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Loading... The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practiceby Christopher Hitchens
Thank god for Christopher Hitchens, a true rebel, unpredictable, impossible to pin, but always to the point. This little book made me blame myself for being too gullible and uncritical - I have accepted unequivocally that Mother Teresa was an altruistic angel, only interested in helping the poor. She herself never hid the fact that she was a fundamentalist, reactionary zealot - it was just the media that underreported that side of her. The only problem with this book is that Hitchens hasn't put a lot of effort into it. A great part of the book are quotes from other people's work. That doesn't make it less hard hitting, but I wish he had spent more time on his own writing and particularily on her background story. ( )Watch your idols, is what we should learn from this "project of judging Mother Teresa's reputation by her actions and words rather than her actions and words by her reputation (p. 96)." Hitchen's wittily and succinctly destroys the idea that Mother Teresa was a paragon of virtue, charity and humility. Her associations with characters of dubious standing, her charities misuse of funds and her ascetic conservatism are all marshalled as evidence of a far from saintly woman. However, it is ultimately her Catholic faith that Hitchen's is most concerned about, particularly with in terms of how it led to some questions opinions about contraception and abortion. Highly readable and lively prose, as might be expected from this late great. This book definitely changed my viewpoint on Mother Teresa. It gives a way to look at different perspectives on highly praised figure. Good read. A discussion of the popular nun's fundraising and caregiving. Hitchens pulls no punches in his description of the nun as someone who doesn't deserve the slavish devotion showered on her by the American public. A bit disappointing in that it could have been more thorough. no reviews | add a review
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