It's All The Rage: Crime and Culture

The author of I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional takes a highly original look at the explosive issues of violence and crime in America today. From individual accountability to TV violence to the death penalty and the politics of crime control, Kaminer shows that our discussions of criminal justice have been emotionally and demagogically driven and that knowledge has become irrelevant - for liberals and conservatives alike.
From our decrying of ”the abuse excuse” to our cheers of Free the Juice,” our reactions to violent crime fluctuate wildly. Expanding on her well-known ideas about self-help and the American psyche, Wendy Kaminer shows us how pop-psychology and religious fervor vie with law and rationality in our courtrooms and in our minds. She doesn't offer up any easy solutions; rather, with her trademark epigrammatic brilliance, she gives us an alarming picture of the emotional needs and cultural forces behind our righteous proclamations about crime and punishment.