Evil An Investigation [Paperback]

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, evil remains as potent and radical a force in the world as it has ever been. We all know evil when we encounter it-in the villains of history like Hitler and Stalin, in the routine brutality that makes the nightly news, in the hateful violence of terrorists and sociopaths-but the phenomenon of evil has long resisted explanation. In this singular survey of this mysterious but all too often palpable force, veteranTimemagazine essayist Lance Morrow offers a sustained look at the unmistakable ways evil manifests itself in history and in the human heart. This is a provocative meditation on the role evil plays in shaping human history, a timely analysis of how this primitive force can be understood in a modern society of high-tech, sensationalized brutality, and a daring exploration of why evil may be necessary in the world.

Lance Morrow, twice winner of the National Magazine Award, is a longtime essayist forTIMEmagazine. He contributes essays and articles to other publications and is the author of eight books, includingEvil: An InvestigationandThe Best Year of Their Lives: Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon in 1948. He lives in Chatham, New York.