Best of
Brazil

2013

Through Gilly's Eyes Memoirs of a Guide Dog


Matthew VonFossan - 2013
    Funny, insightful, and moving, Gilly's story offers a unique perspective. His accounts include the highs and lows of a dog's life, observations on Matt's (the author) coming of age, and thoughts on the human-canine condition.

The Alienist and Other Stories of Nineteenth-Century Brazil


Machado de Assis - 2013
    Accompanied by a thorough introduction to "Brazil's Machado, Machado's Brazil", these vibrant new translations of eight of Machado de Assis's best-known short stories bring nineteenth-century Brazilian society and culture to life for modern readers.

Favela Digital: The other side of technology


David Nemer - 2013
    My research aims to understand the experience of marginalized people in community technology centers and how this experience informs the ways we think about what constitutes "empowerment" and "disempowerment" vis-à-vis technology. The book "Digital Favela - The other side of technology" is an opportunity to show, in photos, the reality I lived in during six months visiting the marginalized communities of São Benedito, Bairro da Penha, Itararé, Gurigica, Jaburu e Consolação. Along with the team from Varal Communications Agency, I captured the everyday life in the favelas and how the residents use digital technology. My goal with this book is to make people aware that alternative use of such technologies, in these areas of social abandonment, is legitimate and deserves our attention. The photos are followed by testimonials given by residents, my own observations, or parts of academic papers. The texts critically engage the reader with social issues of technology use in favelas and in society in general. The book is also a way to highlight themes addressed by Social Informatics in order to trigger discussions involving the general public. It amplifies critical issues of the life in the favelas for everyone, including academics". David Nemer

Latin American Populism in the Twenty-First Century


Carlos De La Torre - 2013
    Latin American Populism in the Twenty-first Century explains the emergence of today’s radical populism and places it in historical context, identifying continuities as well as differences from both the classical populism of the 1930s and 1940s and the neo-populism of the 1990s.Leading Latin American, U.S., and European authors explore the institutional and socioeconomic contexts that give rise to populism and show how disputes over its meaning are closely intertwined with debates over the meaning of democracy. By analyzing the discourse and policies of populist leaders and reviewing their impact in particular countries, these contributors provide a deeper understanding of populism’s democratizing promise as well as the authoritarian tendencies that threaten the foundation of liberal democracy.

Ajuda


John C. Matson - 2013
    But he is torn between conventional expectations and following his inner compass. He doesn’t know that his urge to break free from the invisible shackles that bind him will lead to living out every man’s sexual fantasy—and then having to face the consequences. On a business trip to Brazil he meets the intelligent, free-spirited Cece: a beguiling Brazilian woman who turns his world inside out. Despite deep insecurities, Jay accepts Cece’s invitation to be her guest during Carnival in the quaint town of Ajuda, where he finds himself living in close quarters with three stunning Brazilian women. He agonizes over being true to his destiny or to his life as he knew it—a tumultuous psychospiritual journey that eventually liberates him, but at a price. Expect the unexpected in this steamy page-turner about life lessons learned through love, lust, betrayal, surrender, and freedom.

Making Samba: A New History of Race and Music in Brazil


Marc A. Hertzman - 2013
    This apparently simple act—claiming ownership of a musical composition—set in motion a series of events that would shake Brazil's cultural landscape. Before the debut of "Pelo telephone," samba was a somewhat obscure term, but by the late 1920s, the wildly popular song had helped to make it synonymous with Brazilian national music.The success of "Pelo telephone" embroiled Donga in controversy. A group of musicians claimed that he had stolen their work, and a prominent journalist accused him of selling out his people in pursuit of profit and fame. Within this single episode are many of the concerns that animate Making Samba, including intellectual property claims, the Brazilian state, popular music, race, gender, national identity, and the history of Afro-Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro. By tracing the careers of Rio's pioneering black musicians from the late nineteenth century until the 1970s, Marc A. Hertzman revises the histories of samba and of Brazilian national culture.