Letters to a Young Contrarian

By Christopher Hitchens

Categories: Politics & Social Sciences

Written in 2001 for the Art of Mentoring series, Christopher Hitchens's book takes the form of letters to a young radical about the value of principled dissent. Ranging across contrary positions from the noble dissident to the gratuitous nag, he introduces the thinkers and misfits who shaped his own outlook. Among the figures he invokes are Emile Zola, Rosa Parks and George Orwell. Hitchens argues that disagreement matters to personal integrity, informed debate and democracy itself, and he challenges stale attitudes across the ideological spectrum.

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