As a teenage atheist in Catholic school, I would rebelliously read "Why I Am Not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell. "The God Delusion" is like a modern version of that book. It's a neat summary of atheistic ideas to help people clarify their own non-belief and shake off any childhood brainwashing.

It's also a book to cherish. Simply having it in your possession could be a good way to "come out" to religious people who might resent your right to believe or not. But be careful! A teenager in Kurdistan who was caught championing the book was reported by his father to the police, who detained him for days and subjected the lad to torture.

Dawkins' arguments remain strong. The book was written when the memory of the religiously-inspired 9/11 attacks was still raw. In the years since, we have seen the rise of the terrorist threat of Christian extremists. Some atheist commentators have not adapted to this reality, and occasionally Dawkins has struck a discordant note in recent years. As a "cultural Christian" he needs to ensure he remains just as much an atheist about Allah as he is about Yahweh or the heavenly father of Jesus as he is about Allah.

I don't think that bias is present in "The God Delusion", so I don't mark it down for that. I fault Dawkins for another, minor mistake. He includes an anecdote, that US President George HW Bush said "atheists can't be citizens, this is one nation under god". Fact-checking has cast serious doubt about whether Bush the elder ever said that. Despite that, atheists and other non-Christians in places like the USA face a growing threat from theocracy and dominionism.