Star Map is a touching and deeply personal philosophical memoir about a young man's wrenching struggle with fanatical faith and his frantic search for truth and meaning. Lewis Vaughn's journey transforms him from a young Christian fundamentalist to a disillusioned agnostic to an atheist seeker of meaning in a godless world. Along the way he stumbles on the strongest empirical argument against the reliability of faith as a source of knowledge, and sees that life does indeed have meaning without religion. In the end, he never regains the faith he lost, but finds something better.
"Vaughn captures the anguish of teens growing up under strict fundamentalism ... well-written ... the author has an impressive ability to make the reader feel the deep discomfort of losing certainty" -Publishers Weekly
"This is a superb narrative for anyone who wonders if there can be meaning after faith." -Bart Ehrman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"Vaughn demonstrates the connection between what we believe and how we live." -Steven M. Cahn, City University of New York Graduate Center
"Vaughn writes beautifully, using novelistic techniques to keep us turning pages." -Susan K. Perry, Creativity Blogger, PsychologyToday.com
"This warm but powerful memoir reveals that real meaning comes from this world, not from above." -Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation
"Vaughn is both a master storyteller and a master teacher, with an account that will grip believers and skeptics alike." -Gerald J. Erion, professor of philosophy, Medaille College
"A compelling memoir of Vaughn's courageous journey from darkness into light." -Michael Shermer, author of The Moral Arc
"Star Map has riveting dialogue that makes philosophy come to life, and will be of interest to freethinkers everywhere." -Tim Madigan, president of the Bertrand Russell Society
"Vaughn's memoir is highly readable ... Few of the deconverted would rise to the level of Lewis Vaughn's eloquence and erudite productivity. If he wished, Vaughn could end his writing career with this luminous offering. Let's wish he doesn't. Let's wish he keeps writing." -J. H. McKenna, University of California, Irvine
Vaughn captures the anguish of teens growing up under strict fundamentalism ... well-written ... the author has an impressive ability to make the reader feel the deep discomfort of losing certainty. --Publishers Weekly
In a deeply personal and moving account, Lewis Vaughn recounts his journey from hard-core fundamentalism to reflective atheism, a journey that brought far greater purpose, understanding, and fulfillment to his life. This is a superb narrative for anyone who wonders if there can be meaning after faith. --Bart Ehrman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of Jesus Before the Gospels
This unflinching narrative charts a remarkable philosophical journey that covers the full spectrum of belief and doubt, raising great questions all the way through. Vaughn is both a master storyteller and a master teacher, with an account that will grip believers and skeptics alike. Students and educators will also find the book a vital companion in their deepest discussions. --Gerald J. Erion, professor of philosophy, Medaille College
There are a great many books filled with religious conversion stories of lives rescued from sin and of meaning found in God. There are far fewer deconversion stories about losing religion and finding meaning in a secular worldview. Lewis Vaughn, one of our leading philosophers and teachers of critical thinking, has helped remedy that shortcoming with this compelling memoir of his courageous journey from darkness into light. --Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, author of Why People Believe Weird Things and The Moral Arc
Star Map is a moving story of a young old-time religion believer who comes to see the light of reason thanks in large part to the encouragement of a Bertrand Russell-admiring Catholic priest - a true Russellian paradox. It has riveting dialogue that makes philosophy come to life, and will be of interest to freethinkers everywhere. --Tim Madigan, president of the Bertrand Russell Society
This is a story of an about-face. Vaughn begins as a stultifying anti-intellectual fundamentalist. He ends as a liberating cerebral humanist writer of a score of philosophy books. ... Vaughn's memoir is highly readable and can be viewed as a testament of an era. In the second half of twentieth century America, biblical literalism paralyzed a third of the country. Some among the fundamentally anesthetized eventually deconverted. Few of the deconverted would rise to the level of Lewis Vaughn's eloquence and erudite productivity. If he wished, Vaughn could end his writing career with this luminous offering. Let's wish he doesn't. Let's wish he keeps writing. --J. H. McKenna, University of California, Irvine, founder of uponreligion.com, Huffington Post religion blog
In this candid autobiography, Lewis Vaughn tells the surprising story of his journey from proselytizing theist to committed atheist. ... Throughout, he demonstrates the connection between what we believe and how we live. --Steven M. Cahn, City University of New York Graduate Center
Star Map is an engrossing read. It is the achingly honest story of a faith healer who finally becomes healed of his faith. As a former preacher myself, I know exactly what Lewis Vaughn means when he says "I lost faith in faith but not in hope." This warm but powerful memoir reveals that real meaning comes from this world, not from above. --Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation, author of Godless and Life Driven Purpose
