Today sees the rise of nationalism, the return of totalitarian parties in Europe to electoral success, and the rise of the alt-right and white supremacists in the US. Psychoanalyst Jonathan Sklar brings his understanding of cruelty, sadomasochism, perversion, and other mental mechanisms to shine a light on what has led to this. Unlike most current news outlets, Sklar goes against the grain of brief sound bites, which are an aid to pass quickly over painful knowledge. Instead, he goes into detail to give extremely dark occurrences, and the human beings affected, respect and understanding. This gives the reader the ability to make unconscious things more conscious, highlighting the quality of humanity in human beings. Listening to these stories enables us to become more aware. By ridding ourselves of the illusions of our political times, we can find greater freedom to think, develop, challenge, and create hope, for the future of our children and our grandchildren, as well as for ourselves.