"Žižek's book addresses in a really powerful way the human condition as we find ourselves in it today: as inheritors of the legacy of 9/11, global capitalism, the war on terror, etc. As a teacher I strive to bring my students into contact with philosophical texts that speak this directly to their lives and experiences so that they can begin to realize, as I once did, that philosophy is not a dead science, but a living art which is profoundly and frighteningly relevant—capable of transforming their understanding of themselves and their world. Žižek's book accomplishes all this and more. For this reason, I recommend his work to all young students of philosophy as essential reading."—Drew Dalton, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, St. Anselm College

"If you're already addicted to Martin Gardner's plain prose, gentle, reasonable voice, exhaustive research and relentless logic, you will want to add this book to your collection . . . While [he] has always called himself 'strictly a journalist,' he should really be honored as one of this country's greatest cultural treasures."—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post