Lucia: Testimonies of a Brazilian Drug Dealer's Woman

Voices of Latin American Life

by Robert Gay

In Rio de Janeiro, the selling points for cocaine are located in the city's six hundred or so shantytowns or favelas that are controlled by well-organized and heavily armed drug gangs. The struggle for control of the massive profits from the drug trade has resulted in what are increasingly violent and deadly confrontations between rival drug gangs and a corrupt and brutal police force that have transformed parts of the city into a war-zone. This book tells the story of Lucia, a poor Brazilian woman who was intimately involved with drug gang life in Rio throughout the 1990s. Through a series of conversations with the author, Lucia tells us, in her own words, what it is like to endure conditions of poverty, violence, and injustice that are simply unimaginable. And, in doing so, she sheds light on why women like her become involved with drugs and gangs.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Robert Gay is Professor of Sociology at Connecticut College. He is the author of Lucia: Testimonies of a Brazilian Drug Dealer's Woman and Popular Organization and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro: A Tale of Two Favelas.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in my politics and society of latin america class and it was really interesting

I learned a lot about Brazil and Lucia's story is just worth reading in general.

It's about the drug violence in Brazil and it gives you a description of what its like from someone who has lived in the middle of it her whole life.

I recommend it