Prepared for the Worst: Selected Essays and Minority Reports

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Hitchens has written a great deal of bracing good sense on politics literature in the past decades Much of it has been collected between the covers of this well packed book Since these pieces originally appeared in journals as wide ranging as the TLS, Grand Street, Harper s, Mother Jones, The Nation Spectator, only the most avid admirer would be likely to have come across them all In addition to the predictable, eloquent Reagan bashing, there are thoughtful essays on Paul Scott his Raj Quartet, the contradictions of George Orwell, the Brideshead phenomenon, that very independent minded Israeli Professor Israel Shahak, Conor Cruise O Brien, even something as up to date as a perceptive review of Bonfire of the Vanities Hitchens writes clearly, from a well stocked mind, is free of the cant that affects many political journalists Why the kinds of views that he his very kindred spirit Alexander Cockburn express so well never receive an airing on TV, where they d reach a much wider audience, remains a source of shame to a supposedly free medium In any case, book magazine readers can feel fortunate that publishers suffer no such self imposed restraints Publishers Weekly New Read [ Prepared for the Worst: Selected Essays and Minority Reports ] Author [ Christopher Hitchens ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr I d give this one 1 1 2 stars if I could I enjoyed the writing style I d be interested in readingof Hitchens work on topics I find interesting.But this is a book analyzing political, historical, and literary events in the mid 1980s I believe the essays are meant to be read in the 1980s, by people with a good understanding of those events My mem...Cockburn and Hitchens having been my favorite regular contributors to The Nation, I picked this book by the latter up when I found it Even now that Hitchens has gone big time with Vanity Fair, leaving The Nation, and has thrown in his hat with the invaders of Afghanistan and Iraq, I still admire the quality of his writing and his acerbic wit.A few years ago I attended a reception for him by graduate students, I believe at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan He came, picked up a Cockburn and Hitchens having been my favorite regular contributors to The Nation, I picked this book by...I often wish Christopher Hitchens was still alive, not only because that would be great, but also because I want to know what he would think about all of the events happening in the world these days Donald Trump, the craziness with Russia and North Korea, the metoo movement everything.But then there are these books And reading through them it makes me realize that every era has crazy events and controversies and luckily for us, Hitchens wrote about many of them These pieces about Reagan, I often wish Christopher Hitchens was still alive, not only because that would be great, but also because I want to know what he would think about all of the events happening in the world these days Donald Trump, the craziness with Russia and North Korea, the metoo movement everything.But then there are these books And reading through them it makes me realize that every era has crazy events and controversies and luckily for us, Hitchens wrote about many ...Some articles are dated, but the collection is large enough to satisfy with timely ones.A beautifully written collection of early Hitchens There are perhaps a few too many articles on the minutiae of 1980s scandals such as the Iran Contra affair but overall well worth reading.The lack of a proper Contents page is irritating There are five section headings, with their page numbers,...Really nice to read Hitchens early work I realized I made it all the way to the end of December without reading any of his words Glad I was able to change that The reflections on then current events and particularly the Reagan presidency are not to be missed And despite the essay co...I always enjoy reading work that remains engaged and fearless throughout So many essayists cringe before power or weakness depending on their political proclivities that this form of writing has no real future given current trends.Although some of the political essays are obsolescent, his writing on Kissinger, Reagan, Marx, Guatemala, religion, lobbies, PACs, terrorism, news media etc remains relevant The book also contains fantastic essays on Borges, Wilde, Orwell and Joan Didion.

Prepared for the Worst: Selected Essays and Minority Reports
  • English
  • 26 March 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 365 pages
  • 0809078678
  • Christopher Hitchens
  • Prepared for the Worst: Selected Essays and Minority Reports