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A review by m_m_shoe
Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
5.0
You can find this book review and others at my blog https://montanasmusings.wordpress.com
"The man who prays is the one who thinks that god has arranged matters all wrong, but who also thinks that he can instruct god how to put them right."
If I'm being honest, I'm not sure why I initially bought this book. It was thin and a thin book means an easy read....right? I didn't know who the author was, but I quickly made his acquaintance via the written word. Christopher Hitchens wrote Mortality when he was dying of stage four esophageal cancer, and it is in this small but stellar volume that he ponders religion, life and death, and medical interventions.
I've always been curious with religion. I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school so it's always been a part of my life. But the quote above about praying hit me hard and ever since I first read it years ago, I haven't been able to forget it. I haven't been able to come to terms with religion in the same way. Because I've been exploring religions lately, I knew I would have to give this book another read to ponder the points Hitchens makes in this book.
He discusses religion but also his experiences in "Tumortown" and how he handles people in "Wellville". Very rarely do people get such a blunt description of what illness is truly like, and very rarely do people wonder if medical interventions are helping or prolonging pain. Hitchens did a phenomenal job of discussing life, religion, philosophy, and illness. I think everyone should give this book a few reads throughout their lifetime.
"The man who prays is the one who thinks that god has arranged matters all wrong, but who also thinks that he can instruct god how to put them right."
If I'm being honest, I'm not sure why I initially bought this book. It was thin and a thin book means an easy read....right? I didn't know who the author was, but I quickly made his acquaintance via the written word. Christopher Hitchens wrote Mortality when he was dying of stage four esophageal cancer, and it is in this small but stellar volume that he ponders religion, life and death, and medical interventions.
I've always been curious with religion. I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school so it's always been a part of my life. But the quote above about praying hit me hard and ever since I first read it years ago, I haven't been able to forget it. I haven't been able to come to terms with religion in the same way. Because I've been exploring religions lately, I knew I would have to give this book another read to ponder the points Hitchens makes in this book.
He discusses religion but also his experiences in "Tumortown" and how he handles people in "Wellville". Very rarely do people get such a blunt description of what illness is truly like, and very rarely do people wonder if medical interventions are helping or prolonging pain. Hitchens did a phenomenal job of discussing life, religion, philosophy, and illness. I think everyone should give this book a few reads throughout their lifetime.