I just added Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen to the Recommended Reading List.  The subtitle tells most of the story.  Andersen traces Americans belief in if not fascination with fantasies.  Many people are not going to like it but the root is America’s religiosity.  Andersen’s theory may be controversial but he lays out his case well and it is worth considering.