"All psychohistorians should study this book closely and learn from it. … belongs in all decent libraries" - in: The Journal of Psychohistory 34(4) (Spring 2007)
"Readers who immerse themselves in an open spirit to his work will encounter a rich, stimulating, and disturbing view of the contemporary American cultural scene. While [Stein] points to some very distressing trends powered by unconscious motives and fantasies, he also offers the sober consolation that comes from insight and understanding, and from the encouragement to face up to loss and change on the group level as well as in individual life…" – Robert A. Paul, Emory University, in: Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society, Vol. 10, No. 3
"Howard Stein is a remarkable thinker - a true psychoanalytic anthropologist in the tradition of LaBarre, Devereaux, Boyer and Spiro, combining ethnographic research with clinical practice. His latest book is full of insights and provocative ideas… we should be grateful to Howard Stein for his penetrating insights and original syntheses." – Philip K. Bock, University of New Mexico, in: Journal of Anthropological Research
"This impressive book by Howard Stein, one of the most insightful and important cultural analysts writing today, offers a profound understanding of how social problems ranging from xenophobia, terrorism, and school violence to natural disasters and corporate downsizing are exacerbated, provoked, and sometimes even produced by our deepest psychological needs and vulnerabilities — forces of which we are largely unaware but which we can come to understand and thus deal with more productively through a method of psychoanalytically informed cultural analysis that Stein both explains and performs in this eminently readable and engaging book. The insights and methodology offered here are indispensable for any cultural workers‹including scholars, teachers, public servants, and government officials‹who wish to counter the toxic elements of culture and develop its possibilities for promoting peace and social justice." – Mark Bracher, Editor, JPCS: Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Culture & Society
"Since September 2001, the people of the United States have been preoccupied with dangers coming from the “Others.” Howard Stein deserves our gratitude for turning our attention to ourselves. In addition to examining the American response to foreign terrorism, Stein provides fascinating and sometimes frightening insights of events that influence us collectively. He investigates topics such as the bombing in Oklahoma City, the student shootings at Columbine High School, and the big corporations treating workers like cattle. Readers will question and wonder about life in the United States as experienced by themselves and their neighbours. This most timely book makes a powerful impact." – Vamik D. Volkan, M.D., LFAPA, FACPsa, Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Erik Erikson Scholar, Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, Massachusetts