As a young psychology student and later a social work student I was familiar with the work of R.D. Laing, Harry Stack Sullivan and many other theorists and social psychologists/psychiatrists of the post Freudian world. I believed in the theory, and still do, that it is through interpersonal relations that people are able to grow and lead fulfilling productive lives. Throughout my own life I had been a politically active participant in the anti nuclear, anti war, anti apartheid, civil rights movements. So, when I entered therapy with a psychiatrist on the upper west side I was ripe for involvement in the group which Alexander Stille describes. This is a story that should be studied by social scientists of every kind. It is a story of how even a reasonable theory can distort reality; of the extraordinary power of a therapist and of a peer group can be used for both good and evil. Group dynamics combined with a supposedly well meaning therapist can be a powerful force in the distortion of one's sense of reality and good judgement. Alexander Stille has given a well researched and masterful description of how this can and did occur in plain sight on the upper west side of New York City to highly intelligent, educated, talented , successful and even well known group of people. A fascinating and disturbing read at a time when facts are being challenged by "alternative reality" and conspiracy theories. It's a look at how politics on the extreme of one side can morph into the opposite extreme at the hands of those who would abuse their power.