Synopses & Reviews
During the first dozen years of the twenty-first century, apocalyptic anticipation in America has leapt from the cultish to the mainstream. Today, nearly 60 percent of Americans believe that the events foretold in the book of Revelation will come true. But many secular readers also seem hungry for catastrophe and have propelled books about peak oil, global warming, and the end of civilization into bestsellers. How did we come to live in a culture obsessed by the belief that the end is near?
The Last Myth explains why apocalyptic beliefs are surging within the American mainstream today. Demonstrating that our expectation of the end of the world is a surprisingly recent development in human thought, the book reveals the profound influence of apocalyptic thinking on America’s past, present, and future.
About the Author
Mathew Barrett Gross rewrote the rules of presidential politics as the director of Internet Communications for Howard Dean’s groundbreaking 2003–2004 presidential campaign. Highly regarded as a new media strategist, he has consulted for numerous political campaigns, advocacy organizations, and global NGOs, and has been profiled in the
Washington Post, the
Wall Street Journal, the
Boston Globe, and
Fast Company. A former rock drummer and river guide, he lives in Moab, Utah.
Mel Gilles is the cofounder and director of Sol Kula Yoga and Healing in Moab, Utah. She served as a nonprofit director and consultant for over a decade. Her writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and blogs nationwide; her essay "The Politics of Victimization" went viral, appearing on MichaelMoore.com and BuzzFlash and reaching more than two million readers around the world.