Mr. Hitchens, you never cease to challenge me. Quite often, the "founding fathers" are held in such reverence that it is sometimes hard to believe that they were actual and fallible human beings. In 'Author of America' what I found most revealing was the possibility to strip away some of this veneer and reveal some of the back-biting pettiness that befalls today's politicians. Make no mistake, Hitchens gives immense credit to this man, and those around him, for conducting the wonderful 'experiment' of creating our country. As always, keep the dictionary handy. I actually met Christopher Hitchens and had him sign this copy not too long ago at a reading/interview tour event for 'Hitch-22'. I thanked him for constantly challenging me with his work. To which he replied, "Well, the whole point of language is to use it." Typical Hitch. This book is a great, fresh approach about a great man from a great and often fresh, author.