Well, this book suffers from poor presentation and a cover that makes you wonder what axe the author has to grind. Even her bio warns you that she's been wronged and wants to set things right.

While many of the instances in her book probably have some truth to them, I gave up after the first chapter because it is hard to reason with an angry person and even harder to sort through what should be paid attention to... It is clear she wanted to discredit former associates, and this is her shot.

I love to read, and I usually finish a book, but this was a hard to swallow, and I had other things I wanted to focus on. Not going to waste my time or words any further. ( )

I looked forward to receiving this book, hoping that I would learn more about the religious right than I knew, which is very little. I was so overwhelmed with information that I just stopped reading. It made me frightened, nauseous and apprehensive. To learn about people and organizations is one thing, but to understand the purpose for these organizations is quite another that everyone should be made aware of.
Unfortunately the format of the book was offputting. It is large and paperback, which is difficult to hold, but the author wites the book like a dissertation. In bullet format the author tells you what you are to learn at the beginning of each chapter, and then sums up again in bullet format what you should have learned. This is so like text books in school that I felt the author didn't trust me to take away from the text what she wished me to know.
The book gave me information and names to look for in other sources. I found that to be the value of this book. ( )

This is a polemical book that tries to thwart the continuing rise of the religious right in the United States. The key issue is the diminution of the separation of church and state in recent American history. Alexander finds this quite dismaying and indicates how groups like the Domininists and Christian Reconstructionists are a threat to democracy and freedom. Her fear of takeover might be greater than the reality. However, one can see how thorough the cleavage of thinking about the nation's political life. A useful read. ( )

Good basic introduction to the subject. Will suffice as basic reader. Suffers from a certain "cheapness" of format, due to layout of cover and interior bullet points which remind me of the Dummies series. But information is still valid. Best contribution is that it is from an insider and offers personal expose on the rightwing evangelical extremist culture. Necessary read for those interested in the culture war or modern politics.

Religious Right, written in a textbook format, is a good basic introduction to understanding the drives of the fundamentalist Christian right and how they mesh into present day American politics.

I must admit that I approached the book with reservations, expecting perhaps just a rant, a one-sided diatribe against evangelicals. But that is not so. Alexander painstakingly delineates the history, and the intentions, of the religious right from the mid-1900s to the present day. She connects this history with attempts to impress their world view on all aspects of American society.... religious, political, economic. And, reveals the road map by which the right hopes to accomplish this. She also names names of influential people today who are deeply involved in this movement.

If the reader is someone who has kept up with the shenanigans of the religious right, this book will not contribute much to ones knowledge. BUT, if you are not familiar with this topic, it's a gold mine of information. Besides a detailed overview of the intentions and methods of the right to torpedo the separation of church and state, and turn the US into a country ruled by Biblical principles only, there is a large bibliography of books that the reader can access for more information.

It will scare the pants off you.... as it should! ( )