At the beginning of the twenty-first century, evil remains as potent and radical a force in the world as it has ever been. We all now evil when we encounter it - in the villains of history like Hitler and Stalin, in the routine brutality that makes the nightly news, in the hateful violence of terrorists, and sociopaths - but the phenomenon of evil has long resisted explanation. In this singular survey of this mysterious but all-too-often palpable force, veteran Time magazine essayist Lance Morrow offers a sustained look at the unmistakable ways evil manifests itself in history and in the human heart. This is a provocative meditation on the role evil plays in shaping human history, a timely analysis of how this primitive force can be understood in a modern world of high-tech, sensationalized brutality, and a daring exploration of why evil may be necessary in the world.

Lance Morrow has won two National Magazine Awards, written more than 150 Time cover stories, and has contributed to publications such as Harper's, Civilization, The Conde Nast Traveler, and National Geographic Traveler. Morrow is a University Professor at Boston University, and is the author of several books, including Heart: A Memoir, The Chief: A Memoir of Fathers and Sons, and Fishing in the Tiber. He lives in Chatham, NY.