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Hitch-22: A Memoir (2010)

by Christopher Hitchens(Favorite Author)

4 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0446540331 (ISBN13: 9780446540339)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Twelve

review 1: Christopher Hitchens' biography was published shortly before his death in 2011. Most people know him from his atheist stance but he certainly was much more than that. His bitter and biting wit are focused in this story of his life. My most memorable moments from his story is his feelings on the suicide death of his mother. He is honest in his pain and regrets and one wonders if his mother would have done what she did if she had known how much her children suffered because of her actions.I liked the fact that he said he went into journalism so he could know what really was going on, before it got censored. Interesting perspective on that.He was a brilliant man and his book shows signs of brilliance also. His reading of the book is so low key that I sometimes felt he was bor... moreed with the reading of his own life. Anyone curious about his life should definitely read or listen to this biography.
review 2: If you have a brain, reading anything by Christopher Hitchens will make you squirm. I found a hardcover first edition of Hitch-22 at my favorite bookshop in Austin, only to put off reading it for months due to the uncomfortable questions I’m forced to ask myself whenever the Hitch is at the forefront of my literary attention. His strong stance against religion (that it poisons everything), originally drew me to him years ago, just as he was dying from esophageal cancer and in a stage of decline – which drew cheers from fundamentalist Christians as his punishment for blasphemy, ironically cementing his anti-theist views. The life of Christopher Hitchens was a tour de force, which few will ever have the galls, self-awareness or moral courage to emulate. Always relishing the opportunity to take contrarian positions against political and religious figures from Henry Kissenger to Mother Teresa, the Hitch was a courageous individual by any lofty standards – fervidly defending his position on the invasion of Iraq in spite of identifying himself with the left, all the while imbibing on endless scotch and cigarettes as if his mortality was nothing to fear. He can easily be construed as being too opinionated, callous, possibly misogynistic and lacking empathy towards matters such as religion, although his positions against human rights violations and racial intolerance are well grounded and always have the individual in mind. Reading this made me go down numerous rabbit holes to research events with historical significance such as the invasion of Czechoslovakia, the 13th Amendment and the Rushdie Affair, to name a few – all useful in itself for learning something new. In fact, reading Hitch-22 without performing any due diligence on historical events will only lead to frustration as he makes the assumption that you already know the basics, especially regarding Jewish history. The main things I took away from reading his memoir were: 1. Your positions and tastes will inevitably evolve to the presently unfathomable if you are thinking, reasoning person. 2. The admission that we know very little and that nothing is rooted in absolute certainty is the closest path to human 'enlightenment' 3. Notwithstanding the foregoing, have convictions, have an opinion and express them. Don’t be afraid to step on your past’s toes. Most people simply lack the formulae of brains and personal / political conviction he had in order to be morally compelled to speak out and act to the degree he did. He admits to an intense competitiveness for winning arguments, even petty ones, which is logically rooted in some insecurity, but he acknowledges this to encourage us to speak out and be bold rather than trot around being afraid to offend others. For Hitch, the political became personal, to where he appeared to attack others’ actions and words for their inability to please his standards to uphold human rights, but that’s how much he cared about violations to the individual. He is a rare voice that never folded to authority and spoke out for all of us, whether we know it or not. That is my definition of a martyr and hero – someone who is willing to stake his reputation and life to defend others rights and is never satisfied with a complacent attitude. less

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