I like his views on the subject and really appreciate his overall position. I've thought a lot about free will over the years and find myself resonating closely with the reasons for his place in the conversation. Very easy to read and follow.

This is overall a good book for providing an understanding of what the debate surrounding free will looks like. The analogies that Barker uses are useful and interesting,
but a few could have been sacrificed to make room for a slightly deeper philosophical discussion.

This book is my first foray in to the deterministic / free will debate and I think it was a good introduction. Instead of choosing sides, Dan explains both and introduces his idea of “harmonic free will” which combines social and scientific aspects of the debate. After reading this book I tend to agree with this perspective although I have not read some of the more thoroughly research arguments presented by such experts as Sam Harris. Dan makes a clear and uncomplicated argument, though. This short book was a joy to read and it never dragged. Although I wasn’t always in full agreement with Dan or maybe fully grasped what he wrote, I was always entertained and I learned much.

The best parts of this book were the anecdotes and analogies Dan uses to get his ideas across. Some of his analogies utilize his knowledge of music (he is a jazz pianist) and religion (he is a former preacher and now co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (I’m a member)). He even references a Fawlty Tower scene to help clarify a point. He has a good grasp on science and knows how to make a point. He includes quotes by heavy hitters in the science community like Jerry Coyne, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins and philosophers such as Rebecca Goldstein to support or contrast his points.

The best anecdotes in the book involve a chipmunk who lives in his backyard, which gradually becomes tame enough to eat nuts out of his hand (and once accidentally hit a key on his keyboard while writing this book(he left the errant character in)). He uses the chipmunk’s behavior to illustrate determinism and free will. And he updates us on his buddy’s life in the afterword.

I love the way Dan writes and am looking forward to reading more of his books, I already own two others.

Seriously even this book is way better than Sam Harris small book on the same topic .

Dan Barker presents his argument clearly with many anecdotal/metaphorical examples of what he is trying to illustrate. His argument, of course, assumes that free will is an illusion. But, as he describes, a useful one that we can learn much from. I enjoyed this idea of "harmonic free will" arising as an experience more than a reality. Overall, I thought this book was a thoughtful expansion on the free will dilemma, though I do have my quips here and there.

Having fun out with Dan a few times, he down to earth, friendly, and relatable. And then you pick up a book of his and see how deep the rabbit hole goes. A brilliant mind that know how to navigate thick subjects and content and present it to the layman or laywoman that is easy to grasp.