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Giant collection of Hitchens essays separated by category. Originally they appeared in many places, but chiefly Slate, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, and other high-toned, high-paying markets. This was my first exposure to Hitchens. Top-rate mind on this guy, and a loss on the contemporary scene with his recent death. Lots of repeating tropes, such as the Middle East, Islamic fundamentalism, George Orwell (and specifically 1984, mentioned umpteen times), history, nationalism, politics, etc. The man read a lot -- and I mean A LOT -- and knew a little about a lot of things (Renaissance man?). Many of these pieces are reviews of biographies and history tomes, only the essay winds up being a hybrid of review and opinion piece no matter what. Voice? In spades here. Distinctive. Aggressive. Confident. At times funny. Vocabulary? Keep your dictionary nearby. Maybe not for wall-to-wall reading like I did it, but rewarding for the thinking reader, be it as daily snack or as daily meals....