A neatly constructed take-down of someone who singularity managed to avoid appropriate scrutiny for so long. Hitchens does more than enough to leave any impartial reader with a long list of questions about her antics that deserve answers.

Interesting but not enough follow up on where donations end up and what they are used for. He makes a good case that she had an agenda that wasn't the same as the agenda everyone thought she had, and wasn't particularly admirable in some ways, but doesn't tell us enough overall to be really satisfying.

Hitchens is direct in his consideration of the reality underpinning Mother Teresa's public profile. Excellent writing which exposes the reality which did little to help the worse off whilst aligning herself with people of varyingly shady backgrounds for substantial amounts of cash.

Reading it in 2017 means that the text (from 1995) has been substantially overtaken by events. Suffice it to say that Mother Teresa's career goals were achieved.

Everybody loves to witness a verbal beatdown, and no one did it better than Christopher Hitchens. While he was alive, the fierce contrarian and proud atheist was the star of multiple viral video compilations on YouTube, each showcasing his deft prowess during debates. Correcting — no, executing — people with overwhelming facts and logic was his way of showing complete dominance, and the internet lapped it all up. So when he passed away from oesophagus cancer a few years ago, the world lost one of the most prominent thinkers and speakers — someone who swam upstream, went against the grain and told the cold hard truths. Facts don't care about petty human emotions, and neither did Hitchens.

And in this book about Mother Teresa, he held nothing back.

I have no love for Mother Teresa, although my indifference, before reading this book, was ill-defined for the most part. Fuzzy, like reading signposts without my glasses. I knew that a set of personal letters had emerged some years ago, and how her faith was more like a front to the world at large — but that's as far as it went. Hypocrisy, though detestable, is not a crime. A crime, however, is, and Mother Teresa, judging by the evidence carefully research and presented by Hitchens in this book, is a true criminal indeed, or at least undeserving of the reputation (and sainthood) that she now enjoys in death.

In this book, Hitchens is clinical at dissecting Mother Teresa, including her supposed philanthropic efforts around the world, how the funds (in billions) were somehow directed away from those in need, as well as how some of her healthcare centres around the world had some of the worst track records when it came to mortality rates. The book outlined, underlined and highlighted my impression of Mother Teresa. Now, after reading this book, I do have a reason for my indifference and, in many ways, disdain. I mean, she's dead, so I guess it doesn't really matter, but I will certainly turn away charities that solicit funds, especially those with ties to this hypocritical religious zealot who 'whored' her name and image for the sake of widening her sphere of influence — not to mention that the poor and wretched were truly the ones that suffered, at the end of it all.

With that said, Hitchens being Hitchens, his arguments oftentimes went over my head. It comes with the territory, of course, and Hitchens did operate on a different level to us plebeians. However, a contrarian work as concise and deadly as this needs to exist, especially in a time when blind faith and trust continues to run rampant.

3.5 stars.

An eye-opening, gut-wrenching, faith-shattering tome. Not for those who wish to keep their love for the Church intact.

This is a very short book about how Mother Teresa really wasn't so saintly after all. It's not a mean book, it's completely based on fact. Mother Teresa visited despots, dictators and received large sums of money that she apparently did not spend on the poor - but that would have been enough to set up a very modern hospital in Calcutta. Her centers for dying including not giving enough pain killers and not saving children and youngsters from curable diseases. Plus being vehemently against birth control, even though reducing the number of children in poor families increases the well being of the entire family. No, she wasn't so saintly after all.

I have never really thought about Mother Teresa before. She's just a great person right? Well, it is a little more complicated. Christopher Hitchens bravely dives into a topic we all think we know about, but really have no idea. This is a great, fast read. Go get it and read it now.

This book is quite shocking and insightful book for me. A well-researched and excellently written book that exposes the monster and charlatan that was Mother Teresa. It left me disturbed for a while as I digested the information provided to me after years of research and hard work. This book made me think about a lot of things and raised a lot of questions.

Mother Theresa had only one thing in mind to "save people for Jesus." She looked upon poor folks only to convert them. The conditions in her homes was unhygienic and filthy. The sisters of Charity would "baptise" people who were at death's door to see that they "went to heaven". No one had knowledge of medicine. She became a 'Saint' by serving the poor of Calcutta. Christopher Hitchens has removed the veil of Sainthood from the much publicized and adored Nobel Peace Prize winner and looked at her critically by analyzing stone cold facts. They had bulk of money but they wouldn't spend on poor or even improve the facility. In fact, Mother Teresa consistently resisted any moves to have adequate medical care there, while she availed herself of the best hospitals in the Western world when she was battling her own medical ailments.

Once you read this book, Mother Teresa will appear to be no more than an opportunistic and religious fundamentalist whose love for religious dogma far exceeded her love for the poor. All facts are right there. Highly recommended.