From gated communities to Heaven"s Gate, the idea and practice of community in America have not only declined but mutated. In the process, Americans" longing to be connected to something greater than themselves has intensified. This longing, coupled with an absence of genuine community alternatives, opens the way to counterfeit claims by those promoting economic rather than social agendas. This book examines _counterfeit community_ as it has become manifest throughout contemporary American societyin housing, as it shapes our public spaces; in the workplace; in politics; in religion; and most recently, in cyberspace.