Classifing types of ``whens'' (``When Court Decisions Trigger Violence''; ``When Americans Fear Losing Their Daily Bread''; etc.), Archer (The Incredible Sixties, 1986) takes a historical approach. Each mini-section (Rodney King, the Palmer Raid, the Boston Tea Party) is presented as a tightly constructed newspaper report; chapters are tied together by brief summaries. An introduction gives insight into the psychology of mob behavior as incited by failure to achieve goals peacefully, the anonymity of the occasion, and/or arousal (e.g., post-football rioting) that permits out-of-control actions abnormal to individuals involved. The nature of various sparks to violence--religious, governmental, prejudicial--suggests that we Americans (and perhaps all humans) can be a miserable lot. Archer dedicates the book to his granddaughters, who might, if we're lucky, benefit from the remedies he proposes. Best for report writers. Illustrations not seen. Bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 12+)
