No one disputes that some people are victims-of others, accidents, and life. But we also all know someone who seems .stuck. They make life worse because of an intense focus on the past. On a personal level, the chronic victim-thinker can be toxic. But what happens when victim narratives dominate entire societies? The Victim Cult tackles this too-easy reflex to take offense and blame others, from college campuses to the heights of political power. It also infects citizens who see each other as victims or privileged but never as diverse individuals with choices. Victim cults are not new. Some have deep roots and end in disaster. Many 19th-century Germans thought they were victims of the French, English, liberalism, and Jews. Adolf Hitler later exploited that victim narrative to turn the land of Bach and Beethoven into the nation known for Dachau. Yasser Arafat viewed Palestinians and himself only as victims. When offered a peace deal with Israel, he cratered it, preferring blame and terror over peace. Moving beyond victimhood In this wide-ranging look at why societies fail or succeed, The Victim Cult explains how victim cults arise: Relentless blame of others, faulty moral reasoning, and misguided identity politics. The Victim Cult also details positive lessons from those who were harmed yet succeeded: early Asian Americans who fought prejudice and sought integration, education and entrepreneurship. Their choices built a better America with opportunities for all. Book jacket.