The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever (Abridged) Audiobook

" Great to have in the bathroom. I read one essay per visit. "

" There were certainly some "essential" readings in this collection. There were the more obvious selections (Spinoza, Einstein, Freud, Russel, Sagan, Dawkins). There were some great pieces by writers whom I'd never read before (Emma Goldman, H. L. Mencken, Michael Shermer, Victor Stenger). These were balanced with pieces by fictional and poetic writers (Updike, McEwan, Rusdie, etc.). All of this was great. The big problem with Hitchens' collection is the lack of fat-cutting. It's a 480 page grouping that can seem redundant and tiring at times. With 47 selections, there were some articles that could have easily been cut; a good ten that did not quite reach the "essential" category. Some more cutting could have been done within the articles; some writings took long tangents that, out of their original contexts, seemed too off-topic (I'm looking at YOU, Karl Marx). Don't get me wrong -- The Portable Atheist was an informative, enjoyable, satisfying read -- but don't read it cover to cover and expect to be enthralled by every page. "

" I wanted to like this... I just couldn't get into it...Maybe I will pick it up later "

" I honestly didn't finish this, but I think it's a decent collection. "

" One of the most sensible and logical books in the world. Some say it is anti-religious,but it is just the truth. "

" A keeper to share with others. Also..a compilation of 'such magnitude' that it will be read again and again..bits and pieces at a time! "

" Some of the essays are brilliant: Bertrand Russell's, Hume's and several others. Some are slogs though. So it washes out to about three stars. "

" Love this book! Highly recommend for the historical value alone not to mention the essays available for the different realms of the nonbeliever or perhaps I should say the Freethinker. "

" "Essential" should be taken out of the title. Some of them are good, but most I wouldn't call essential. "

" This book is exactly what the title claims-- while nothing too special, it is a well thought out and diverse collection of essays. You've probably encountered some of them before and if not, you probably should have. "

" If you're looking for the closest thing to an Atheist's Bible, this is it. I recommend you read it with a pen and make notes as often as you can. Highlight, discuss, learn something, you idiot. "

" I really enjoyed the modern essays, especially salman rushdie, sam harris and carl sagan. Mark twain is always wonderful to read. I do think many of these works are heavy, dense, and need to be read more than once to be understood. Ill read this for the rest of my life, very interesting read "

" Some of the essays Hitchens selected for this collection are a little dry. But on the whole it was a great read, and some of the personal stories were extremely touching. "

" Lots of Essays by some of the most prominent atheists through out history. Even some from Einstein (the mathematician not the dog) "

" Gave up on this one. "

" This is a fascinating collection of all manner of brave thought, from the scholarly to the humorous. My favorites are the account of David Hume's last days, the Mencken list of dead gods, and the Ibn Warraq dissection of Islam. "

" I'm never going to finish this. I don't like audio books and I'm not crazy about reading selections from things rather than the things themselves. If you like audio books and you're interested in the subject matter I'm sure it would be great. Hitchens was terrific though. "

" This is a collection of essays about atheism. My favorites were the essays by George Sand and Emma Goldman. The intro by Hitchens was pretty great as well; I think it's the most calm, thoughtful writing I've seen from him. "

" I will be rereading this one. "

" Great compilation of some of the best atheistic writings. I'm a Christian and I loved this book. Very convenient. "

" Some of the authors were a little bit too philosophical for me to grasp/pay attention to what they were saying. Others had very good points. "

" If you ever get tired of old Hitch pounding religion from every angle, you might as well read his favorite religious pounders do it for him. "

" Great essays. The intro is worth thr price of the book. I owe this fantastic book a review.... "

" Great book to have in the arsenal for any atheist. "

" Some new works I had not read, some classics in the field, all thoughtful. Good job, Mr. Hitchins. "

" Lots of good texts are in there but the presentation of some of it is terribly dry. I'm looking at you Marx. The book does provide lots of material to site easily though if need be during a debate, etc. "

" I will be rereading this one. "

" One of the most sensible and logical books in the world. Some say it is anti-religious,but it is just the truth. "

" Some great entries, some stodgy and impenetrable, but a great introduction by Christopher Hitchens. The man is a genius. "

" You won't find a better set of essays describing the arguments, and the faith, behind secular humanism, from classical times to the "New Atheists." "

" A very nice collection of texts that, besides obviously underlining some of the secular and atheistic writing in classic literature, also serves as a nice introduction to those same works. I will definitely be reading some of these works, now that I have had a taste of them here. "

" Enjoyable... wouldn't recommend the book if your not an atheist or your not a fan of Christopher Hitchens but I guess that goes without saying. "

" This book tries to answer the question: what do great minds think about atheism? It does it very well, though it is a little dry. "

" Really outstanding collection of essays--especially impressed with the breadth and depth of disciplines and cultures from which the collection is sourced. "

" A very varied read. It quotes from many different authors most of which are very dry in making their point. That said there are many gems quoted in the book too which are a must read. Worth a buy if you like reading old style writings which can be very convoluted. "