good read, but hard - Rated 
It's an amazing book to read, there are a lot of well thought out essays in this book which are really thought provoking. I would recommend this book as a must read in life, although it is a hard book to read and so not for one who likes something humorous and light.
Great analysis - Rated 
Theodore Dalrymple is a top-notch commentator and a gifted essayist. The articles featured here represent some of his best and most recent writings. The volume is divided into two major sections: arts and letters, and society and politics.
He introduces this collection of essays with this line: "The fragility of civilization is one of the great lessons of the twentieth century." The line between civilization and barbarism is very thin, and needs to be zealously protected. Yet many of our intellectuals, argues Dalrymple, are either ignorant of the dividing line, or are doing their best to abolish that line altogether.
Generally these intellectual and political elites are of the left. But the right is not immune from such characters: "There has been an unholy alliance between those on the left, who believe that man is endowed with rights but no duties, and libertarians on the right, who believe that consumer choice is the answer to all social questions."
While civilisation must have its critics, it must also have its defenders and preservers as well. Dalrymple takes on the many critics of civilization, especially those of the utopian variety, who believe that an untried ideal is always better than a flawed but tried reality.
The cultural despisers and civilization corrupters are many within the field of literature and the arts. From Virginia Woolf to Versace, Dalrymple examines a number of leading figures who have left a legacy of destruction and despair. Much of what passes for art, fashion or literature today is simply an exercise in bashing the West and the championing of hedonism, nihilism and barbarism.
His chapters on society and politics are especially of interest. He covers topics as diverse as the problems of Islam, the sexualisation of society, the death of childhood and mass murderers. Most of these chapters are minor classics in their own right. His chapter on the folly of legalising drugs is a small masterpiece of social commentary, logical thought and fluid prose.
Part of the reason for Dalrymple's accurate and acute observations of the decrepit condition of much of modern life is the fact that he also a doctor. He has worked for many years in hospitals, prisons, and other social hot spots. He has witnessed first hand the tragic results of our social engineers and their distorted vision of reality. Both in the UK and overseas, he has encountered first hand the bitter fruit of dying civilizations.
His incisive and clearly penned assessments of the decline of Western culture are a much-needed antidote to the utopianism and elitism of so many of our social spin doctors. His writings are as important and prophetic as they are skilfully crafted.
Well written but disturbing - Rated
This is a series of short essays, each complete in itself. This makes for comfortable and conveniently digestible reading. This is fortunate because both the analysis of the individual aspects of contemporary culture, and conclusions drawn, are generally depressing; so it is a book you might want to read in small chunks.
However, the lucid prose make it both easy to read and yet thought provoking.
The author applies a fine and perceptive mind to the current general debasement of our culture and values. You are likely to be aware of and concerned about many of the issues he raises - but he gives a fresh and bracing perspective that is drawn from his own extensive 'hands on' interaction with the seamier side of our culture. His 'credentials' for writing derive from his many harrowing adventures as a doctor of trying to repair the individual tragedies of those caught in the sub-strata. The book made me grateful that I could learn without the pain of direct experience. Recommended reading if you want to understand the slow motion wreck of Western Civilization and prepare for the probable final acceleration into the abyss.
fascinating and utterly horrifying - Rated
It's always horrible (but alas, painfully necessary)to read other peoples' observations on what is going on in Britain today. I can't really add any further information to the reviews already submitted here but I would say this is a very eye opening account. Anyone who is interested in the problems that are besieging Britain will find this very interesting indeed. I would also recommend his other book: "The Worldview that Makes the Underclass". Both are extremely informative, totally depressing and brutally honest. How I wish the observations made in here weren't true but they are. Credit to the author for making these observations known. It may make some people in Britain wake up to what is going on.
How could you argue with this? - Rated
I purchased this book, largely on the strength of the reviews, but was predisposed toward scepticism. However, I found myself progressively won over by Dalrymple's articulate prose and remorselessly logical arguments. I would go as far as to say that this is one of the most powerful books I have read in recent years. I am left wondering why no-one of repute is debunking the tidal wave of politically-correct nonsense that our media and politicians are awash with. Only today (09/04/06), I have read of a fine high-court judge being pilloried by the unions for 'racism' because he has had the temerity to suggest that a ten-year old boy should not be brought before him by the CPS for uttering a racial term which he has probably heard on the lips of an adult. I can sense Dalrymple's anger, and understand it perfectly. Someone do something!
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