Jon Huer received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1975 and is professor of sociology at the University of Maryland University College. He has written a dozen books of social criticism, including The Wages of Sin,Tenure for Socrates, and also The Dead End, which TIME Magazine's Lance Morrow called "an important and often brilliant book."

• Chapter 1 Introduction. Welcome to American ParadiseChapter 2 Chapter 1. The Great American TemptationChapter 3 Chapter 2. The Axis of Evil TemptationChapter 4 Chapter 3. Merchants of DeathChapter 5 Chapter 4. Paradise Up CloseChapter 6 Chapter 5. What America Has BecomeChapter 7 Chapter 6. Life, Liberty, and HappinessChapter 8 Chapter 7. Freedom's ProgressChapter 9 Chapter 8. The Incredibly Shrinking NationChapter 10 Chapter 9. Lifestyle and Other OdditiesChapter 11 Chapter 10. Individualism and Supreme JusticeChapter 12 Chapter 11. The Americanization of LoveChapter 13 Chapter 12. Paradise FoundChapter 14 Chapter 13. The Perfect StateChapter 15 Chapter 14. A Phantom NationChapter 16 Chapter 15. Weapons of Mass DistractionChapter 17 Chapter 16. All That GlittersChapter 18 Chapter 17. More Economic OdditiesChapter 19 Chapter 18. What Could Have BeenChapter 20 Chapter 19. Paradise Lost, AgainChapter 21 Chapter 20. Living and Dying by the SwordChapter 22 Bibliography

…it forces the reader…to examine all of his of her shortcomings and false truths that are constantly placed in our minds by society, ourselves, the media. American Paradise is effective because it is real. All of the irony and contradictions that swirl around us everyday…are clearly identified in the text so that an honest, hard look can be taken not only on society, but on the individual reading it.