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Rating: 
Summary: Concise
Review: Conciseness is at the same time the best and the worst characteristic of Schneider's book. The first 88 pages are a very fast paced summary of Brazil geography and history up to 1964. The first chapter on Brazil regions is important but very badly written. Not only most of the Portuguese names are misspelled but the kind of information begs for tables and thematic maps. The only three tables presented in the entire book are hideous.Conciseness can easily slip to oversimplification and there are some connections the book tries to make to what I cannot agree. One example is the statement that the party structure during the Empire period (mid 19th century) still remains. Another example of exaggeration is when the author calls the 1994 presidential election the most complicated and important in the whole New World History. On the positive side Schneider is very competent in pinpoint the main problems that haunt Brazil. The gross congressional under representation of the most populated states, the paternalistic approach to the role of the State, the Brazilian dream of a messianic leader, the chaotic party structure and the idea that the law is a burden and people should just try to be reasonable. Outstanding is the chapter on Brazilian culture, especially the section on literature and interpersonal relations where terms such as pistolao, panelinha, parentela, jeitinho as well as the "do you know whom are you speaking to" approach are explained. Noteworthy also is the section on racial relations. The good part of the book is 130 pages long (pages 89 till 218). The first 88 pages don't really add to the book and may scare the less patient reader. My suggestion to the author is to get rid of it and create a really concise 130 pages book. The other idea is to expand the first 88 pages loosing the conciseness. It's a tough call but the way the book is and considering that it costs [price] I would rather buy Skidmore's Brazil: Five Centuries of Change plus Page's The Brazilians. The two will set you back [price] but you'll enjoy over 800 pages of Brazil and the Brazilians. Leonardo Alves - Tucson, Arizona - August 2002
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