n twenty short biographical chapters it is sketched how the role of mathematics in the American society and its educational system has evolved from the early 19th till the late 20th century. That is one chapter per decade, but the life span of the individual mathematicians is of course wider: From Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838) to John Nash (1928-2015). In the 19th century, the US were expanding and fighting for independence. Importing slaves was gradually abolished which entailed a civil war between the Northern and Southern states. In the 20th century they participated in global conflicts and survived a cold war. Around 1800, there were only nine colonial colleges, (for white men only), and they mainly trained lawyers, physicians, and clergy. In rural regions teaching to read and write was for the lucky ones and it was forbidden to teach slaves. In the 1990's, there are numerous renowned universities and a regular educational system was established, with mathematics taking an important place at all levels of education. How did this come about? That is what Roberts is illustrating with this selection of 23 biographical sketches (some chapters treat two persons simultaneously). He did not take the leading mathematicians to illustrate the evolution (only few were famous) but there is a diversity of characters and people who were in some sense related to mathematics, and often they were involved in educational issues.