Ben Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of...
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I first read this book as a doctoral student in the area of religious sectarianism--a field having any number of fanatics. No book I read then or since more briefly or exactly analyses what goes into the development of the kind of obsessive personality which places belief above reason and objectives above morality. Anyone wanting to understand the motivations, justifications, and rationales involved in present-day terrorism would do well to consider what Hoffer has to say.
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The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics) by Eric Hoffer
OffTheCuff, April 18, 2009
I first read this book as a doctoral student in the area of religious sectarianism--a field having any number of fanatics. No book I read then or since more briefly or exactly analyses what goes into the development of the kind of obsessive personality which places belief above reason and objectives above morality. Anyone wanting to understand the motivations, justifications, and rationales involved in present-day terrorism would do well to consider what Hoffer has to say.(4 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)