Anton Blok will open the eyes of the uninitiated, as well as the trained scientist. His approach to violence is broad reaching and, importantly, not limited to one aspect of violence. There is little doubt that this book is destined to become a classic. It has helped me orient my research to the "narcissism of minor differences" and opened the door to an aspect of anthropological inquiry that is just now becoming heavily studied. This one must be on your shelf.

Well, this book had the possibility to be incredible, dealing with the Sociological aspect of the Sicilian Mafia and it's affect on the villages it thrived in, but it fell flat. Blok found several ways to make an interesting subject long-winded and dull. He discussed everything from the landforms surrounding the villages, to the crops that some mafioso planted, but he seemed to swerve around all interesting and relevant information. Where this book may have dealt deeply with external conditions and their effect on the mafia, this held little interest for me. It held it's ranking of six (6) by remaining incredibly factual, and doing an excellent analysis of the different levels of mafioso. If you like the subject, or are related to one of the banditos in the book, i'd recommend it, but if not, stick to Stepen King. banordqu@piper.hamline.edu

A fascinating study - for those of Sicilian ancestry - but a very difficult book to read. Maybe it is the author's style or his prose, but I'm not sure I would have finished it except that one of the villages Bloc writes about is where my mother's family comes from.