This is an extremely serious little book. It takes as its subject one of the most perplexing, lethal activities of which humanity is capable - suicide bombing. Franco De Masi, well-known for his work on the unconscious dynamics of psychosis and its analytic treatment, pieces together a mosaic of understanding in a little over 100 pages that takes into account the strategic aims of the suicide bomber, current psychoanalytic contributions, the origins and profile of individuals likely to commit the act, the role of martyrdom and links to sadomasochism, the intimate relationship between murder and suicide, filicide, female suicide bombers, the role played by trauma and dehumanization, dissociation of emotions, omnipotence and uniqueness of identity, God as a cannibal and the vital question of whether terrorism of this kind is reversible or irreversible. Lest it be thought that this coverage risks superficiality in a small book, the matters under discussion are treated with a high level of specificity and draw on a wide range of sources that