With the appearance of Homer's study, it is no longer possible to base any serious work about organized crime on the superficial debate over whether or not this set of activities is dominated by one or more particular ethnic groups, writes political scientist Michael A. Weinstein in his introduction. Homer removes the study of organized crime from the realm of sensationalism and ethnic chauvinism, and places it in the context of contemporary American social structure. He reviews prevalent myths and hypotheses about organized crime and critically analyzes them in the framework of contemporary...

Georg Groddeck (1866-1934), who was trained as a physician but became famous for his success as a healer, introduced a radical concept in that we virtually always cause our own illness and injury; therefore, we can cure and avoid both. He utilized the technique of psychoanalysis to communicate with the source of the illness. In The Interpretation of Illness, Homer goes beyond Groddeck's initial insight to emphasize that illness is a communication to others, especially a call for sympathy. No one consciously likes to be sick or hurt; but we all, consciously or unconsciously, tell others about...