HITCH-22

Under any criteria, this is not a good reading—but listeners shouldn’t let that deter them. Unlike more experienced audiobook narrators, author Christopher Hitchens reads his book haltingly, somewhat clumsily, with commas that sound like periods and paragraph breaks that are often imperceptible. Yet Hitchens's style, in some way, fits his content. This self-described "hack journalist," polemicist, and contrarian looks over the first 60 years of his tumultuous life, and, with his usual brio, tells the tale of himself. Any fan of Hitchens's writing will appreciate hearing this story in his voice. What he misses in technique, he makes up in sensitivity as he delivers what is, after all, the story of an interesting and unique life. K.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2010]