A review by aswartz555
Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays by Christopher Hitchens

4.0

Hitch's writing is purely outstanding. You don't even need to appreciate his politics to recognize the craft of his language. However, besides his artful writing, his essays are poignant, concise, and veracious. His reflections on traveling the American Midwest are nothing short of pure Americana (in which the section is aptly named) and well worth the purchase of the book in itself. His knack for literary criticism in the first section is prevalent and enjoyable. In the post-9/11 part of the "War" section, he manages to created a well reasoned and logical case for American intervention in Iraq. His position on the Iraq War was (and still is, even posthumously) highly controversial and largely caused his late split with the political Left (though he is still clearly a socialist, his views are now less coherently placed in the political canon). Though I may disagree with his final conclusions on the war in principle, he is nonetheless brilliant.

His essay on capital punishment is haunting; it will leave you shaking. This book is a must read.