Letters to a Young Contrarian

By Christopher Hitchens

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465030335
• ISBN13: 9780465030330
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 141 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Timeless Advice - Not for the Fair Weather Patriot

This is a simple and elegant series of letters written to a hypothetical student. Only a cynical could fail to admire and value Christopher Hitchens' "Letters to a Young Contrarian". This short book contains all the advice a student of twenty first century society should want or need. We get a marvelously unadulterated dose of the author's hortative aesthetics. Every letter is marked with a characteristic polish that creates a pedagogical elegance. The book is written as a series of letters which are timely and timeless. I bought this book as a gift for a young writer and journalist. I read it before giving it as a gift. I am very pleased with it as a gift and hope that the advice falls on fertile soil. I am also very pleased with the book as advice for my own personal causes. These letters continue to be a priceless source of insight and wisdom as the student continues to evolve as an activist. We can all see ourselves in these wonderful words and we can witness what we aspire to be. These letters fill the reader with hope. There is hope that society can evolve to a rational enlightenment. Hope is alive and we are not doomed to repeat all the follies of history. What impressed me so much was the incredible precision and care in each of the letters. The commitment to explore the unconventional and contrary positions is a commitment to personal integrity. This commitment is a social contract that is a prerequisite to democracy and to civilization. The author's choice of examples and counter examples clearly illustrate his intention to inspire the next generation of social thinkers. I highly recommend this book to every person who wants to become an agent of change. It will probably be more useful to aspiring journalists, scientists, mathematicians and writers. People who simply enjoy the wonder of reasoned inquiry will delight in the book also. The advice can hardly be paraphrased with any justice to the subject in a short review. For the most part, the author be gives advice about being eternally vigilant and persistent in the face of unrelenting opposition. There is no limit to human anti-intellectualism so there must be no limit to reason. Patiently embrace the struggle and make it your own. Understand that the sources of irrationality and prejudice are petty, private, archaic and primeval urges. All of these things he discusses with incredible wisdom and lucidity. The author centers, assures and illuminates the student. What a delight this book turned out to be. Buy a copy of this book for every young person you care about. They can read it again and again to gain insight and create a purposeful life. Some young people will cynically dismiss the relevance of the message, but no one who reads it can miss the message. Life on autopilot, accepting standards and norms without reason, is to life without human purpose. Even the most cynical alive person can give pause to enjoy this wonderful collection of sweepingly t

Timeless Advice - Not for the Fair Weather Patriot

This is a simple and elegant series of letters written to a hypothetical student. Only a cynical could fail to admire and value Christopher Hitchens' "Letters to a Young Contrarian". This short book contains all the advice a student of twenty first century society should want or need. We get a marvelously unadulterated dose of the author's hortative aesthetics. Every letter is marked with a characteristic polish that creates a pedagogical elegance. The book is written as a series of letters which are timely and timeless. I bought this book as a gift for a young writer and journalist. I read it before giving it as a gift. I am very pleased with it as a gift and hope that the advice falls on fertile soil. I am also very pleased with the book as advice for my own personal causes. These letters continue to be a priceless source of insight and wisdom as the student continues to evolve as an activist. We can all see ourselves in these wonderful words and we can witness what we aspire to be. These letters fill the reader with hope. There is hope that society can evolve to a rational enlightenment. Hope is alive and we are not doomed to repeat all the follies of history. What impressed me so much was the incredible precision and care in each of the letters. The commitment to explore the unconventional and contrary positions is a commitment to personal integrity. This commitment is a social contract that is prerequisite to democracy and to civilization. The author's choice of examples and counter examples clearly illustrate his intention to inspire the next generation of social thinkers. I highly recommend this book to every person who wants to become an agent of change. It will probably be more useful to aspiring journalists, scientists, mathematicians and writers. People who simply enjoy the wonder of reasoned inquiry will delight in the book also. The advice can hardly be paraphrased with any justice to the subject in a short review. For the most part, the author be gives advice about being eternally vigilant and persistent in the face of unrelenting opposition. There is no limit to human anti-intellectualism so there must be no limit to reason. Patiently embrace the struggle and make it your own. Understand that the sources of irrationality and prejudice are petty, private, archaic and primeval urges. All of these things he discusses with incredible wisdom and lucidity. The author centers, assures and illuminates the student. What a delight this book turned out to be. Buy a copy of this book for every young person you care about. They can read it again and again to gain insight and create a purposeful life. Some young people will cynically dismiss the relevance of the message, but no one who reads it can miss the message. Life on autopilot, accepting standards and norms without reason, is to life without human purpose. Even the most cynical alive person can give pause to enjoy this wonderful collection of sweepingly tho

This man can write!

To the lay person, at first this book can be a bit intimidating. He starts with a lot of strong ideas, and it is brilliantly written. Hitchens defines brilliant essayist. The writing is tight. Most importantly, he adapts a structure from one of my other favorite books, Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. His intelligence and knowledge of ideas is remarkable. Even if you do not agree with him on everything, this book is well worth reading! And as far as mentoring, he has encouraged and driven me to mentor a few of my own.

Reviewers need to read the book

Two criticisms of this book have been 1. it does not address practical topics of todays politics and 2. Hitchens has a large ego and wants to be Gore Vidal. What is truly inspiring about this book is that it is not an argument on current affairs. You can get this from a newspaper. I find Hitchens fascinating because he is one of the few writers who courageously tries to change how you think and not just your opinion on an issue. In fact Hitchens states that "how" and not "what" you think is what is truly important. As for point number 2 regarding Gore Vidal and the authors ego I have no idea where this comment comes from in fact the Hitchens is self-deprecating in several parts of the book. I have read the book three times now and to me it is a concise and powerful argument for why we need people who are what Hitchens calls "apart" (think differently). In fact my favorite part of the book is a discussion around the folly in trying to create consensus. You always need a cadre of strong viewpoints to reach a good decision. When reading some reviews I wonder if readers have read the book or have simply pigeonholed Hitchen's work and want to discredit him. I would highly recommend this book who sincerely wants to change how they think but people like this are few. As Hitchens points out many of our institutions, particularly religious institutions actually ask that you "check your intellect at the door" and listen to the wise person or book of wisdom. This subtle imposed ignorance keeps the masses in a haze but sufficienty free to do the bidding of its leaders, however, harmful they may be. I see a great service that Hitchens offers us which is the constant questioning of the existence of any large institution in the world whether it be government, religous, or business.

The standard bearer for independent thinking

It is hard to imagine many people giving unqualified support to Hitchens. He seems to relish the role of a contrarian. Lately, many on the Left have looked at him as a sellout. The Left icily received his condemnation of Clinton. His strong support of the intervention in Afghanistan after 9/11 labeled him as more hawk than dove. Yet, he is despised even more so by conservatives and especially by those in institutional power such as church leaders. His criticism of the Left is more than liberals wish, however his rebuke of the right is acrid. He has no love lost of tribe, religion, insular society, or politics that wrap themselves in the cloak of secrecy, security or jingoistic attitudes designed to promote sectarian action. Hitchens is his own man, a free thinker who uses his independence and intelligence to follow his instincts, his teachings and his sense of history. It is almost impossible to read his books, essays or articles without rallying around some aspect of his thoughts and simultaneously wringing your hands at something else that is seemingly absurd. Hitchens would not want it any other way. Those who wish dissension and division removed from the earth, he argues, have no idea that the alternative would be a boring, tedious world that many would wish to change even quicker. In `Letters' Hitchens adopts the role of mentor to the next generation of radicals and revolutionaries. Before chastising him as a promoter of reactionary, knee-jerk radicalism, it is important to understand that his definition of radical and revolutionary is steeped in the belief that a responsible citizen has the right and indeed the duty to challenge conventional thinking and wisdom. He cites the time-honored fable of the boy and the unclothed emperor to argue this approach. Without a critical populous to check the decisions and thinking of those in power, society runs dangerously close to tyranny and fascism. Many people look upon critics such as Hitchens as people who can never do anything. They can only tear down, destroy. This view is baldly simplistic and shows an abject ignorance of the role of the critic. If something is working well, there is no need to expound upon its virtue. The role of the critic is to change. The critic's energy must be channeled towards improving that which he views as broken. Hitchens gives models to follow in pursuit of a true independent, critical life. He writes of the unpopular positions taken by people such as Emile Zola in his defense of Albert Dreyfuss to underscore the benefits of the principled stand. He lambastes the tendency of the uninformed to settle their views based on feelings rather than ideas. He scours the church and other institutions for applying narrow thoughts to a broad following. Throughout the book, Hitchens cites the words of a myriad of authors. Some have labeled this as Hitchen's own unhealthy elitism but I think he has a nobler goal in mind. He is stressing the argument that the educat