"Humans are the only animal that cheats," posits the author of Thomas Jefferson's America, and here she provides a social history of cheating and how American history—through real estate, sports, finance, academics, and of course politics—has had its unfair share of rigged results and widened the margins on its gray areas. And far from being ostracized, notes Julie Fenster in this "lighthearted romp" (Kirkus Reviews), cheaters in every sphere continue to survive and even thrive, weakening national ethics and casting their influence over the rest of our society.