The paradise myth has shaped civilisations for centuries. When Christopher Columbus first 'discovered' America, it was considered a new Garden of Eden. Later it became a secular paradise in which rights and freedoms were enshrined. In this current time of terror, however, many of these rights are being questioned there is trouble in paradise. Frank Moorhouse, Martin Amis, Chalmers Johnson, John Kinsella, Kirsty Sword Gusmo and others explore the lure of paradise and its shortcomings.