Rating: 
Summary: Mother Teresa, a monstrous myth
Review: In addition to the above book please see the one by Dr. Aroup Chatterjee, "Mother Teresa: The Final Verdict". He has researched MT over many years and gives detailed evidence that seems to be incontrovertible. In fact, it was his efforts that gave birth to the TV documentary narrated by Hitchens. Chatterjee's book is published by Meteor Books, Calcutta (see their site www dot meteorbooks dot com). See also a review of the book on Amazon. In September 1998 the German magazine Stern published a devastating article entitled "Mother Teresa: Where are her millions?". A Google search using the article's title will lead you to websites that have reproduced it. The height of deceit, in the name of God! She will rot in hell.
Rating: 
Summary: PAY NO ATTENTION TO THAT NUN BEHIND THE CURTAIN...
Review: Bad Dog Toto...I mean Hutchins... Whether you agree with all of his conclusions, Hutchins' book is a necessary critique, not only of Mother Teresa but of the whole religous philosophy of using other people's misfortune and pain to your own spiritual advantage. There are literally thousands of other Christians, and other people of faith and conscience, who work tirelessly and heroically not only for the poor, broken and oppressed, but AGAINST the oppressor. As an example, you have only to look at the remarkable work of the American Friends Service Committee to see true selfless action in progress. Teresa's goal was her own sanctification and union with Christ, quite sincerely, and she was willing to justify just about anything and gloss over oceans of compromise to meet this goal. Remember many many years back when Time magazine printed her photo on the cover and Teresa consented to have it published, supposedly reluctantly, only if "God will release one soul from Purgatory for each photo printed"...is it just me or is it the ultimate in hubris to believe that my likeness will release souls from purgatory? Will she be canonized a saint? Probably; and probably by John Paul II who has shown his willingness to rush through canonizations for political reasons even if troubling questions surround the candidate, (i.e. such as Maximillian Kolbe and the allegations that in Poland anti-semitic literature was published under his auspices. Defenders of Kolbe allege that yes, his religous press unfortunately did publish such garbage but Father Kolbe didn't agree with it. So why did allow it to be published?) And how very different Teresa of Calcutta is from the other Teresa's who preceded her: Teresa of Avila, spiritual adventuress, who had no problem tweeking the noses of hypocritical Princes and Prelates and Terese of Lisiuex, the Little Flower, who struggled with her faith as a carmelite nun, often with unrelenting anguish, quietly trying to understand God and the contradictions of faith, out of the limelight and who may have NEVER been canonized a saint were it not for the sometimes shameless canonization campaign of her sister and the Guerin family. In a world of human suffering and injustice we definitely need people willing to work hard to make our planet a better place to live and thousands of unsung saints are doing just that, every day, quietly, away from the cameras and the covers of the world's papers. We would do well to listen to the contrary voices of those who would question the motives of those we would canonize "Saint". We may not like what we hear, but that's what makes their voice so crucially important.
Rating: 
Summary: Hitchens finally did it!!
Review: Christopher Hitchens finally bought his one-way ticket to Hell with this one! Anyone that thinks this book is "fair and balanced" should read one that balances this bunk, and then make an informed judgment. For instance, read Susan Conroy's wonderful "Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity."
Rating:
Summary: Hitchens' book on Mother Theresa deserves a fair hearing
Review: Christian theology teaches that everyone is imperfect and tainted by Original Sin. All human beings are tempted by the sin of pride and other vices. Why should Mother Theresa be any different? There are indeed serious questions that were never adequately answered regarding the large sums of money at her disposal. Were they spent according to the wishes of the donors, or was much of it siphoned off to other endeavors that had little to do with assisting the hopelessly downtrodden? Did these unfortunates truly receive the best medical care possible? Is there any truth to the allegations that many of these patients were denied pain killers to supposedly prepare them spiritually for life everlasting? Why didn't Mother Theresa comprehend the cold fact that dictators and convicted criminals were giving her money stolen from other people? Would trained certified public accountants have found many abuses and squandering of funds? Alas, often even well meaning people unwittingly waste the resources under their direct responsibility. A good heart alone is not enough when managing a large organization. It is intellectual dishonest to ignore "The Missionary Position." Christopher Hitchens is an avowed atheist, but this shouldn't be held against him. The author's rhetoric is admittedly a bit too aggressive and borders on the abusive. Nonetheless, Hitchens has presented some strong evidence that tarnishes the hagiographic memory of the often described Saint of Calcutta. The man deserves a point by point careful rebuke and not argumentum ad hominem attacks. This relatively short book earns a place among all the other works on Mother Theresa....
Rating:
Summary: Tells It Like I Experienced It
Review: I was a volunteer for the Missionaries of Charity at their "Gift of Peace" hospice in Washington, D.C. Christopher Hitchens's account of how places like this are run rings true with my own experience. For example, I was tending to an AIDS patient who had to go to the bathroom and I needed serious assistance. None was to be found because the sisters were at their prayers. It may strike some as strange that the nuns were attending to a god they cannot see while neglecting the poor man (who ended up leaving a quite visible souvenir of their neglect in his bed), but such are the lives of those who end up in such places. Hitchens does a great job of documenting in this thin book the dictators and flim-flam artists who used Mother Teresa's iconographic presence to lend a patina of divine approval to their nefarious deeds. That Mother's approach to misery was to counsel others, especially the poor who usually had no other choice, to offer it up, rather than seeking to eliminate or ameliorate it, comes through loud and clear. The most egregious hypocrisy: Mother's houses reject such creature comforts for the poor as air conditioning and elevators for the handicapped and, most telling of all, adequate pain medication. But Mother Teresa herself was treated at some of the finest medical facilities in the world. To take vows of poverty in imitation of Jesus is one thing; it is quite another to insist that those you purport to serve must share in your misery. This is an honest book. Some may conclude that it is derivative from the author's anti-religion bias. I very much doubt it. Rather, from the evidence amassed herin, as well as by such other scandels that the Church has (unsuccessfully, finally) tried to cover up, there may be some very good reasons for people to conclude that it is precisely when living vessels of clay are raised to altars around the world, it is a darn good time to check your wallet or pocketbook.
Rating: 
Summary: Just more anti-religion loathsome propaganda
Review: There truly is no limit to the hatred of some. Attacking a person who dedicated her entire life to helping others truly illustrates how dedicated these individuals are to uprooting the values on which American society have stood for hundreds of years. Not to mention that such individuals and their groups will stop at nothing attack all that is good. It is ironic that people who have done nothing more in their lives than read a simple book and write a critique criticize and even condemn a literal saint who dedicated her entire life to helping others. To those of you who wrote the "book reviews" viciously attacking Mother Theresa: what have you done with your life?
And one more thing: when you write a "review," try actually reviewing the book, and leave your propaganda at home.
Rating:
Summary: Hitchens finally did it!!
Review: Christopher Hitchens finally bought his one-way ticket to Hell with this one! Anyone that thinks this book is "fair and balanced" should read one that balances this bunk, and then make an informed judgment. For instance, read Susan Conroy's wonderful "Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity."
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Mother Teresa probably wasn't an evil person. Rather, the portrait of her that emerges in Hitchens's book, for me at least, is of a rather pious egotist, with a considerable amount of worldly power, who believed herself to be so holy that she was incapable of seeing the appalling evil she inflicted and, believe you me, if half the things Hitchens says about her in this book are true, she did much harm in this world. Which is not to say she also didn't do good things, because she paradoxically did. The point is, she unfortunately also brought suffering and death to countless people that was easily preventable. If this lady, as the current regime in the church thinks, was a saint, then my name is Rasputin.
Rating: 
Summary: + 1 star after a few years of sober thought
Review: The very first book I ever reviewed on Amazon was this one. At the time I had never heard of Chris Hitchens and doubted his motives. I now am very familar with him and his opinions and looking at this book a 2nd time come to the following conclusions: Hitchens has as always written an honest book as in my review of many years past I don't dispute the facts he details Hitchens is not convinced of a vast Vatican conspericy as I thought he is instead the classic anti-theist. He has no use for religion and his conclusions of Mother Teresa stem from that. The Basic arguement of the book is Mother Teresa is no saint because she is more interested in Catholic doctrine and belief then the care of the poor and furthermore put those doctrines ahead of her mission. He is quite correct. However he forgets that #1 without that belief none of the good done by her and the sisters would have been done, and #2. As a believing and devout Catholic if she put the work ahead of her belief then she would be sinning. This is not only biblical (He who loves mother or Father more than me is not worthy of me) but best addressed in Lewis's SCREWTAPE LETTERS #23 "...we do want and want very much to make men treat Christianity as a means...a means to anything --even to social justice...the Enemy (God) will not be used as a convenience." Much like his view of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ the idea that the worship or belief in Christ as the primary cause for an action makes it less whole. If you believe religion is a waste of time then you will agree with both views. If you are a believer in Christ you will not. Either way the book is worth reading. If only for the fact is is the only contrary view of Mother out there and is a more honest view than any other critic would give.
Rating:
Summary: Mother Teresa, a monstrous myth
Review: In addition to the above book please see the one by Dr. Aroup Chatterjee, "Mother Teresa: The Final Verdict". He has researched MT over many years and gives detailed evidence that seems to be incontrovertible. In fact, it was his efforts that gave birth to the TV documentary narrated by Hitchens. Chatterjee's book is published by Meteor Books, Calcutta (see their site www dot meteorbooks dot com). See also a review of the book on Amazon. In September 1998 the German magazine Stern published a devastating article entitled "Mother Teresa: Where are her millions?". A Google search using the article's title will lead you to websites that have reproduced it. The height of deceit, in the name of God! She will rot in hell.
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