‘Arguably’ is great but it is not of the ‘god is Not Great’ genre; it's a choice selection of Christopher Hitchens’ own essays, and of a vaster scope than the global-fallout-from-religion that the 'god' title focuses on. (Although, a reader hungering for a Hitchens-style treatment of atheism in essay form can be repeatedly sated by his introduction to 'the Portable Atheist'.) It is riveting in just the same way, however, and the temptation to adopt Hitchens' lucid opinions as my own is also similar.

“Arguably” covers a wild variety of topics. Some I may not have typically sought out but all are worth reading and for me, re-reading. It has introduced many intriguing new titles, authors and subjects for my to-read stack. I’ve kept the globe spinning and Wikipedia fired-up throughout; memorized a little of the Rubayat and seen Animal Farm acted out in many times and places. The political essays are more than a few ranks above my typical American understanding but my perceptions are a bit sharper for having read them anyway (and my position on torture is validated). His graphic, sumi-style images from his experiences in Viet Nam, Cuba, Pakistan, Iran and many more, are intense. While reading, I’ve lost my optimism for humankind a few times, and re-found it almost the same number.

If I had a complaint, it’s that, at 749 pages, it’s still too short. Thankfully, everything he's written is archived somewhere. In all, ‘Arguably’ is brilliant and it’s the perfect book for a reader who wants to level up a few.