Review: The Missionary Position

The Missionary Position
by Christopher Hitchens

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Missionary Position / 978-1-85984-054-2

In the introduction to this book, the author preempts critics by asking the question "Is nothing sacred?" and answering, simply, "No". This is a good attitude when writing biographies and exposes, particularly ones of such powerful, influential, and traditionally immune from criticism as Mother Teresa.

Unfortunately, at less than 100 pages and with a title that seems largely designed to provoke juvenile giggles than thoughtful reflection, "The Missionary Position" largely fails to deliver on its premise of serving as a scathing expose of Mother Teresa and, frankly, seems more like a paean to the wit and wisdom of the author than anything else.

Which is a shame, because there's a lot of good information in here that deserves to be expanded upon. Hitchens points out the hypocrisy of hobnobbing and (implicitly or explicitly) lending the power of one's name to the corrupt and evil, even in the name of a good cause - and this is a very powerful question for debate. But amongst the criminals and dictators who can claim Mother Teresa's proximity in various photo shoots, Hitchens cannot help but take time to single out Hillary Clinton as equally unworthy of the dubious honor, due to her having "almost single-handedly destroyed a coalition on national health care that had taken a quarter of a century to build and mature." Moments like these stand out as very "Cowboy Bebop at his computer" (if I may indulge in a TV Trope), because I'm not sure how to convey to Hitchens that reality was more complicated than that, and these outbursts make me doubt the veracity of the rest of the book - more's the pity.

Each chapter is a little vignette of another type of questionable actions on the part of Mother Teresa - blunders with birth control, taking (and failing to return) stolen money, supporting corrupt politicians, exonerating businesses at fault for lost lives and property, refusal to use analgesics or pain-reducing medicine, secret (and unwilling) baptism of dying Hindus and Muslims, written appeals for clemency for criminal supporters - but each chapter feels like a short, crammed outline - imagine the 6 subjects I just listed (and more I didn't list) crammed into less than 100 pages, and you can do the math to see how exhaustively researched and documented this book isn't. Several of the space is, for that matter, devoted to basically complaining that the book wasn't already written by time Hitchens came along, pen in hand - a valid complaint for consideration, but like so many of Hitchens' digressions, it just ends up taking valuable space.

If this book was a little longer, a little better organized, a little more exhaustive, and a little more clear on who the actual subject is (Mother Teresa or the author? - sometimes it's difficult to tell), then I would consider it worth owning in my library. As it is, the documentation is so spotty and each subject is treated so shallowly, that I'm not even sure it's worthwhile as a reference - the poor presentation diminishes the excellent intent.

~ Ana Mardoll

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