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Letters to a Young Contrarian

Christopher Hitchens

Paperback | Pages: 141 pages

Rating: 4.14 | 9624 Users | 628 Reviews

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Title	:	Letters to a Young Contrarian
Author	:	Christopher Hitchens
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Anniversary Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 141 pages
Published	:	April 13th 2005 by Basic Books (first published 2001)
Categories	:	Nonfiction. Philosophy. Politics. Writing. Essays. Religion. Atheism. History

Chronicle Toward Books Letters to a Young Contrarian

From bestselling author and provocateur Christopher Hitchens, the classic guide to the art of principled dissent and disagreement In Letters to a Young Contrarian, bestselling author and world-class provocateur Christopher Hitchens inspires the radicals, gadflies, mavericks, rebels, and angry young (wo)men of tomorrow. Exploring the entire range of "contrary positions"--from noble dissident to gratuitous nag--Hitchens introduces the next generation to the minds and the misfits who influenced him, invoking such mentors as Emile Zola, Rosa Parks, and George Orwell. As is his trademark, Hitchens pointedly pitches himself in contrast to stagnant attitudes across the ideological spectrum. No other writer has matched Hitchens's understanding of the importance of disagreement--to personal integrity, to informed discussion, to true progress, to democracy itself.

Itemize Books To Letters to a Young Contrarian

Original Title:	Letters to a Young Contrarian
ISBN:	0465030335 (ISBN13: 9780465030330)
Edition Language:	English
Characters:	Bertrand Russell, Noam Chomsky, Henry Kissinger, George Orwell, Thabo Mbeki, Ayn Rand, Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, E.P. Thompson, Susan Sontag, Émile Zola, Diana, Princess of Wales, Adam Michnik, Nicholas Nickleby, Smike, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ronald Ridenhour

Rating Appertaining To Books Letters to a Young Contrarian

Ratings: 4.14 From 9624 Users | 628 Reviews

Critique Appertaining To Books Letters to a Young Contrarian

"...there is something idiotic about those who believe that consensus (to give the hydra-headed beast just one of its names) is the highest good."For a great many people, this may not be the book they were expected. It certainly was not for me. The epistolary style is wonderful as it inspires and links to the reader's own desire for individual thought. Hitchens creates an environment in which all might free themselves from whatever chains that have held them back from coming to their own

It is curious to see how Hitchens ended up being with Harris, Dawkins and Dennett in one camp, at least in the public imagination. I think it is crucial to flesh out the difference between the other three figures on one hand and Hitchens on the other. While the three champion (though it is arguable how much they adhere to) empiricism, rationality and the spirit of science in general, Hitchens is in a different camp. He makes bold claims which are based on personal experience, opinion,

Herein, Hitchens composes a series of 'letters' to those of us who would seek his advice and counsel. Inspired by his students in New York, and by hundreds of others on campuses where he spoke and lectured, 'Letters to a Young Contrarian' reads like a commencement address to a graduating class at Berkley or NYU. This could have easily been titled 'So You Want To Be A Dissident?' or 'Roadmap To Radical,' or maybe 'The Hitch-Liker's Guide To The Galaxy.'Like every Hitchens book I've ever read

Death hath wrought a pernicious dent in the erudite and intellectual world; Hitchens will not be one to be soon forgotten, nor ever replaced (but emulated, definitely). Let me stop you before you roll your eyes. Yes, I am providing my belated, unasked-for, and pedantic tribute to the late Hitch, but this is as appropriate of a forum as any to do so, right? Indeed, I read this magnificent little collection of letters of advice written to no one in particular (but everyone) in modest and solemn

Christopher Hitchens was my 5-star author hero. Everything he wrote I had to ration how much I read at a time so I could savour his writing, his pronouncements, his humour and his wisdom. This book was but a pale shadow of his others and I couldn't finish it. I may one day pick it up again.Although Hitchens is often the star of his own books, he is able to put himself to one side to concentrate on the subject. Unfortunately in this one he is not just the star, but the elevated hero, and great as

This book underscores what I like about Christopher Hitchens: he confronts every ideology, pissing off both liberals and conservatives. If I don't always agree with him, I always admire his iconoclasm and his style of disputation.

I could extract a handful of great quotations but generally found its subtlety muddled and the italicized foreign phrases snotty and maybe he used "tautology" too often for me to really get all psyched? How many times can "extirpate" be used too? A proper contrarian wouldn't unconditionally applaud his exhortations. A little disappointed, really -- thought it'd be more fun. He's not a fan of Clinton or God or idiots or neutrality. Got it. Overall, I found his style stilted and stodgy, his