Many of the cults mentioned in Goldwag's book run together after a while, but several are familiar, especially Heaven's Gate, the Branch Davidians, and the People's Temple. What is surprising is that many of the cult leaders started out with apparent good intentions. James Jones welcomed the dispossessed into his church. By the early 1970s he had his own radio show in Uriah, California. He also had political influence in the Bay Area and was appointed head of San Francisco's housing commission. But then, as with many religious leaders, it all went to his head.

The second section of Goldwag's book deals with conspiracies. Some of these entries are quite interesting but they often peter out just when you're intrigued. Most entries are only one of two pages long. Area 51 is fascinating enough to warrant its own book. Apparently this is a real place where the military tests secret weapons. Because of the "X-Files" and other shows there's a lot of rubber necking going on. A name that keeps popping up throughout the book is Lyndon LaRouche, mainly because of his conspiracy theories. LaRouche ran for president several times under the Libertarian banner (which may explain some of the recent mean-spirited conservative behavior at health care meetings). LaRouche and his apparent heir apparent Congressman Ron Paul are suspicious of any attempt at world peace. LaRouche rants against B'nai B'rith, the Trilateral Commission, and something called the New World Order, what he views as an attempt to impose a socialist government on the world.

Goldwag loves long, convoluted sentences with lots of parenthetical remarks, so this is often a hard book to read. A good editor would have helped. I can almost guarantee, however, that you will glean a few tidbits of information you never knew before. For instance, H.G. Wells was quite the progressive. He opposed nationalism, private property, and had no use for organized religion. Of course, evangelicals view him as the devil.  

See all of Dave Schwinghammer's book reviews on Amazon.com.