This book is important to keep the record straight. Filled with eyewitness accounts, scholarly analyses, and historical data, this first-of-its-kind overview is the work of leading scholars and thinkers. It meticulously documents atrocities and crimes against humanity that have been perpetrated for reasons that range from "the will of God" to "ethnic cleansing."

Focusing on the major atrocities of our time, the book provides accurate and verifiable historical information on how and why particular genocides were committed. Each original essay is accompanied by excerpts from personal accounts of survivors that vividly remind us that the statistics and plain facts represent men, women, and children who were persecuted and killed. Since each contributor addresses the same questions and issues, the essays provide a unified framework for analyzing and comparing the various historical events. An index facilitates research, and bibliographies point to sources where the subject can be pursued in greater depth.