The US (like every other great nation) is exceptional. What other nation has the Constitution, democratic processes, highest caloric intake, and professionalized school sports? The US is also exceptional in being the world's most punitive nation, a dreary distinction that began just four decades ago. Government and law professor Howard (Georgetown) takes this phenomenon in a new, unusually provocative direction: US-style incarceration is "unusually cruel" relative to economically advanced nations. The trend began with bipartisan legislative overreaction to increasing crime and drug use. The locked-up body count swelled as plea bargaining grew, elected prosecutors racked up their conviction numbers, and opportunities for reintegration in the community became tighter. Meanwhile, jail and prison institutions themselves became cruel relative to practices in France, Germany, and the UK, which Howard references. Rehabilitation in the US fell out of favor. Politicians made the trend possible based on a theme of being tough on crime. While long sentences in bleak institutions with a stigmatized future for those returning seems to be tough, it is really stupid on crime. Howard's brilliant analysis points to four enduring factors: persistent racism, evangelical religion, the politics of reelection, and profit-making from the incarcerated. Summing Up: Essential. All public and academic levels/libraries. --Robert D. McCrie, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY