-"Laura Finley examines the legitimacy of this "original sin" argument. She outlines the considerable precedents for the use of torture in European and American history, from the Inquisition and slavery, through the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Vietnam War. The evidence is by no means limited to military and national security situations. Indeed, Finley demonstrates frequent parallels to the problems of abuse in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan in the interrogation practices of American police and the disciplinary measures used in our penal systems. She also documents the attention given to torture in American law and executive policy. In so doing, she widens the debate on prisoner abuse from the limited context of the War on Terror in question for American society at large… this exploration of the question of torture will help to widen discussion of a controversial issue." —Lawrence Looks at Books

-"This thoughtful work will capture the attention of high school students, teachers, and the public alike, offering multiple perspectives in an ongoing national debate. Highly recommended for high school, public and university libraries." —Doug's Student Reference Room