A Concise History of Brazil (Cambridge Concise Histories)

Description

The second edition of A Concise History of Brazil offers a sweeping yet accessible history of Latin America's largest country. Boris Fausto examines Brazil's history from the arrival of the Portuguese in the New World through the long and sometimes rocky transition from independence in 1822 to democracy in the twentieth century. In a completely new chapter, his son Sergio Fausto, a prominent political scientist, brings the history up to the present, focusing on Brazil's increasing global economic importance as well as its continued democratic development and the challenges the country faces to meet the higher expectations of its people. Review: Difficult and un-illuminating read - A dense and tedious walk through Brazilian history. Perhaps I hoped for too much, and maybe this is more appropriate for the professional historian, but detailing the historiography of the work, continually backing up general points with myriad statistics, and referencing future events before formally introducing them all come together to make this book totally inappropriate for the novice to Brazilian history. I’m not sure whether there exists a better read for someone wanting an overview of Brazil's history, with perhaps more of a focus on the "characters" of history (even if this goes against modern historiographical sensibilities). Suffice it to say if, like me, you wanted to learn about Brazil within the confines of an entertaining read this is definitely not the book for you. Copious typing and grammatical errors (including words simply missing) throughout the book doesn’t help endear this book to the reader either as they trudge through reams of statistics while struggling to understand key figures and movements in Brazilian history. Avoid unless you are a professional. Review: Brazil Has Advanced but It Has a Long Way to Go - As an American Expat, I have lived in Brazil for a little over seven years, so I wanted to get a historical and sociological understanding of Brazil, I’ve learned a great deal and I have found the book to be very even-handed in its analysis of events and government policies. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about The True Brazil. The English Translation was very readable and enjoyable.