In this short compendium of scapegoating, Campbell wryly describes how we, as a species, are always looking to blame someone else for our misfortunes. "We still crave simple explanations for complex happenings," Campbell writes, but these explanations have often led to tragic situations in which innocents suffer for crimes they didn't commit. The term "scapegoat" first appeared in William Tyndale's 1530 English translation of the Latin Bible, describing the animals sacrificed as a "sin offering" on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Tyndale, who was executed for his efforts to circumvent the clergy; Christ; witch hunts; the Holocaust; and the astonishing medieval practice of putting farm animals on trial for sorcery, all exemplify how scapegoats have been made to bear the sins of humanity. The book offers examples organized into thematic chapters (Jewish, Christian, sexual, Communist, medical), which cover ancient to modern times and show how powerful leaders and enemies of the people have always been "inextricably linked, reverse sides of a coin, one the shadow of the other." Although Campbell is a witty and engaging writer, the book never develops an argument beyond anecdote, and stops short of delving into why primal hate continues to have so much influence in shaping culture. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In this short study, Campbell (former books editor, Literary Review) explores the human habit of blaming others. When a negative event takes place, many people experience a powerful urge to cast blame, to find a person or group to hold responsible. Campbell offers example after example of scapegoating throughout history, many of which would seem laughably absurd were they not, disturbingly, true. From literal whipping boys who received punishment for the misdeeds of child kings, to the so-called witches hunted in the 16th and 17th centuries, to the Jews blamed for the Black Death in Europe, societies have created and punished (often by execution) an astonishing array of scapegoats. Campbell spends a helpful chapter discussing the psychology of scapegoating, helping readers understand the innate human urge to blame others so as to be able to live with oneself. His humor and engaging stories draw attention to the phenomenon of blame in the hope that readers will realize humanity's collective foolishness and perhaps become more circumspect about irrationally placing blame. VERDICT An entertaining look at a disturbing sociological phenomenon. Recommended to students of human nature who want insight into this all-too-common practice.-Elizabeth L. Winter, Georgia Inst. of Tech. Lib., Atlanta (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bible translator William Tyndale first used the word scapegoat to describe a Jewish ritual of atonement, but the phenomenon goes back a lot further than the sixteenth century. In this slim but idea-packed book, the author looks at scapegoats through history (and, by extension, the history of scapegoating). Alfred Dreyfus, the French artillery officer famously convicted of treason in 1894, is here. So are Jesus Christ, perhaps history's most well-known scapegoat; the Salem witch hunts; and the Communist witch hunts of the twentieth century. But so, too, are some lesser-known scapegoats, like some weevils who were put on trial really because some winegrowers lost some crops. While he tells us these stories of unjust treatment and just plain bad luck, Campbell also delves into larger issues, like the morality of the blame game and whether, in some cases (i.e., political situations), scapegoating can be an obvious sign of something far more nefarious going on behind the scenes. Very interesting stuff.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist

Literary Review books editor Campbell discusses types of scapegoats as well as some of the psychological and social reasons why humans seem unable to break the habit of "targeting minorities and marginalized groups when things go wrong." The author claims that scapegoating "goes right back to the beginning of mankind." The earliest human cultures had rituals that professed to do away with the wrongs of entire communities and aid in the return to an imaginary state of innocence. They sometimes used animals as sacrificial victims; more often, though, these cultures used those on the social fringes--e.g., criminals, slaves, the disabled--to bear the burden of their collective sins. Belief systems seem to be at the core of all scapegoating throughout history, since most of them are built on the fundamental dualism of good and evil. The unfortunate result has been an "us versus them" mentality that is really an expression of a "refusal to accept responsibility for our actions." Campbell suggests that blame is a driving engine of histories both great and small. Not only did it bring about the Crusades and the Holocaust; it was also behind the 19th-century trial of a Great Auk charged with witchcraft. Blame is a way for creatures "who pride [themselves] on being the most intelligent life-form on earth" to make sense of a chaotic world--and reveal their ultimate stupidity. Trenchantly sardonic.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.