The Portable Atheist

November 5, 2007
Hitchens, an avowed atheist and author of the bestseller God Is Not Great, is a formidable intellectual who finds the notion of belief in God to be utter nonsense. The author is clear in his introduction that religion has caused more than its fair share of world problems. Religion invents a problem where none exists by describing the wicked as also made in the image of god and the sexually nonconformist as existing in a state of incurable mortal sin that can incidentally cause floods and earthquakes. The readings Hitchens chooses to bolster his atheist argument are indeed engaging and important. Hobbes, Spinoza, Mill and Marx are some of the heavyweights representing a philosophical viewpoint. From the world of literature the author assembles excerpts from Shelley, Twain, Conrad, Orwell and Updike. All are enjoyable to read and will make even religious believers envious of the talent gathered for this anthology. What these dynamic writers are railing against often enough, however, is a strawman: an immature, fundamentalist, outdated, and even embarrassing style of religion that many intelligent believers have long since cast off. It could be that Hitchens and his cast of nonbelievers are preaching to the choir and their message is tired and spent. However, this remains a fascinating collection of readings from some of the Wests greatest thinkers.

February 25, 2008
Interconnecting a vast range of sources from Lucretius to more contemporary authors, Hitchens brings together a mix of naysayers and skeptics regarding religion and, in particular, God. While not all of his selections are by fervent atheists, Hitchens connects them in such a way as to explore how and why people have rejected religious beliefs throughout the ages. Additionally, he provides valuable introductions to many of the pieces, situating them for the listener in the context of his overall argument. While some provide great insight and questions for listeners, others are only tangentially relevant. Nicholas Ball has an agreeable voice, but when transitioning from introductions to the excerpt, he rarely pauses and listeners may not even realize the excerpt is being read. His timing and speed may work well with other material, but lacks the reflection and nuance needed for this diverse and complex work with many different writing styles. Simultaneous release with the Da Capo hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 29).

January 15, 2008
Atheism's stock is high right now, as is Hitchens's, whose recent book, "God Is Not Great", has given rise to much discussion and controversy. It is no surprise that Hitchens and a willing publisher might be intrigued by the possibility of cashing in on his recent success. "The Portable Atheist", however, is a rather messy ragout of widely disparate readingsall provocative and entertaining but hardly a coherent statement. Lucretius, Thomas Jefferson, Emma Goldman, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, and many writers and thinkers as impressive as these all gave voice to their doubts, but as Hitchens does not seem to understand, they believed and disbelieved rather different things and argue from and for very different premises. The perceptive reader will feel much sorrow for the thousandfold human follies perpetrated in the name of religion and condemned here, but no case against God does "The Portable Atheist" make. Still, valuable for most collections.

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