Somehow, I managed to escape being "required" to read this book when I was in school (we moved a lot; I probably just fell between the cracks, so to speak). Recently, at the age of 38, I finally read the book, although of course I was familiar with its concepts and so on, since they've become part of Western culture, for the most part. <br><br>I have to say, this is THE scariest book I've ever read. I had nightmares, that's how deeply it disturbed me. I thought about it for days and days after I finished it, mulling it over in my mind, applying concepts in it to things I already knew or suspected about human nature, and so on. The phrase "thought provoking" doesn't come even close to the effect this book had on me. <br><br>I highly recommend this book to anyone who has or wants insights into the nature of society and, more to the point, of human beings. <br><br>