In an effort to, for once, keep a book review shorter than the book itself, I'll get right to the point on this one.
This book by journalistic provocateur Christopher Hitchens is exactly what the title advertises. It's a series of semi-fictional letters from him to a non-specific "young contrarian," advising and encouraging the young person how they might best stick to their chosen path in life. Hitchens is perhaps too controversial and bomb-throwing to be "distinguished," but he's certainly worthy of that adjective, in the unlikely event he might accept it.
As for the book, it's formatted as a series of short letters from Hitchens to a hypothetical penpal, a young person asking for advice and insight into how best to find their own way. The book does what it sounds like it would do, but not much more, which explains my unbalanced review scores.
Letters to a Young Contrarian, by Christopher Hitchens, 2001
Concept: 7
Presentation: 6
Writing Quality: 8
Presents/Explains the Topic Clearly: 7
Entertainment Value: 6
Rereadability: 7
Overall: 6
This brief book (large type over 141 short pages) is comprised of advice and encouragement to an individual who resolutely wishes to stand out from the herd. There aren't a lot of specifics, since after all, if you simply followed what you were told, you'd hardly be a contrarian, would you? So the bulk of the text is made up of general exhortations and theoretical incitements, most of which boil down to "think for yourself," "go against the grain," "make up your own mind," "stick to your guns," and so forth. None of it bad advice, but I didn't find it inspirational or uplifting, nor was it nuts-and-bolts functional.
It wasn't sappy or self-indulgent, at least. Hitchens is a brilliant writer and thinker, and he's got a good sense of humor about this issue. He clearly feels a healthy absurdity in being asked for his advice on career goals or philosophical principles, but he takes the mentoring concept seriously, and gives advice that definitely rises above the level of platitudes. He's certainly lived a life that qualifies for the book's title, and a good chunk of the letters are devoted to discussing the stances and approaches he's used to make himself such a contrarian.
He was a Marxist in his college days and a writer of liberal polemics for some years after that, before maturing into a free thinker who made his name as a brilliant writer, ravenous reader, diligent researcher, and fearless author of books that were both informative and highly critical of Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger and many others. Of late (after the publication date of this book, ironically) he's achieved his greatest contrarian fame as a relentless debater and the author of the atheist manifesto
God is Not Great, as well as a trenchant supporter of the Iraqi War, and any other hypothetical military initiative against any (and all) Islamic, Middle Eastern nations. This despite his long history as a leftist, and his staunch opposition to virtually every other policy or societal goal of the Neo-cons who so wholeheartedly agree with his approach to US foreign policy, vis-a-vis the Middle East.
Hitchens has clearly walked the walk, but can he talk the talk? Not especially, but I'm not sure anyone can, or that it's even possible in this type of book. The best he can do is talk about what he's done, and set himself up as an example to emulate. And he's done so. I feel a bit unfair giving the book a low overall score when it was done about as well as it could have been done, but that doesn't change the fact that the book didn't inspire me, despite my strong interest in it and admiration for much of the work of the author. Perhaps I knew too much about him going in, or perhaps I'm no longer young enough. This book would surely have made a stronger impression on me at 21 than it did now.
Labels: book review, christopher hitchens
