When I read a book that is bad because it is dishonest and devious, I feel its my duty to warn others. Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500-year history, by Kurt Andersen is one such book. On the surface its thesis resonated with me, sucked me in. It began with 200 pages of non-controversial facts and amusing stories about the long history of American irrationality and magical thinking, exploited by both religious men and con-men. However, when the narrative got to the 1960s, gears were switched and it became yet another flaming bag of centrist bullshit.