Title: Fully Human / Fully Alive
Author: Lyle Simpson
Publisher: Studio of Books, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-964928-20-3
Pages: 287
Genre: Philosophy / Self-Help
Reviewer: Arthur Thares
Hollywood Book Reviews
The world is in desperate need of a book like this. Some people may think that it is an attack on religion, but one could argue that it isn’t so much of an attack as a supplement. The intellectual ideas found in these pages may not be for everyone, but they may be life-changing for someone. Don’t write-off this book as just another self-help book or a theocratic text, because it doesn’t fall into a single category. Instead, open your mind to the idea that this book may be exactly what you need in life.
Many of the ideas described in this book are parallel to those of the New Testament of the Christian Bible but viewed through a different lens. The main theme of the book is Humanism, which is described in depth, but the most watered-down explanation of Humanism is to be nice to each other. The text explains a lot about the Humanist perspective and how the author believes it is the best version of “religion” in his opinion. Author Lyle Simpson does go out of his way to point out that Humanism isn’t a religion but more of a belief system which can survive on its own or concurrent with the religion you were born into.
Much of this book is about the emotion of Humanism, but just as interesting are the historical and scientific portions of the book. This text has intriguing information about the Bible and other texts that were written around the same era. Another attention-catching part of the text is the description of Maslow’s Hierarchy and how the reader can apply it to their own lives. Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole book is the definition of the word “meme” and how much different the original definition is compared to how we use it now.
Lyle Simpson does a wonderful job relaying information that is clearly important to him without coming off as sounding preachy or judgmental. There is a mixture of anecdotal stories and evidence-based information that makes this book more engaging than a traditional textbook, even though it reads like one sometimes. This isn’t the shortest book, but it moves pretty fast since it stays on subject and Simpson dances masterfully from one chapter to the next.
Everyone will take-away an opinion of their own from Fully Human / Fully Alive; in fact, it may even make some people mad. It shouldn’t. This is one of the most respectful and tasteful works by an atheist that one will likely ever find. The author goes out of his way on several occasions to point out how his feelings differ from those of some in the church, and how they can respectfully disagree and still have compassion for each other’s humanity.
In a time when so many people disagree about politics, religion, the religion of politics, and the politics of religion, Fully Human / Fully Alive is a fantastic reminder that we are all human.