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“Christopher Hitchens may long to be a cogent man of reason, and he can certainly be a pitiless adversary. But he knows there are two sides to any decent match, and it’s touching, in Hitch-22, to see how often he’ll race to the other side of the court to return his own serve. Which may explain why, though he tries to be difficult, he’s so hard to dislike.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“Hitch-22 is among the loveliest paeans to the dearness of one’s friends…I’ve ever read. The business and pleasure sides of Mr. Hitchens’ personality can make him seem, whether you agree with him or not, among the most purely alive people on the planet.”
— New York Times
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“A fat and juicy memoir of a fat and juicy life.”
— Washington Post
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“Hitchens represents a dying breed of public intellectual whose voice matters precisely because it can’t be easily pigeonholed or ignored.”
— Los Angeles Times
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“One of the most engaging, exciting books I’ve read in years…The writing is lovely…Hitchens’ cold-eyed evaluation of his younger self feels honest…Hitchens’ efforts, friends, and close calls are rendered wonderfully in this strange book. Ultimately, Hitch-22 is about cultivating and maintaining one’s intellectual integrity…Even if you don’t like what Hitchens thinks, it’s easy to admire how he thinks.”
— Boston Globe
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“A complex portrait of a public intellectual.”
— Wall Street Journal
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“Christopher Hitchens’ memoir has the same nerve and frankness that first made me admire him…His perspective on becoming an American citizen is refreshing at a time when it’s easy to become jaded about our role in the world.”
— Seattle Times
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“After reading Hitch-22, the only thing you can be sure of is that this flawed knight will not breathe contentedly unless he has a dragon to slay.”
— Miami Herald
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“A fascinating, absorbing book: the rare contemporary memoir that is the record of a life of true accomplishment and authentic adventure…Hitchens is bravely, or at least defiantly, candid about qualities his detractors might use to undermine or perhaps explain his love of war and his rabid hatred for religious people.”
— New York Observer
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“Delectable, sassy fun…This book is intelligent and humane…Hitch-22 reminded me why I love the author of The Missionary Position, his fervent slapping of Mother Teresa, and his book about the war crimes of Henry Kissinger. Hitchens takes no prisoners, not even himself.”
— New Haven Review
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“As contemptuous, digressive, righteous, and riotously funny as the rest of the author’s incessant output, this memoir is an effective coming-of-age story, regardless of what one may think of the resulting adult…Hitchens paints a credible and even affecting self-portrait.”
— New Yorker
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“Few writers can match his cerebral pyrotechnics. Fewer still can emulate his punch as an intellectual character assassin. It is hard not to admire the sheer virtuosity of his prose…With Hitchens one simply goes along for the ride. The destination hardly matters.”
— Financial Times
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“Whether he’s dodging bullets in Sarajevo, dissing Bill Clinton (with whom he says he shared a girlfriend at Oxford), or explaining his switch from leftist to Iraq war supporter, this foreign correspondent, pundit, and bon vivant makes for an enlightening companion. Give Hitch-22 an 11 out of 10 for smarts, then double it for entertainment value.”
— People
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“In this frank, often wickedly funny account, Hitchens traces his evolution as a fiercely independent thinker and enemy of people who are convinced of their absolute certainty…Revealing and riveting.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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As narrator, he contributes a pleasantly moderated voice and a listener-friendly British accent.
— AudioFile Magazine on God Is Not Great
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Hitchens also proves to be more than a capable reader; his wit, erudition, and passionate unbelief could not have been conveyed as compellingly by a surrogate. Highly recommended for all general collections.
— Library Journal on God Is Not Great