God Is Not Great

How Religion Poisons Everything

By: Christopher Hitchens

Narrated by: Christopher Hitchens

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris' recent best-seller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty of the double helix.

©2007 Christopher Hitchens (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"The best of the recent rash of atheist manifestos." (Publishers Weekly)
"Effortlessly witty and entertaining as well as utterly rational." (Booklist)

Excellent,a classic but needs to be re-Engineered

Love the book, but I hope it is te-engineered for ease of listening. The volume level of the author-speaker is constantly waivering in decibel output making it difficult to listen. I found myself constantly adjusting the volume.

The work is thought provoking and always interesting and engaging

Hitchens at his finest

if you have any love for Chris Hitchens this book is a treasure trove of insightful and thoughtful arguments against organized religious institutions throughout history.

Hitchens is a very, very eloquent and smart man. 10/10

An excellent book on the subject of religion.

However the performance felt very rushed and sometimes hard to understand in the car. It's not what I would call a typical performance of Christopher on YouTube or other online video of him.

A must read awakening

Now one of my favorite books. Christopher Hitchens draws from his life experiences, especially when he worked as a foreign correspondent, and using historical perspectives to show that hypocrisy reigns in religions.

My understanding is that this book isn't meant to be a rigorous proof that there is no god, nor is it saying that religious people don't or cannot do good deeds. It does however quite successfully show that the more fundamental and/or orthodox religious adherents become, the worse their behavior, and the more likely they are to compromise on basic human decency in order to rigorously follow their dogmatic doctrines.

No one needs religious teachings to be good. The history of the behavior of religious adherents, and the current morality taught by religions, demonstrate that there is no omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving god guiding these people. To the contrary, ever since the Enlightenment, secular values have led the path forward to a more egalitarian, fair, and just society; often having to overcome significant resistance from religions who have fought, and continue to fight, vigorously against this progress.

Importantly, religions have failed to provide any actual evidence of their veracity, discourage their adherents from honest inquiry and rational thinking, and directly teach incorrect epistemology in order to ensure that their adherents remain compliant and fearful of a self-directed life outside of the religion.

Sound levels were not cool

If you could sum up God Is Not Great in three words, what would they be?

The authors voice and accent are charming, but some decent volume editing software would've really made this alot better. Can't hear some, turn it up..... BLAM!! Shouting and bruised brain!

intruiging and well researched

Christopher Hitchens proposes an unpopular point of view with evidence of science, literature and history

anyone should read it as long as they are prepared to both agree and disagree, and not let one affect the other

Verbose and witty

Its too bad we're down a Hitchens in this world. Unabashedly, he wasn't afraid to take on unpopular stances: Diana was a spoiled brat, Mother Teresa was had a disdain for the poor, and the Iraq war was just. I certainly don't agree with everything he had to say, but I do when it comes to this book. Admittedly I've read Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins as well, and best am described as a firebrand atheist, so a book like this isn't convincing me of any new "revelations". However, what Hitchens does is gives the reader (listener) an eloquent account of the misgivings of religious doctrine. Unlike say, Harris, who methodically breaks down each major religion, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, incident by incident a scholastically fashion, Hitchens flows between issues, and occasionally revisits them, displaying a natural gift for both writing and verbal.

Probably the best gift of this book, is that Hitchens narrates it himself. You can picture him with the ambers of his of a fading cigarette and and half empty martini resting near him. There's no need to imagine how Hitchens envisioned the delivery as he's there, doing it himself. Despite his under-the-breath narrative style, he's always clear and easy to understand.

Admittedly the problem with any book in this matter, his aggressive manner is sure to being offputting to the very audience he's attempting to reach but that's a separate issue of its own.

This is Hitchens at his finest, and whether you like him or loathe him, he's worthy of attention. So I'll raise a glass, and say "Thanks", I'll miss knowing I won't hear more from him.

Christopher Hitchens makes some great points

His voice trails off during every sentence. Which is a bummer. Too bad hes dead.

Excellent

Christopher Hitchens spoke with great logic and reason. He displayed a real care for opressed people. This book is no exception, I highly recommend it.

Hitch Slap, In Perpetuity

Personally, one of the most important books of the Modern Age. Christopher Hitchens is one of the brightest examples of reason, dry wit, and limitless intellect. If you have never witnessed a Hitchens speech, or his relentless debates with the religious and political elite, this audiobook of his signature work will aquatint you with this noted scholar in a most intimate and charming way.
In light of the madness and tumult of today’s global climate, I find myself missing his voice among all the clamor of today’s harsh and biting rhetoric. Hearing his voice, for hours on end, serves as a calming shore of Common Sense and Light upon the Shadows of Human Weakness and Frailty that religions, throughout the world, have allowed to descend upon such Delicate, Jittery Creatures that we’ve somehow become.