UnGodly : The Passions, Torments, and Murder of Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair

Rating:
Summary: Sordid tale of the life and murder of Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Review: She was frequently described as "America's Most Hated Woman". The mere mention of her name would repulse a large segment of the population. Any number of adjectives (or expletives for that matter) might describe this woman. She was arrogant, smart, vulgar, domineering, outrageous and crooked to mention just a few. In "Ungodly" author Ted Dracos traces the career of this most unikely American icon. Madalyn Murray O'Hair came out of nowhere in 1960 to challenge the tradition of daily prayer in the public schools. It was perhaps the first shot in the cultural war still being waged across this country even as we speak. O'Hair succeeded in taking the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where she won a startling victory that essentially banned prayer in the public schools. Ever the opportunist, Madalyn Murray O'Hair decided to cash in on her triumph and founded American Atheists to promote her cause. Over the years American Atheists would become a mostly family affair with leadership positions being filled by Madalyn herself, her son Jon and her granddaughter Robin. And Madalyn would see to it that they were all handsomely compensated for their services.
Fast forward now to the mid 1990's. It seemed that after all these years the jig just might be up for American Atheists. The Feds had gotten wise to several of Madalyn's schemes and were ready to pounce. It was about this same time Madalyn's granddaughter Robin would hire an office manager named David Waters. No one ever bothered to check references because if they had they would have discovered that not only was Waters a bad actor, he was also a convicted murderer!! In his fast moving and highly entertaining book, Ted Dracos recounts the circumstances of the relationship between Waters and the O'Hairs and the events that led up to the disappearance of the trio. We also meet those individuals who pooled their efforts to solve the mystery of just what happened to Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her family. At first, no one could be sure if they just flew the coop, had been kidnapped or possibly were the victims of murder. I found this book to be very well researched and I learned an awful lot. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: An UNBIASDED look!!
Review: UNGODLY is a superb account of the events in the O'Hair's lives. The book shows an UNBIASED look at these individuals despite what other reviewers have said. Most atheist reviewers will not like this book because it shows the true nasty nature of Ms. O'Hair. She was close to a criminal herself with all her tax problems. She was a hard person to like and was obnoxious beyond normal considerations. She had utter contempt for Christians and most people in general. Of course, this in no way excuses her horrible murder. It may be ironic, but I am not justifying murder. What I take issue with is that some reviewers have stated that the Christians in the book are portrayed as all good and the atheists are shown to be vile. I must have read a different book than they did. Certainly some Christians are portrayed as good, but others are portrayed as con-artists. Some atheists are shown to be kind people of good character while others push forward the gospel of hate. Some reviewers seem to take issue with any perspective that they disagree with. I am a Christian, and I have a dear friend who is an atheist. I feel that he is misguided, and he feels that I am incorrect. We debate, but we still maintain a mutual respect for one another. Dracos has shown both sides and told a reasonably accurate account of the O'Hair's lives. His work is researched to the hilt. UNGODLY is NOT biased in any way. Many times throughout the book Dracos portrays Madalyn in a negative light. He also shows respect for her abilities and empathy for her death. I have no idea if Dracos is a Christian or not, but in his acknowledgements he thanks Pan and the presiding Gods. This is tongue in cheek, but as a Christian I personally would not thank Pagan gods even in jest. I say this to point out that Dracos DOES NOT have some hidden Christian agenda. He is just giving a compelling account of a tragic yet interesting life.