The Unicorn's Secret

Ira Einhorn was a child of the Age of Aquarius. He was not only a child, though, he was an instigator, planner, creator of that weird era. He became leader of a social movement and no story better illustrates the power of such media-driven movements. First of all, they have the ability to make ordinary people interpret the world in terms that differ from reality. Thus, we are subjected to daily litanies of the awful environment while the US (again) tops the UN list of nations with the cleanest water and safest food.The other power of social movements is the manner in which all sorts of crimes are permitted for the "good of the movement". Ira was a showman who not only caught the leading fads and trends but created them. Thus he joined New Age idiocy (UFO's, ESP, conspiracies at every corner) with ecology where he was the instigator of the preposterous "Earth Day", a celebration that has now become a financially successful cottage industry. Add to that radical politics, drugs and sex and one has the recipe for a disaster. Repeatedly he outwitted politicians who attempted to cash in on the latest craze. Through sheer showmanship and continual media self-promotion he established himself as the man around town.Around this time enter one Holly Madux, former high school cheerleader from Texas and susceptible to his many charms. Five years later she "disappears". Skip forward and her body is found in Ira's apt, he is arrested and with the help of Arlen Specter (R-PA) he is released on a $40,000 bond and skips the country. He resurfaces in Ireland only to disappear again. Finally, in 1997 he was caught in France, still proclaiming his innnocence. Friends felt he had deserted "the Cause" though he is fondly remembered for his power as an organizer, facilitator and power broker - perhaps his true calling. His private life was, of course, much different from his public persona and apparently involved cruelty toward his lovers. In his latest interviews one almost gets the sense of entitlement for commission of a crime due to his past actions. A sad, touching, horrifying, eye-opener of a book.

This book is far more than a whodunit. It is a wonderful history of the politics and pop-culture of the 1960s and 1970s and it provides in-depth character analyses of all of the central players. This one really puts "The Age of Aquarius" in perspective! Was the Unicorn a murderer or framed by secret operatives? The revelations in the last chapters provided an unequivocal answer for me.

This is a gripping story, made all the more tragic because Einhorn remains free in France. It paints the picture of why liberal activists are so often not benevolent, but selfish, sometimes psychopathic. People with huge egos like to pat themselves on the back, which is what fuels their activism: selfishness NOT selflessness is what so often fuels the public liberal. Einhorn is a (very) extreme example of that. Sometimes the scum, and not the cream, rises to the top (as Einhorn did for a time). France should be ashamed of themselves for harboring him. To read more about psychopaths (of which Einhorn almost certainly is) read the nonfiction WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. Reading that book will help you spot true evil before it happens. Maybe Holly would be alive today if she'd had that book.

Reviewers below think UNICORN'S SECRET was too tedious and didn't get to the point quickly enough. I disagree. The book is as much about the 60's as it is about Einhorn and Maddux. You need this background to understand the characters, especially Einhorn. You learn Einhorn's will to power actually played a more substantial role in his politics than any altruistic or ideological motivations.Einhorn was addicted to the leadership role, and let politics define who he was in a way that truly twisted his personality. We see this over and over again, even today, in such movements as the Christian Coalition, and Leonora Fulani's "social therapy."UNICORN'S SECRET, along with David Harris' DREAMS DIE HARD (about another tragic murder of a 60's radical) help more fully define the decade for history.

I saw the movie and it sparked an interest in the story. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the book is. It is well researched and paints a very clear picture. I can't put it down.