That aside, it’s a very positive review, of the sort of review I like best: those that engage deeply with the text and look to add to the topic, rather than simply assess the book. Lawless’ conclusion:

Required reading for those interested in the history of the discipline, this book joins other important works, such as Price’s Threatening Anthropology, on the deleterious effects of the Cold War on anthropology.

The reviewer, Penny Howard, calls it “a useful reminder of the political significance of [anthropological]questions and the extent to which governments have been prepared to go to ensure that they get the “right” answers.” Highlighting essays by David Price, Susan Sperling, Marc Pinkoski, and Eric Ross, Howard discusses the various ways anthropology has been shaped by governmental and corporate influence.

In the end, she says,”For [readers] interested in Marxist theory and history it is a fascinating study in the political nature of ideas, and the terrible consequences of mechanical and deterministic approaches to Marxism.”

That pleases me to no end!

Read the review: Penny Howard, Review of Anthropology at the Dawn of the Cold War