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The title is provocative and the tone polemical. James L. Dickerson isan investigative reporter, not a historian, and sometimes leaps to simplisticconclusions. He maintains that immigrants who came to America foreconomic reasons “tended to view torture as a legitimate tool with which toprotect their wealth.” It never occurs to Dickerson that many immigrants camefor mixed reasons (does that make them undecided on torture?) or that economicrefugees might have brought humane values with them to this country. Despitehis reductive thinking, Dickerson’s book is a reminder that the United Stateshas often, maybe routinely, fallen short of its professed values. As the authorrightly points out, many academic historians still tend to brush aside theextent of America’sshadow side of incarceration and brutality.
