"Linger's book is a rare and exceptionally worthwhile treatment of the role played by violence in the lives of ordinary Brazilians. . . . Engagingly written, handsomely printed, with excellent photographs . . . and richly illustrated with several dozen interview statements that attain a life of their own, the book provides an indispensable analysis of the unwritten rules of Brazilian social intercourse. . . . A model study of use not only to specialists on Brazil."

—Choice

"A fascinating and original study of violence in Brazilian popular culture. . . . It is difficult to do justice in a review of this length to the richness of Linger's book—the high quality of his writing, the way he illuminates Brazilian history and historiography, the 'thickness' of his ethnographic descriptions, and the intelligence of his theoretical discussions."

—Bulletin of Latin American Research

"An especially important contribution, drawing on a range of different theoretical perspectives . . . and on especially rich and varied ethnographic accounts."

—American Anthropologist