The inspired madness of America's apocalyptic and pre-millennial organizations may have reached a fever pitch with the turn of the twenty-first cen...
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reviews
Dec 20, 2009
Anthrodiva
rated it: 
Carol gave this to me for my birthday, though why she would want to encourage me after listening to my rants for nearly thirty years is beyond me.
It is a lively tour of the various flavors of the milennialist crowd - including one of our longtime faves, Unarius (Carol has an original tape of theirs somewhere where Ruth Norman wears a dress made of electic lights). Author describes Ruth as someone with "the sensibilities of a drag queen crossed with the joie de vivre of a frisbe More...
It is a lively tour of the various flavors of the milennialist crowd - including one of our longtime faves, Unarius (Carol has an original tape of theirs somewhere where Ruth Norman wears a dress made of electic lights). Author describes Ruth as someone with "the sensibilities of a drag queen crossed with the joie de vivre of a frisbe More...
Apr 27, 2011
Krysten
rated it: 
I quit about halfway through.
I don't know why I keep reading quasi-sociological books written by journalists. They have this 8th grade "I am so cool" way of writing that annoys me to no end, and nothing ends up sounding very factually accurate. That being said, cults are interesting, and the author of this book went out of his way to present them as normal, if a bit misguided, and he was pretty self-effacing about how much he annoyed some of the cultists with his questions. I More...
I don't know why I keep reading quasi-sociological books written by journalists. They have this 8th grade "I am so cool" way of writing that annoys me to no end, and nothing ends up sounding very factually accurate. That being said, cults are interesting, and the author of this book went out of his way to present them as normal, if a bit misguided, and he was pretty self-effacing about how much he annoyed some of the cultists with his questions. I More...
Feb 09, 2010
Axydlbaaxr
rated it: 
I read this 10 years ago, and would still recommend it to just about anyone. I particularly remember the chapters on people who try to gain sovereignty by creating their own private islands, the religious nuts trying to bring about the apocalypse by trying to raise a pure red cow, and those who try to prolong their lives infinitely.
Sep 14, 2011
Mark
rated it:
I read this in part to get some potential research for my own fiction writing.
It's written back in the 90s, so it's mostly a historical book now. Still entertaining at times.
I didn't like the fact he put libertarians in the same group as people who think UFOs are coming to save us.
It's written back in the 90s, so it's mostly a historical book now. Still entertaining at times.
I didn't like the fact he put libertarians in the same group as people who think UFOs are coming to save us.
Aug 02, 2011
A genial survey of American weirdos (too genial for my liking--a harder-edged approach might have been preferable), this reminded me of Jon Ronson's THEM and Louis Theroux's CALL OF THE WEIRD. Recommended.
Mar 22, 2008
Devon
rated it:
This was a fantastic read. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the extreme right wing and the chapter on the Unarians.
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