Going into this semi-popular history, my main question is whether the author would maintain a good balance between being informative, and being entertaining. With the answer being most certainly yes. Imagine a real-life version of a "reality" TV show, as a group of people used to being cosseted and fussed over suddenly find themselves hostages; well-taken care of hostages, but hostages all the same. In particular, Solomon manages the neat trick of maintaining some empathy for these people as a group, while never overlooking their delusions. Highly recommended. ( )