for this piece; it brings back happy memories. The book was recommended to me by my son. He loved it, and made it the subject of one of his college application essays. I also really loved it and had similar thoughts as you when reading it. My son and I discussed the book in depth and both learned a lot from it. I believe it is a must read for the elementary school kids in the States, and, in my humble opinion, it should be a must read for adults, too.
By the way, the book has been made into a (2014) movie.
The British movie 《Hot Fuzz》is (funny and）a bit along the same vein: people taking extreme measures (murder) to ensure conformity in the name of the "greater good".
