NOTHING BY ACCIDENT : Brazil On The Edge

by Damian Platt

On a sweltering March evening in 2018 Marielle Franco was shot dead. Rio de Janeiro is a routinely violent place but this was different. Marielle was a rising star of the city's political scene and was hit four times in the head by a professional hitman. Elected the same year, President Bolsonaro, an enthusiast for torture, murder and the worst excesses of the country’s 1964-1984 military dictatorship, subsequently declared war on the country’s institutions. Brazil is on the edge. Whoever ordered Marielle’s killing severely underestimated both her popularity and the outrage at her murder, which has revealed a profound rot at the core of a divided society.
Damian Platt spent thirteen years living and working in Rio. In Nothing By Accident, he describes events in the city during the tumultuous decade that preceded her murder and the election of a tyrannical President. Moving beyond standard discourse about violent gangs from poor communities, Nothing By Accident overturns stereotypes and offers a new narrative - much more complex and much closer to sources of power – to explain the operation of violence and corruption in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
Nothing By Accident also aims to express the impact of insecurity and chronic armed violence upon ordinary people forced to live in abnormal conditions. Digging below the superficial representations of events, the book identifies and reflects upon elements that bind this disastrous scenario together.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2020

Reviews

[JOhnny Mcmullan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having known very little about the history of Brazil this book was a fascinating read. The writer blends complex social and political history history with personal anecdotes superbly

[Tom Pakenham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Nothing by Accident utterly compelling. It is rich with the personal experiences of this "gringo" who realises he has finally started to understand Brazil when he no longer minds being called that. The book is a real eye-opener, a well constructed account of the web of corruption (and misery really) that runs through so much of Brazilian society.

There's a part towards the end where the author remarks on the strange juxtaposition of exposure to a murder in the morning, beach in the afternoon and then dancing the night away, which must I suppose be one of the ways a society can actually process and tolerate the reality which he so evocatively brings to life. But the prose style would not hit so hard without the detailed and comprehensive exploration of the parallel currents and structures that underpin crime and politics in Rio. The links between the Bolsonaro family, samba, the jogo de bicho, corrupt police and military and favela gangs are laid out clearly for all to see. Based on this evidence, the only conclusion is that the current leadership of Brazil is both criminal and morally bankrupt.

This must in part be explained by a quote of Darcy Ribeiro that is included in the book - writing in the 1990s, he laments the decline of institutions that provide morality and structure and how they have been supplanted by the superficiality of mass communication and consumerism; and all of the false hope and self-doubt that they engender. This observation rang very true to me about the world beyond Brazilian borders and made me wonder whether the country offers us a glimpse of our own future in a world dominated by cynical and powerful media interests.

[Marianna Olinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in Rio de Janeiro during the same period covered by the author, and done research about some of the issues this book touches on in the past, I felt immediately transported by his detailed, casual, and at times dreamlike and humorous, narrative. Nothing by Accident brings together key elements to understand present day Brazil as it describes how local and transnational organized crime are interweaved in culture, politics, military and media in the country. Platt manages to describe some of the biggest dramas plaguing the Brazilian people, yet you feel like you're living some of the best of Brazil as he lets you glimpse into his 13 years of experiencing that fragment of tropics, its people and culture.

[Lucy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with or is not familiar with Brazil. The book is hugely enlightening and shocking in equal measure. It takes you on a hair-raising tour of the of interconnections of crime and corruption between key institutions and individuals including politics, the police, the military, the media and Samba schools. But it also does justice to the celebration, spirit and humanity of Rio’s cultural melting pot.

Damian Platt draws directly from his own experiences of living in Rio for 15 years and writes with concern, diligence and humour, with considerable self-reflexivity on his position of participant and observer.

I recommend that you buy this book from Blackwells thereby avoiding Amazon.

[Joanna Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an old saying - Brazil is not for beginners - and this book shows you why. Damian Platt's writing is clearly informed by years of close observation and wholehearted investment in the fascinating and multi-faceted city of Rio de Janeiro, and he pulls off what might have been a tricky blend of personal and political with ease. This is an excellent introduction both for beginners to Brazil and for those who already know the country but want to look again behind the surface and understand more. Having been in Rio on the night that Marielle was murdered and talked to many people who knew her, I admire Damian for asking such difficult questions in this book.

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am Brazilian and I recommend Damian Platt's book "Nothing by Accident" - a historical portrait of a reality that plagues Rio de Janeiro in contemporary times: violence and its nuances, with an emphasis on the plurality of armed actors and some civil society initiatives to confront violence. Well written, an easy and very pleasant read about the sometimes desolate and sometimes hopeful panorama of the city. Congratulations, Damian, for the affectionate account of your fifteen years in the city! Very interesting! I recommend the reading to everyone who wants to understand Rio de Janeiro and I will recommend it in class =)

[Aidan Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is overall a pretty well executed book. It weaves personal memoirs with historical context and commentary on current affairs. While the title refers to Brazil, this is really about Rio, focusing on a few areas: favelas, police corruption, the jugo de bicho numbers racket, and carnival. I felt that that this writing got away from the author in the very final sections, but overall a recommended read that packs a lot into a short work.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand the situation in Brasil and especially in Rio de Janeiro from the last years, you should absolutely read this book written by a author that spent a lot of time in Brasil, this is why this book is documented and give you an understanding of the politicals and socials problems of this beautiful but complicated country.

[Zack George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book covering recent events in Brazil, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the past history that shaped the modern landscape of Brazilian society. Author, Damian Platt, paints a detailed and intimate picture of the current socio-political situation in Rio de Janeiro, a city plagued by extreme violence and corruption since its inception centuries ago.