Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Mortality summary
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens’ essays on dying
11 mins
Brief summary
Mortality by Christopher Hitchens is a powerful memoir that reflects on the author's own death, offering insights into life's brevity, wonder, and uncertainty.
Topics
Table of Contents
Mortality
Summary of 5 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 5
When he was diagnosed with cancer, Hitchens saw how uncomfortable people are with the idea of death.
British-American journalist, writer and literary critic Christopher Hitchens was on a book tour in 2010 when he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. There he was forced to confront the weight of his mortality, after doctors diagnosed him with esophageal cancer.
Hitchens was overwhelmed by the idea of his death; it’s true that most people don’t think about mortality until they absolutely must. Hitchens’s terminal diagnosis made him realize how many life milestones he would miss, such as his children getting married, or the birth of grandchildren.
Even though the concept of mortality was difficult to grasp, the reality of death became part of daily life as Hitchens suffered through the pain of his disease and extensive cancer treatments.
Hitchens also realized how awkward people became when interacting with a terminal patient. Some of his friends didn’t know what to say, other than recounting “motivational” stories of people who had survived the disease.
For some, such stories might be comforting ‒ but Hitchens didn’t find them helpful as the stories offered no practical information on how he could cheat death.
Other friends avoided the topic of mortality altogether, telling him instead to fight on. This made Hitchens feel as if he would be a failure if he were to die.
All these experiences made him realize just how uncomfortable most people are with the idea of death.
Hitchens eventually came up with a set of rules aimed at making his friends more comfortable. When people inquired as to his health, Hitchens tried to be honest. If being honest was difficult, he told jokes.
If a friend asked how he was feeling, for example, he might answer, “Well, I feel like cancer.”
Mortality forced Hitchens to reevaluate his life and change the way he related to other people.
Want to see all full key ideas from Mortality?
Key ideas in Mortality
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Mortality about?
Mortality (2012) presents a collection of essays written by Christopher Hitchens after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. In these blinks, you’ll explore fundamental questions addressing death and life, the nature of pain and how we cope with them.
Best quote from Mortality
I dont have a body, I am a body.
—Christopher Hitchens
Who should read Mortality?
- People curious about questions of mortality
- Cancer patients or anyone struggling with a potentially terminal illness
- Religious leaders or anyone examining faith in the face of disease
Categories with Mortality
Book summaries like Mortality
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
28 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth