BOOK REVIEW

Letters to a Young Contrarian - Christopher Hitchens

The strongest of brain coffee for the nascent oppositionist

     If I believed in personal heroes, Christopher Hitchens would claim a high-ranking spot on my own list, second only to my mother whose place at the top would never be usurped. (As a matter of principle, I reject the concept of heroism because it is too often wedded with a veneer of infallibility, and I’m of the opinion that no one ought to be exempt from critique. I like to think Hitch might agree with this point of view.) This book exemplifies just why I’ve sought to read, watch and listen to Hitchens more than any other public figure. With his incisive wit and booming indignation, he underscores why we can only progress by means of disputation and disagreement, and that argument is essential for its own sake.

      This bookshelf staple for the politically and socially-charged mind takes the form of a series of letters, with each chapter dedicated to a sub-theme, ranging from the importance of establishing first principles (a must-have skill) to the role of humour in a dissident’s life (an oft-overlooked tool). Per his usual style, Hitchens references countless examples of icons who demonstrated the valor to stand up to the false virtues of consensus and convention. The invocations of Emile Zola, who penned J’Accuse to France’s president during the Dreyfus affair, and the Tribune’s Vienna correspondent, who dutifully undermined public opinion in condemning the Red Army for their raping and looting as they liberated much of Nazi-occupied Europe, are two standout illustrations. Today, and since this book’s publication, one might think of Julian Assange or Edward Snowden. Hitchens calls for readers to uphold their moral fiber through ruthless logic and skepticism, insisting that the worst crimes are still committed in the name of loyalty to nation, “order”, leadership or faith and he does not recoil from the chance to express his disdain for the damages yielded, especially on those that bear religion’s fingerprints.

      Perhaps it would be too generous a crown to label this book a nonconformist’s manifesto, for Hitchens’ writing is not without its difficulties. He assumes a vast knowledge on the part of his audience and it could be argued that he too readily sprinkles the text with examples, forcing readers curious as myself to either digress in parallel research or else feel more detached from the passage’s crux than necessary.  However, he does espouse admirable and inspirational guidance by entreating readers to seek out those with whom they disagree, for their further learning, as well as questioning their own allegiances to check that they are not blind or misplaced. There are no parameters to this exercise: Albert Camus famously deliberated on whether he would have the courage to choose Justice over his own mother. Letters to a Young Contrarian serves as a warning against the temptation of factions whose purpose is to dull the pain of thought; therein lies an easier life of instruction and conformity. But down that road one will also encounter mental atrophy and decay, and as Hitchens reminds us, our greatest resource – that which distinguishes us from all other species – is our mind. 

-NP, June 2016