Although we are loath to admit it, much of our history is the record of illegal, or at least immoral, activities. Bridenthal (history emerita, Brooklyn College) follows this complicated train of thought through various real-life scenarios, including premodern city-states of Europe, the modern nations of France and Japan, imperial power in North America and India, postcolonial Southeast Asia and Africa, and the postmodern regional entity known as the Mediterranean Sea area. Given this background, it is fairly easy to follow Bridenthal's track to areas where crime and corruption are emerging, just in time to make history again. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)