To Inherit the Earth: The Landless Movement and the Struggle for a New Brazil

Rating:
Summary: Got me thinking
Review: I have not done much research on the MST, but this book does a great job of highlighting their struggle. The authors are clearly pro-MST and pro-Land Reform, but don't shy away from pointing out the difficulties the MST and their supporters face. I think this book is a must read for those who want to understand the issues surrounding the rural poor who are simply asking for life's basics (a place to call home, food, education). They seem to have been demonized by Brazil's conservatives and large land owners as violent land grabbers. This book gives an "on the ground" account that shows this to be false. I was also impressed by their treatment of the debate between the large agri-business model that the U.S. clearly supports versus the small landholder that actually cares about the land they work. More books like this are needed.

Rating:
Summary: Too partial. . .
Review: The authors of this book are so pro-MST that the last page in the book includes information about where you can send money if you wish to contribute to the movement. It may be true that some land reform is necessary in Brasil, but not in the way the many of the people involved in the MST go about it. Yes, some of the landholders who own large farms and ranches resort to violence to protect their property, but the squatters also aren't afraid of killing people to get what they want. There has got to be a better book out there that tells both sides of the story. This one is too biased.