[.ca] Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend (ISBN 081269192X)

MUST read for all, including believers in SRA:
This is one of the few books published that deals honestly with the whole satanic ritual abuse/cult crime hysteria, and does so in some detail. There are books written by biased people claiming a satanic cult conspiracy but this book lays out the details and seems to leave nothing out. I reccomend this book for those who believe the satanic cult crime/ child sacrifice claims of certain self-proclaimed experts ( biased and geared to promote a certian religious view and not the simple truth) because ignorance of the facts harms themselves. Another good author is Debbie Nathan. The hysteria from SRA did a lot of damage to many people. While I would have mentioned details of the hysteria culprits, the author did a good job. My copy is dog eared.

A lucid, rational view of an emotionally charged issue:
The author does a wonderful job of dissecting the nature of the "panic" that had many Americans believing in the existence of a Satanic "underground" movement in the eighties and early nineties. Extremely readable and not couched in overly academic language, the book is useful for anyone who needs solid, reasonable information on the subject--the lay public, academics, the clergy, or police officers will all benefit from reading this work and keeping an open mind. Victor follows the panic from a number of angles; religious, sociologic, folkloric, and so on. For each he presents a balanced case that seeks not to ridicule anyone who "bought into" the stories of widespread Satanism, but simply to understand why they did so. He also shows how some people (psychologists, police, and so on) actually thrived on the notoriety they achieved in their capacity as "witch hunter" and sought to keep the panic alive in order to further their own agendas. Excellent reading, and a book that shows the danger of blindly believing rumors and unverified conspiracy tales.

Sorry I didn't take your class:
I was at SUNY JCC in 1996 and regret not taking Victor's sociology class. I refused to take this because I thought "Satanic Panic" was an attack on Christians. "Satanic Panic" should be required reading for Christians, and should serve as a wake up call. Christians need to refuse feeding the crazy rumors that often infect our circles. (M.M O'Hare and the FCC) I grew up believing in SRA and it was not until I read things from Christian Research Institute and Bob & Gretchen Pasatino and continued to see Dr. Victor being cited. Please accept my apology for refusing to think and refusing to take your class.

A Fascinating Look At Modern Witch-hunting:
I just finished reading this fascinating book and highly recommend it. Everyone should be aware of these FACTS which debunk the whole Christian "Satanic Ritual Abuse" scare campaign. Very thorough and well-researched, this book is a much-needed rational antidote to the current poisonous false accusations against innocent people. Its hard to believe that huge numbers of people will believe such far-out allegations as those of the so-called "experts" (many of which have already been shown to be total frauds) without any evidence except the fantasies of mentally-ill people & small children manipulated into telling tall tales. I became interested in this book from reading about the "West Memphis 3" case, in which 3 youths were convicted of murder (one is on Death Row) without any hard evidence, just the "Satanic Panic" accusations. You think such insane things as the Salem Witch Trials are a thing of the past? Think again! A great non-fiction read---FIVE STARS!