What is it about human nature that leads some people to commit unspeakably evil acts?

And, perhaps a more important question for each of us, why do so many people submit to or even support these villains?

World history sadly offers us a long list of dictators and totalitarian thugs who used their power to steal from and oppress their countrymen—and kill those who defied them.

As tragic as these stories all are, they can still offer us lessons to learn from if we try to understand why these people acted the way they did—both those in control and those who were controlled.

These lessons may just have the key we need to help make sure the list of future villains is far shorter than the list in this book.

Whether the problem is a large one, like a dictatorial state or a cultural prejudice, or a small one, such as standing up to a bully, we can resolve to be a hero and fight for what is right.

That’s why the stories in this book are so impactful—they offer us an opportunity to learn lessons from the lives of a wide variety of people and ponder how we might have acted in a similar situation.

These heroes often stand out because so many of their peers failed to act likewise. Sadly, too few seem to have the courage to oppose something that is wrong. But these stories can help us prepare to be counted as someone who will choose the right!