“If Hitchens didn't exist, we wouldn't be able to invent him.” ―Ian McEwan   A stylish new paperback edition of  HITCH-22, the incendiary memoir of a brilliant contrarian and one of Hitchens’ most wry and provocative works. In this timeless and candid memoir, Hitchens re-traces the footsteps of his life to date, from his childhood in Portsmouth, with his adoring, tragic mother and reserved Naval officer father; to his life in Washington DC, the base from which from he would launch fierce attacks on tyranny of all kinds. Along the way, he recalls the girls, boys and booze; the friendships and the feuds; the grand struggles and lost causes; and the mistakes and misgivings that have characterised his life. HITCH-22 is, by turns, moving and funny, charming and infuriating, enraging and inspiring. It is an indispensable companion to the life and thought of our pre-eminent political writer. "[Hitch-22] is a memoir that should be given to high school and college students of a literary bent. In the age of the Internet and the academy, it will open up different models for how to be a thoughtful person, how to engage in political life and what sort of things one should know in order to be truly educated."― The New York Times "As contemptuous, digressive, righteous, and riotously funny as the rest of the author's incessant output, this memoir is an effective coming-of-age story, regardless of what one may think of the resulting adult . . . Hitchens paints a credible and even affecting self-portrait."― The New Yorker "I absolutely loved every minute of it! It's delicious writing, highly intelligent, and very provocative, as you'd expect. If you're going to disagree with someone, you want your adversary to be the best he is."― The New York Post "In this frank, often wickedly funny account, Hitchens traces his evolution as a fiercely independent thinker and enemy of people who are convinced of their absolute certainty ... Revealing and riveting."― Kirkus Review "The most erudite and astute political and social commentator of this era has written a memoir that not only give the reader a view of the man behind the words but also a perceptive look at society over the past decades. Hitchens fascinates with the life he has lived and observed and, as always, relates his story with precision and consideration."― Bill Cusamano , Nicola's Books "Hitch is as Hitch does, and he's not apologizing to anyone."― Drew Toal , Time Out New York "[H]e has so many great quotes and quotables . . . that one cannot read his latest masterpiece for having to stop, find a pencil and page stickers in order to underline and signify his many remarks, each greater than the other."― Liz Smith , wowOwow.com "Few writers can match his cerebral pyrotechnics. Fewer still can emulate his punch as an intellectual character assassin. It is hard not to admire the sheer virtuosity of his prose ... With Hitchens one simply goes along for the ride. The destination hardly matters."― Ed Luce , The Financial Times "[D]electable, sassy fun . . . this book is intelligent and humane . . . Hitch-22 reminded me why I love the author of The Missionary Position, his fervent slapping of Mother Teresa, and his book about the war crimes of Henry Kissinger. Hitchens takes no prisoners, not even himself."― Mark Oppenheimer , The New Haven Review "After reading Hitch-22 , the only thing you can be sure of is that this flawed knight will not breathe contentedly unless he has a dragon to slay."― Ariel Gonzales , The Miami Herald "... a fat and juicy memoir of a fat and juicy life."― Diana McLellan , The Washington Post " ... a complex portrait of a public intellectual ."― Alexandra Alter , The Wall Street Journal "[An] extraordinary memoir by a truly astonishing figure of our literary age . . . This is among the most awaited books of the season, and while it confounds, misleads, exasperates and, on occasion, even bores, it also entertains to an almost shocking degree and illuminates almost as much. I laughed out loud - raucously and continuously - reading this book."― Jeff Simon , Buffalo News " Hitch-22 is among the loveliest paeans to the dearness of one's friends . . . I've ever read. The business and pleasure sides of Mr. Hitchens's personality can make him seem, whether you agree with him or not, among the most purely alive people on the planet."― Dwight Garner , The New York Times "If you find yourself in the midst of Christopher Hitchens's memoir and he hasn't said something to anger, inspire, or at least annoy you, wait a few pages. More the account of an intellectual and political odyssey than a conventional autobiography, HITCH-22 chronicles the critic-journalist-activist's often storm-tossed journey across the ideological spectrum. What makes it a most rewarding trip is that he's a traveling companion with a vigorous mind and a gift for sparkling prose."― www.bookreporter.com "Whether he's dodging bullets in Sarajevo