My Discovery of Brazil: 500 Years After Cabral

by Anna Russell

My Discovery of Brazil: 500 Years After Cabral is a first-hand account of a farmland owner-settler in the state of Pernambuco in northeast Brazil. With her background in anthropology, Anna Russell has explored the national character of Brazil, borne out of her personal experiences, in a narrative that deals with the Brazilian People and their attitude towards work and land in the backdrop of land-grabbing movements of the MST. Her long stay as a fazenda owner, from 1972-2000, forms the basis of a book that reflects an immigrant's perspectives on the Brazilian system, the vice-like grip of the local mafia, as well as the world views, attitudes and prejudices of a developing brazil that tries to modernize and make rapid strides. A useful book to further one's understanding of Brazil and its political, economic and social systems.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Carl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This is one of the flattest, dullest accounts of life I've ever read.

It is like one long complaint letter to the local authority. Although to be fair there would be much more emotional, description and context in such a letter.