Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy

Review from School Library Journal:

Davis profiles five ruthless dictators: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddam Hussein. Three of the book's eight chapters discuss democracy and other forms of government, the times in which the dictators lived, other "strongmen," and the need for vigilance against authoritarianism. Each biographical chapter features a time line of the dictator's life and quotes by or about the man and his regime. Davis deftly opens these chapters with a narrative about the subject, followed by a chronological account of his life. The time line and quotes give readers a sense of both the historical context and the character of the profiled person. The text also explains the role that the Western powers had in allowing these men to gain dominance. The abuses committed by the United States, as in the case of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, are also mentioned.