The author explores patterns of familial trauma , such as the physical abuse suffered by Hitler and Stalin, or the emotional abandonment experienced by Franco and Mussolini.

A key feature of book, La infancia de los dictadores (The Childhood of Dictators), is its psychological analysis of the formative years of ten notorious 20th-century tyrants to determine if their "roots of evil" were inherent or developed . Key Features and Profiles

The book details the early lives of Pol Pot, Idi Amin Dada, Stalin, Gadafi, Hitler, Franco, Mao, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, and Bokassa.