I debated just leaving a review without rating ... should anyone be rating a book that wasn't really completed, published posthumously, without finalization? This wouldn't be normal choice for me to read either, but it was one that Hubs had listened to. I'll try to read what he or the kids are reading to have any possible discussions with them, some commonality.

This was interesting - Christopher Hitchens isn't someone I'd heard of before. I haven't read his other works or seen any of his interviews. Hubs said that compared to another audiobook of his that he narrates himself, that this felt lacking. I liked the audio, but felt like I needed a re-read in Kindle format to really catch and absorb a lot of what was said. 

This was mainly the author talking about his life, his diagnosis and struggle against cancer, his reflection on experiences and other writings.  There were eight chapters, the last being more small paragraphs, jotted thoughts, not yet (although some WERE familiar, that he had expounded on in the earlier chapters) finished up. An intro by an associate, and afterword by his wife, both added more detail. 

I'll often highlight (and look up) words that are unknown to me, or not as commonly used ... SO many of those in these small pages; mordant, inanition, fatuous, solipsistic, ecumenism, polemics, extirpate, attenuated, etiolates, facile, obviated, averred, quotidian, punctiliously, vertiginous ... banal, while not that uncommon, was used five times in under 100 pages.

I'd always pronounced Carnegie Car-nuh-gee until one book pronounced it Car-NEG-ee ... here, the narrator did both pronunciations, almost back to back (so I think if it's referring to one of the official organizations, ie Carnegie Mellon it is the first, whereas if it's in reference to a person, it's the second?)  

Often serious, but with quite a bit of humor as well ... TumorTown.

Much discussion of religion and prayer and death. Some thoughts/discussion on pain ... no holds barred when denigrating those opposing stem cell research "The politicized sponsors of this pseudo-scientific nonsense should be ashamed to live, let alone die."

This did bring up many a thing to think about.