A Death in Brazil: A Book of Omissions (John MacRae Books)

published	2004 by Henry Holt and Co.
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0805076417 (isbn13: 9780805076417)
pages	352
description	From his own near murder in Rio at the hands of an intruder twenty years ago and continuing through the recent slaying of a former president's bagman ...more [close] From his own near murder in Rio at the hands of an intruder twenty years ago and continuing through the recent slaying of a former president's bagman who looted the country of more than a billion dollars, violent death poses a steady threat in Peter Robb's brilliant travelogue through modern-day Brazil.It's not death, however, that leaves a lasting impression but the exuberant life force that emanates from the country and its people. Seeking to understand how extreme danger and passion can coexist in a nation for centuries, Robb travels from the cobalt blue shores of southern Brazil to the arid mountains of the northeast recounting four centuries of Brazilian history from the days of slavery to the recent election of the country's first working-class president. Much more than a journey through history, Robb renders in vivid detail the intoxicating pleasures of the food, music, and climate of the country and references the work of Brazil's greatest writers to depict a culture unlike any other. With a stunning prose style and an endlessly inquisitive intellect, Robb builds layer upon layer of history, culture, and personal reminiscence into a deeply personal, impressionistic portrait of a nation.The reader emerges from A Death in Brazil not just with more knowledge about the country but with a sense of having experienced it and with a deep understanding of its turbulent soul. [close]
date added	02-13-07 edit book

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Craig rated it:

(review of isbn 0312424876)

07/09/08

bookshelves: things-i-read-while-traveling

Read in July, 2006

I finished another great book tonight. It is heavy, dense, a complicated read that may not be for everyone. However, if you have any interest in the history and culture of Brazil, then you've got to get this book. A colleague and mentor of mine, Paul Kawata, bought an apartment in Rio a couple of years ago, and spending some time talking with him in California this past spring sparked my interest.

A Death in Brazil: A Book of Omissions is Peter Robb's seductive, intriguing, sometimes terrifyi...more I finished another great book tonight. It is heavy, dense, a complicated read that may not be for everyone. However, if you have any interest in the history and culture of Brazil, then you've got to get this book. A colleague and mentor of mine, Paul Kawata, bought an apartment in Rio a couple of years ago, and spending some time talking with him in California this past spring sparked my interest.

A Death in Brazil: A Book of Omissions is Peter Robb's seductive, intriguing, sometimes terrifying account of Brazil's rich tapestry of culture, politics, music, food, and sex. Written in a sometimes confusing (or maybe confused) style, the book manages to enrich the reader's understanding of this country's wildly complicated past, while entertaining us in the style of one of their famous telenovelas.

Brazil is a country about which I knew very little. The largest country in South America and fifth largest in the world, Brazil was inhabited for more than 10,000 years before its “discovery” by Portuguese explorers in 1500. It is home to the world's largest Catholic population and the second largest Christian population.

Many of the vibrant stories that Robb tells keep you on the edge of your seat with hope, only to crush you under the weight of social injustice. I was particularly horrified by the history of slavery and the ways in which human life often meant so little. Of course, my own U.S. history is not so radically different, perhaps a reason for my terror. His stories about political corruption, abuses of power, murder, espionage, and the like are even more powerful as they are so recent.

If you saw the shockingly disturbing movie, City of God, based on the 1997 book by Paulo Lins, you witnessed life in one of Brazil's hundreds of favelas, or slums. The book and movie paint the picture of what develops when thousands of people become displaced from war or famine or economic disaster. Robb's book goes further, helping us uncover and discover the root causes, maybe even the plan, for these wretched, horrible places.

Robb offers frequent respites from the despair through his vivid descriptions of the beauty of the land and the innocence of so many of its people. His love of food and the details of his gastronomic pursuits alone made me move Brazil to the top of my “Must Explore” list. I've eaten at many Brazilian restaurants in my day, but now understanding the important history of these dishes, I can become even more adventurous and erudite in my eating.

The book ends close to where it begins, offering not much more than a simple thought about how quickly change occurs in this land of passionate and intoxicating extremes. It isn't preachy. It isn't sentimental. It doesn't profess to offer solutions to the country's social ills. Instead, Robb's book is a cross between travelogue, investigative journalism, and that classic Brazilian telenovela....less

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A Death in Brazil: A Book of Omissions (John MacRae Books)

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