For all his accolades it seems that Mr. Hitchens spends his entire memoir trying to impress the reader with his knowledge. He continuously references totally obscure works that only someone with a PhD in Pretentiousness could enjoy. I like Hitchens, but this book seems to be used more to stroke his own ego than describe his life. He does not even attempt to tell an interesting story.. The book is exhausting and a disappointment. I think most critics give it a positive review because they do not want to admit that they have no idea what Hitchens is writing about.

WAY WAY WAY too intellectual for my tastes. I love memoirs but preferred Christopher Buckley's (another name-dropping, self-satisfied privileged white dude) writing to this guy's. If you're into high-minded, artful prose, this might be the book for you.

"This book is not, strictly speaking, a memoir, but it does offer intriguing biographical details--later made more compelling with the revelation of his illness--mixed generously with fierce and brilliant opinions. Whether I agree or disagree with Hitchens on a particular subject, I still love to watch his mind at work and at play." Top Ten Books of 2010: Robert Gray

clever and entertaining, but not overly interesting