James's Reviews > How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them

Very good, and very chilling. Basing her explanations on a solid body of research and historical analysis, the author matter-of-factly describes the processes through which countries and their societies break down into factions that turn on one another. The thing that makes it chilling, for me, is how the current situation in the United States matches up with some of the dangerous patterns she talks about. I've always dismissed the idea of malcontents starting a second civil war here, basing my views on the strengths of our institutions and the fact that most Americans do not want civil war. It turns out that both of these circumstances have existed in other countries that ended up disintegrating into civil war anyway.
Once I read a book on psychology, about behavior patterns and emotional patterns in people who have experienced specific types of trauma that are part of my history. It was unnerving - I felt as if this author had been following me around taking notes. At the level of my society, I get that same unsettled feeling from this book.