If your PN editor were a magician, she might be able to turn the ranting wit of storytelling Penn Jillette into a P-G rated tale.
Instead, she’ll report that roughly 170 people with Jillette’s book, God No, in hand (or on their Kindles) filled the theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall on the campus of North Central College on a sweltering hot Friday evening. They were attracted to listen to the outspoken best-selling American author who is also an illusionist, comedian and musician. And she won’t use many quotation marks.
Candy Purdom from Anderson’s Bookshop introduced Jillette as “Direct from Las Vegas,” noting that Jillette is the larger, louder half of the world-famous Emmy Award-winning magic duo Penn & Teller. Fans also know Jillette as a cultural phenomenon who occasionally appears solo as a guest on late-night television with David Letterman and on late-night/early morning television with Greg Gutfeld on The Red Eye.
Whether Las Vegas stories, TV show stories, Glenn Beck stories, Tommy Smothers stories, off-color stories, Ten Commandment stories or stories about religious people, Jillette, a self-proclaimed atheist and libertarian, believes in the exchange of ideas in the marketplace with refreshing tolerance for all mankind. He reminded the audience that the United States is a place where people from all over the world have come to live, have such different ideas and all live together.
He also expressed his passionate unconditional love for his family, especially for his late father and his two children, ages 6 and 7.
By the end of his book talk that hardly talked about his book, the magic man with the boisterous voice and funny interpretations proved he can create honest and sincere images with provocative words. Jillette also can connect an audience with both wise and wise-cracking thoughts by placing his opinions in the marketplace of ideas, a freedom and right that belongs to everyone here.
Throughout the year, Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville and Downers Grove host a wide variety of enlightening and thought-provoking booksignings with author talks designed to appeal to all ages.
Next up in the air-conditioned cool of the Naperville bookstore, James Rollins will talk about his latest book, Blood Line, at 7PM Tues., July 10. Writer Karin Slaughter will present her new book, Criminal, at 7PM, Wed., July 11.
For more information, click events page or give a call to Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville at (630) 355-2665, located at 123 W. Jefferson Ave.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for supporting local businesses whenever possible throughout the community. Where’s Waldo? Just for the fun of it, try to find Waldo in more than 20 participating independently-owned-and-operated Naperville businesses and celebrate the character’s 25th birthday all during July.
