mind when you’re deciding where to buy my book — or indeed, where to buy anything. (For the records: Powell’s employees are unionized.) Again, that’s the link for Amazon US — it’s available in other regions as well.

You can also buy the print edition at your local bookstore. If they don’t currently carry it, you can special order it. (Bookstores can get it from standard wholesalers; wholesale info is below.) Support your local bookstore!

The print edition is $17.95 USD. It is being published by Pitchstone Publishing.

Wholesale sales of the print edition:

Bookstores and other retailers can get the book from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other standard wholesale distributors. It can also be purchased directly from the publisher, Pitchstone Publishing.

Audiobook edition:

The audiobook version is available on Audible.

The audiobook is also available through Amazon.

The audiobook is also available through iTunes.

And yes, I did the recording for it!

The show doesn’t just include my interview. Seth talks about his own experiences with coming out as an atheist — how he made the decision, how it affected his life and his relationships, and why he thinks coming out was right for him and made him happier. He shares his own advice on coming out. And he takes phone calls and reads emails from listeners about their own coming out experiences, and their own advice about it. He takes a call from a listener, who goes by the handle Black Nontheist, about his own take on coming out and why he thinks atheists should not be apologetic about it (a position I heartily agree with). He reads an email from a listener about why she’s afraid to come out as an atheist — even though her best friend was more than fine about it, and was mostly just saddened that she thought she had to hide it. He reads another email from a listener about why, even though he had some painful experiences with his family and friends, he still encourages other atheists to come out, and is happy that he did. He shares advice from one of his listeners, who wishes she’d come out in a different way and wants others to learn from her experience. And there’s more — lots of phone calls and emails, from listeners sharing their stories. It’s a really good program, thoughtful and challenging, with lots of different angles on the question. Enjoy!