Great atheist manifesto! My review will be added in the future after I have re-read it again. Edit Sept. 7th 2011:
This book is a real eye-opener and puts religion in a different perspective, and it's not a rosy perspective that he comes with. One of the many things that I like about this book is that it's doesn't say "X religion is better than Y religion", I like that it's not tainted like that. He doesn't try to take side and find out which is religionis the lesser evil.
Hitchens is an Atheist (just like I am) and he doesn't try to paint a neutral picture or be neutral/soft in his opinions. He really gets in your face with his real-life examples and prose. If you get offended (for lack of a better word) when people criticize your faith, then this book is probably not the best one to start with.
Writing this makes me think of this piece of lyrics written by Marilyn Manson:
I never really hated a one true god
but the god of the people I hated
- which I interpret as that the problem is neither "God" or "Religion" per se, but rather what the people/followers choose to do with it. I find this rather spot on, and in a way this is also what I believe Hitchens is trying to say.
