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God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything Paperback – April 6, 2009

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 9,630 ratings

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In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris's recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry
of the double helix.
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Editorial Reviews

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"[An] impressive and enjoyable attack on everything so many people hold dear... Hitchens has outfoxed the Hitchens watchers by writing a serious and deeply felt book, totally consistent with his beliefs of a lifetime. And God should be flattered: unlike most of those clamoring for his attention, Hitchens treats him like an adult."―New York Times

"[Hitchens] has somehow turned out an atheist book that, whatever one's stance on divine providence, is thoroughly enjoyable...in its profane interrogation of the sacred, [it] achieves a kind of joyous impudence...His narrative leans briskly and unrelentingly forward, subverting an unsettling all kinds of complacencies, religious and otherwise."―
Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was a prolific author, columnist, editor, and book critic, writing on issues ranging from politics, to religion, to the nature of debate itself. Hitchens' 2007 manifesto God Is Not Great was a #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award nominee. His other New York Times bestsellers include Hitch 22Arguably, and Mortality

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve (April 6, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446697966
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446697965
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.88 x 5.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 9,630 ratings

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Christopher Hitchens
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Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was the author of Letters to a Young Contrarian, and the bestseller No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family. A regular contributor to Vanity Fair, The Atlantic Monthly and Slate, Hitchens also wrote for The Weekly Standard, The National Review, and The Independent, and appeared on The Daily Show, Charlie Rose, The Chris Matthew's Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, and C-Span's Washington Journal. He was named one of the world's "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy and Britain's Prospect.

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4.7 out of 5 stars
9,630 global ratings

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Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They appreciate the author's fresh and caustic views on religion and philosophy. The writing style is praised as clear, articulate, and witty. Readers praise the author's persuasion and eloquence. However, opinions differ on the religious content, with some finding it interesting and witty, while others consider it a rambling list of religion's greatest misses.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

683 customers mention "Readability"642 positive41 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it thought-provoking, enjoyable, and worth buying. The author is well-versed in religious texts and writes with clarity and creativity.

"...In summary, this is one of the most thought-provoking books you will ever read. Hitchens establishes the premise of his book and he never relents...." Read more

"...First, let me say directly and unambiguously: this is a really good book...." Read more

"...Not a 'page turner' but I did find several things worth saving for future use (some profound, some just funny). See below...." Read more

"...He writes precisely and as simply as the subjects permit. He is brilliant, thoroughly grounded in the breadth and history of his topics...." Read more

622 customers mention "Insight"597 positive25 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-received. They appreciate the author's intelligent, well-reasoned statements that offer fresh and provocative ideas. The book opens their minds and reinforces what they already know. It is humorous and brings out good ideas with an intellectual passion rarely seen.

"...He never holds back and does so with an intellectual passion rarely seen. Fascinating, witty, enlightening, and irreverent but never boring...." Read more

"...and instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope that help us understand our universe, and DNA sequencing that allows us to diagnose disease but..." Read more

"...denies any supernatural entity who creates and personally sustains each and every believer, denies an afterlife, heaven or hell, and rejects the..." Read more

"...draws from his strict religious schooling, his deep familiarity with the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Gospels, the entire history of..." Read more

477 customers mention "Writing quality"416 positive61 negative

Customers find the writing style engaging and witty. They describe the author as articulate and literate. The book is described as easy to read and written by an anti-theist author who writes truthfully about his favorite topic.

"...It takes a brilliant mind and command of the language to be able to convey such lucid thoughts. 4...." Read more

"...He is a literate writer, and he assumes that his readers will recognize quotations and literary allusions without having to be spoon-fed...." Read more

"...The book is well written and easy to read...." Read more

"...Hitchens is clear, a straight talker, courageous, unpretentious, and egalitarian. He writes precisely and as simply as the subjects permit...." Read more

181 customers mention "Humor"145 positive36 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find it witty and entertaining, with clear prose and articulate concepts. The book reads like a mystery novel, providing an engaging experience for readers of all beliefs.

"...Fascinating, witty, enlightening, and irreverent but never boring. In the proper context, this is a "bad" book that is good for you...." Read more

"...the art of the rant: he says what I feel, with passion, intensity and wit." This is not a book that seeks to convert...." Read more

"...This book reads like a mystery novel and whatever level of belief you have, you will better understand the true underpinnings of the American..." Read more

"...This book will incite you as well as make you laugh; it will open your mind as well as reinforce what you suspected; and last but not least, it will..." Read more

65 customers mention "Author"65 positive0 negative

Customers find the author persuasive and eloquent in delivering his insights and experiences. They find the book insightful and thought-provoking, with many interesting accounts and poignant examples. The author is passionate about his point of view and the quotes are also insightful.

"...7. The uncomfortable nature of religion and sex. Many poignant examples. 8...." Read more

"...commendable side: this book does contain many newsworthy and interesting accounts...." Read more

"...Mr. Hitchens is an honest and brave man...." Read more

"...He is, generally speaking, an intriging man and a eloquent expositor of atheism...." Read more

343 customers mention "Religious content"205 positive138 negative

Customers have different views on the religious content of the book. Some find it an interesting examination of religion and its impact on history, with a witty, rambling list of religion's greatest misses. It contains many newsworthy accounts and the entire history of Christianity, as well as the Koran. Others say it doesn't provide a belief system all humanity can follow, and is too much for those poisoned by religion. The book also discusses provocative topics like whether religion makes people behave better or not.

"...Fascinating, witty, enlightening, and irreverent but never boring. In the proper context, this is a "bad" book that is good for you...." Read more

"...Words like negative, sarcastic, self-righteous, deliberately dishonest, asinine, and bigoted spring to mind to describe his approach...." Read more

"...Hitchens denies the metaphysical, denies any supernatural entity who creates and personally sustains each and every believer, denies an afterlife,..." Read more

"...the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Gospels, the entire history of Christianity, as well as the Koran and Hadiths of Islam, to his worldly..." Read more

62 customers mention "Honesty"42 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed views on the book's honesty. Some find it truthful and unforgiving in revealing the truth. Others feel the book contains misrepresentations, opinions stated as fact, and factual errors.

"In his public life Hitch was crass, honest, abrasive, confrontational, critical, and courageous. As such, he is a hero and will be missed...." Read more

"We so need Christopher Hitchens now.... Intelligent, witty, truthful, unabashed, and so correct in his..." Read more

"...2. His brutal unrelenting honesty will rub those who oppose his views in a bad way...." Read more

"...Mr. Hitchens is an honest and brave man...." Read more

57 customers mention "Pacing"39 positive18 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find the points valid and solid, while others feel the approach is rambling. The logic is sound and the arguments are irrefutable. However, some readers feel the book shows how corrupt and evil religions are.

"...Fascinating, witty, enlightening, and irreverent but never boring. In the proper context, this is a "bad" book that is good for you...." Read more

"...the used copy I bought and was pleased to see it was in very good condition with very minor wear to the pages and binding...." Read more

"Actually, the book is more about RELIGION being corrupt as hell, and that is not really God's fault, now is it?..." Read more

"...His points are strong and valid, but his approach to making them is rambling and discursive...." Read more

Judging by the Cover
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Was looking forward to receiving this book-slightly disheartened as it came with both corners of the spine crushed in and bent.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2011
    god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens

    "god is not Great" is a one of the most fascinating books you will ever read. A scholarly, passionate, and witty book that challenges religious dogma with panache. This 336-page book is composed of the following nineteen chapters: 1. Putting It Mildly, 2. Religion Kills, 3. A Short Digression on the Pig; or, Why Heaven Hates Ham, 4. A Note on Health, to Which Religion Can Be Hazardous, 5. The Metaphysical Claims of Religion Are False, 6. Arguments from Design, 7. Revelation: The Nightmare of the "Old" Testament, 8. The "New" Testament Exceeds the Evil of the "Old" One, 9. The Koran Is Borrowed from Both Jewish and Christian Myths, 10. The Tawdriness of the Miraculous and the Decline of Hell, 11. "The Lowly Stamp of Their Origin": Religion's Corrupt Beginnings, 12. A Coda: How Religions End, 13. Does Religion Make People Behave Better, 14. There Is No "Eastern" Solution, 15. Religion as an Original Sin, 16. Is Religion Child Abuse?, 17. An Objection Anticipated: The Last-Ditch "Case" Against Secularism, 18. A Finer Tradition: The Resistance of the Rational, and 19. In Conclusion: The Need for a New Enlightenment.

    Positives:
    1. Hitchens writes with panache.
    2. Thought-provoking does not begin to describe this book.
    3. Hitchens is the ultimate intellectual entertainer. It takes a brilliant mind and command of the language to be able to convey such lucid thoughts.
    4. Any book by Hitchens is a quote fest but this is his Magnum Opus.
    5. Hitchens is able to put into words what many of us think.
    6. Challenges many religious beliefs of various faiths.
    7. The uncomfortable nature of religion and sex. Many poignant examples.
    8. The truth about how agnostic cadets are bullied by "born again" cadres.
    9. Violations against the Establishment Clause illustrated.
    10. How religion and faith distort our whole picture of the world. Example, condoms and AIDS.
    11. Debunks many religious beliefs with compelling arguments. As an example, destroys the absurd notion of a young earth.
    12. A look back at some fascinating doomsday predictions.
    13. The clash of science and religion and how religion thwarted scientific progress.
    14. The arrogance of religion exposed.
    15. An eye for evolution...you will understand my pun once you read this page-turning book.
    16. The fallacy of Noah's Ark. We are all wet to believe such things.
    17. The truth behind the ten commandments and what they don't say.
    18. The "divine" authority to commit evil. A well developed theme throughout this book.
    19. The religious dogma that lead to witch hunt.
    20. Instruments of evil illustrated, oh my.
    21. What archaeology hasn't uncovered.
    22. Faith as a mask of insecurity.
    23. No such things as miracles.
    24. Many apologetic arguments destroyed.
    25. Religion as a political source of control.
    26. This book lead me to watch the Oscar-award winning documentary, "Marjoe". A tale of American evangelical hucksterism. Highly recommended.
    27. How some religions were invented by opportunists.
    28. The cruel practice of slavery and its misguided religious justification.
    29. The impact of Dr. King. Fascinating take.
    30. Many religious icons presented in a different light.
    31. Colonel Robert Ingersoll, enough said.
    32. Cruel creeds at work throughout the planet.
    33. Vicarious redemption as only Hitchens can express it.
    34. Dictatorships and their tools of oppression.
    35. Apartheid and its connection to religion, racism and totalitarianism.
    36. The lack of evidence for "intercessory" prayer.
    37. Very few people are as well read as Hitchens, but what sets him apart is his ability to relay topic-appropriate narratives with flair and this book exemplifies that.
    38. Well researched and referenced book.

    Negatives:
    1. This is not an even-handed book and Hitchens makes no bones about it. Hitchens did not write this book to give you the positives about religion so if you are looking for a fair assessment, you must look elsewhere.
    2. His brutal unrelenting honesty will rub those who oppose his views in a bad way.
    3. I have no problems going after immoral dogma, but I do have some reservations about equating immoral dogma with immoral believer. I think that distinction gets lost in this book.
    4. Clearly religion doesn't poison everything as evidenced by many of the good works of religious believers. That much we can say for certain, however I do have a problem with good acts in conjunction with proselytizing. Hitchens has done a very good job of clearing this issue up after the book was released.
    5. Having to wait for Mr. Hitchens next great book.

    In summary, this is one of the most thought-provoking books you will ever read. Hitchens establishes the premise of his book and he never relents. He never holds back and does so with an intellectual passion rarely seen. Fascinating, witty, enlightening, and irreverent but never boring. In the proper context, this is a "bad" book that is good for you. Highly recommended.

    Further suggestions: "Cruel Creeds, Virtuous Violence" by Jack David Eller, "Why I Became an Atheist..." by John Loftus, "God's Problem" by Bart D. Ehrman, "Godless..." by Dan Barker, "The God Virus" by Darrel Ray, "The End of faith" by Sam Harris, "The Religion Virus" by Craig A. James, "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins, and "God and His Demons" by Michael Parenti.
    41 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2007
    [Repeated from my blog at geoffarnold.com]

    Over the last year, there have been three important books published on belief and non-belief :

    * Dan Dennett's Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

    * Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion

    * Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

    I've already written - appreciatively - about the Dennett and Dawkins books, and I must admit that I approached Hitchens with some trepidation. After all, people have been lambasting Dawkins and others for their "intemperate" and "disrespectful" attacks on religion, and that's the kind of thing that seems likely to get Hitchens' juices flowing (metaphorically and literally). But I needn't have worried.

    First, let me say directly and unambiguously: this is a really good book. Hitchens is a mercurial toper, and he may be (nay, he is) dead wrong on Iraq, but he is a great writer. I find myself reading all of the book reviews that he writes, even if I have no interest whatsoever in the book, just for the pleasure of his prose. He is a literate writer, and he assumes that his readers will recognize quotations and literary allusions without having to be spoon-fed. And he achieves this in an utterly contemporary voice, without retreating into anachronism. So please buy this book, to keep the author well supplied with the vodka which seems to fuel his muse. We need more of his work.

    Enough of the style: what of the substance? I think that I can best describe my reaction to this book by considering the different uses to which I would put it and its two companions.

    If a committed theist asked me why she should pay attention to the "new atheism", I would give her Dennett's book. I would hope that she would realize that the modern world provides clear evidence of the diversity of beliefs and non-beliefs, and that perhaps she would agree that this was a subject worth studying, worth considering from outside her (probably exclusive) world-view. What explains belief? Why has belief changed over the years? I wouldn't expect to change her beliefs, but perhaps she could accept that belief and non-belief were legitimate subjects of inquiry.

    If I met a curious man, embedded in a religious tradition but uncertain of whether (or what) he believed, or if he might actually be losing his faith, I would give him Dawkins' The God Delusion. I'd be hoping that he could appreciate the role of science (and its stepchild, technology) in both understanding and creating the world in which he lives. It's not just iPods and cruise missiles, but also polio vaccine, and clean water, and instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope that help us understand our universe, and DNA sequencing that allows us to diagnose disease but also to see our place in the web of life on this planet. And I would hope that he might come to realize, with Carl Sagan, that the realities of the universe are far more majestic and beautiful than the myths of religion.

    But suppose that an old friend came to me and asked, "Why are you so fired up about atheism and religion these days? I remember you 15 years ago, and back then you were posting on alt.atheism, and having fun roasting creationists on talk.origins, and reading books on the philosophy of religion. But you didn't talk - and write - about it all the time, and you certainly didn't publically define yourself by your disbelief. So what happened?"

    Instead of trying to explain all of my reasons, I think I'd simply give them Hitchens' new book and say, "Read this. He puts it better than I ever could. I merely experience the occasional (but increasingly frequent) feelings of frustration, impatience, outrage, and even anger. Hitchens is an unequalled exponent of the art of the rant: he says what I feel, with passion, intensity and wit."

    This is not a book that seeks to convert. Its purpose is, first and foremost, to explain. To explain why atheists are no longer willing to sit meekly on our hands when the President of the United States says that I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens", or when the Archbishop of Canterbury excuses the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, or when Catholic cardinals and archbishops preach that condoms transmit AIDS. Yes, Hitchens also explains why he is an atheist, and the things that he finds mad, bad, or ridiculous about religion. Individual believers will naturally snort, and say that he's not talking about their belief, but that's not the point. He's not seeking to win a debate, or persuade the uncertain: he's laying out facts about the world and his opinions of those facts. And I agree with most of what he says.

    Perhaps because he is a student of history, and a former Marxist Trotskyite, Hitchens pays particular attention to what he calls An Objection Anticipated: The Last-Ditch "Case" Against Secularism. He's talking (p.230) about the charge that "secular totalitarianism has actually provided us with the summa of human evil." Hitchens' response is lengthy and detailed, and rejects the simplistic lumping-together of the various dictators of the 20th century. He describes how fascism and National Socialism co-opted religious institutions, which responded with unseemly enthusiasm. On the other hand, Communism in Russia and China had more in common with the anticlericalism of the French Revolution. Obviously Communists wished to eliminate any competing source of ideology or loyalty; beyond this, their secularism was less an expression of ontological atheism than of hatred towards the religious institutions which had supported the previous autocracies or imperialists. In fact, Communists were not trying to negate religion, but to replace it, complete with saints, heretics, mummies and icons. It's a complex topic that could fill an entire book, and Hitchens handles it very well.

    As you may have gathered by now, I really like this book. I really think that it's my favourite of the three, mostly because I learned more from it than the other two, and because it caught my mood so well. Of course there are many things to learn from Dennett and Dawkins, but I've been steeped in their works for the last twenty years, and I think I understand the world from their perspective. With his literary and historical bent, Hitchens provided an intriguingly different point of view. And, as I think I mentioned, the writing is simply superb.
    101 people found this helpful
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  • The book condition was not very good. There were some dirt stains as it was kept for a long time. Aand it feels like a used one too. But nothing was teared up or anything. Font and page quality was reasonably good at that price point(420 hardcover). Looking forward to read.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great product
    Reviewed in India on November 21, 2024
    Book's condition is good. Page quality and font is good.
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    The book condition was not very good. There were some dirt stains as it was kept for a long time. Aand it feels like a used one too. But nothing was teared up or anything. Font and page quality was reasonably good at that price point(420 hardcover). Looking forward to read.
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Great product

    Reviewed in India on November 21, 2024
    Book's condition is good. Page quality and font is good.
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    5.0 out of 5 stars Snabn leverans
    Reviewed in Sweden on March 17, 2023
    Nöjd med priset och leveransen
  • Dennis Moes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on January 22, 2021
    Awesome
  • Mr J Marston
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing insight
    Reviewed in Italy on February 6, 2020
    Not an easy read. Almost every chapter needs re reading to understand fully the depth of the authors knowledge and understanding of the subject. Loving every page, a truly amazing book.
  • DAVID BRYSON
    5.0 out of 5 stars LUCRETIUS REDUX
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2019
    This book has received extravagant praise from many quarters and comment of the opposite kind from others. It stands to reason, I suppose, that a pugnacious atheistic tract will divide opinion in just such a way. What does not stand to reason is the veracity or probability of even the most revered scriptures, and that much seems to be true of all religions. One obvious instance springs to mind, the Agony in the Garden, as recounted in St Matthew. The first and most obvious absurdity is that the supposed witnesses to these events were all asleep. However there is more to it than that, and in his splendid The Evolution of the Gospel’ Enoch Powell (yes, that Enoch Powell) finds the whole tale to be ‘transparent fiction’ without even relying on that particular detail.

    Back to what stands to reason, then. What surely stands to reason is that religious faith does not take its stand on reason. Nor is that any matter of fine shades of interpretation. ‘Beliefs’ that men (and women) will kill or die for are self-commending. Indeed, so strong is their persuasive power in some quarters that they can be required as a matter of religious law. Hitchens’ text does not delve deeply into the question ‘What is this thing called faith anyhow?’ To me for one the truth seems to be that only our actions can be subject to someone’s commands, or even to our own decisions; and holding a belief is not an action, it is a state of affairs, like having a headache.

    Continuing our lesson in truisms, people who think thoughts like these had better be careful how, when, where and in whose presence they give expression to them. Hitchens presents this matter vividly, calling on such mighty figures as David Hume in his support. Hume ca’ed canny and did not provoke dangerous reactions. So why did he need to? What is it about religious doctrines that they exert such control? Ordinary reason subverts them, and I wonder what exercises there are in the application of thought via Housman-style textual criticism of the texts that underlie them. Not, I suppose, that such instances as the miracles that abound require any Housman to refute them. Any one of us can do that, provided we want to.

    One very deep and thoughtful book that may be found of help in this connection is one that I was surprised not to find cited by Hitchens. The book is In the Shadow of Mount Sinai, and it is by Peter Sloterdijk. As the title suggests, Sloterdijk restricts himself to the Abrahamic religions. So does Hitchens for the most part, although he determinedly expands into Asiatic religions for a shortish stretch of the book. What Sloterdijk studies is the need for authority, either personal leadership or abstract authority (often focused on some idol or other) that cultures and ‘nations’ experienced in their cultural development. Naturally this was no matter of the likes of Hume, Dawkins or any of those, it was a matter of an underlying need. I have no learning or expertise in such matters, but at a superficial ‘helicopter’ level this makes sense to me in attempting to account for the religious focus on the irrational and the power it exerts.

    So what does one suppose Hitchens is trying to achieve with this book? He is a brilliant journalist and a brilliant writer, and his book is a pleasure to read, at least when the reader is receptive to the author’s cast of mind and personal values. I had the impression that he saw himself as a soldier of rationality fighting the good fight for reason against what he perceives as superstition, indeed often as plain old nonsense. He recognises that the fight has been going on for a while, and he cites Lucretius in the first century BC. I had never before thought of Lucretius as witty, but our author here is no doubt more perceptive than I am. One phrase often used by Lucretius is ‘patrii sermonis egestas’ – ‘the poverty of my native language’ – to complain about how difficult the doctrines of Epicurus were to represent in Latin. For the student that usually flagged a warning that we were in for a hard bit too. More accessible, and closer to our own era, is Arthur C Clarke’s short but awesome novel Childhood’s End. In this mighty story one aspect of the Overlords’ utopia is that they gave humanity extensive glimpses of humanity’s own history that humanity’s own resources had denied them. And as this unfolded, Clarke remarks laconically that religions which had bolstered mankind for centuries now dissolved in the face of proper knowledge. Hitchens was no Karellen, but he makes a worthy and strenuous effort of his own to help us understand.