The Missionary Position

Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice

By: Christopher Hitchens, Thomas Mallon - foreword

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

"A religious fundamentalist, a political operative, a primitive sermonizer, and an accomplice of worldly secular powers. Her mission has always been of this kind. The irony is that she has never been able to induce anybody to believe her. It is past time that she was duly honored and taken at her word." Among his many books, perhaps none have sparked more outrage than The Missionary Position, Christopher Hitchens's meticulous study of the life and deeds of Mother Teresa.

A Nobel Peace Prize recipient beatified by the Catholic Church in 2003, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was celebrated by heads of state and adored by millions for her work on behalf of the poor. In his measured critique, Hitchens asks only that Mother Teresa's reputation be judged by her actions-not the other way around.

With characteristic élan and rhetorical dexterity, Hitchens eviscerates the fawning cult of Teresa, recasting the Albanian missionary as a spurious, despotic, and megalomaniacal operative of the wealthy who long opposed measures to end poverty, and fraternized, for financial gain, with tyrants and white-collar criminals throughout the world.

©1995 Christopher Hitchens (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Interesting but could have gone deeper

Any additional comments?

A contrarian view of who Mother Teresa was and what her legacy might really be. While I enjoyed the book I felt it could have gone a little deeper. It encourages the reader to go deeper on their own into her past however advocates for Mother Teresa might just view the book as character assassination. It will certainly spark debate among people which is worth it alone. It also raises the question of motivation among some religious people in relation to charity.

Succinct and amazing.

Good narration of a book that blew my exCatholic mind. I was indoctrinated with the Mother Theresa cult as a kid, wish I had of known all this then.

It's Hitch

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

evidence drawn from multiple resources.

Any additional comments?

Well researched and written. Reading was fine. Hitch, I miss you.

Well, it's Hitchens, you can expect sharp wit

If you could sum up The Missionary Position in three words, what would they be?

THE
MISSIONARY
POSITION

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

If you can't get Christopher Hitchens to narrate his own books (like he did with his memoir "Hitch-22"), then the next best option is Simon Prebble. The style just matches perfectly, and this coming from someone who is not used to listening to British ascents.

If you could give The Missionary Position a new subtitle, what would it be?

Didn't Hitchens consider naming this book "Sacred Cow"?

Any additional comments?

Eloquent and biting; great polemic to accompany Hitchen's more-overall critiques of mass religion ("The Portable Atheist", "god is not Great"). Do consider watching the online videos of Hitchens debating (or destroying?) religious supporters.

Also, this format of critiquing a public figure is similar to his other short polemics: "The Trial of Henry Kissinger" and "No One Left to Lie To" (on those neocon Clintons). While I find his Iraq positions more debatable, these 3 polemics offer little room for debate but plenty of room for enjoyment.