Child of the Dark: The Diary of Carolina Maria De Jesus

Rating:
Summary: Personal
Review: I read Carolina. This is a book about her real life, touching because personal, much more real than writers that only do demagogy, like Machado de Assis and Jorge Amado.

Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: Just an outstanding account of real life in Rio de Janeiro. Carolina is a true heroine in her own right. She goes against the social standards and works to support her children by herself. It is a great book about the trials of the human heart-and Carolina certainly triumphs over them.

Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: Life is hard, but this used to be more than a saying to someone like Ms. Jesus. No one but Carolina could better express how it feels to pull up from these shadows to find a brand new world out of discarded notebooks. All her life was made on the debris of a discarded society, conveniently far from the Living Room - as she used to call the upper class neighborhoods in her aodptive city of S?o Paulo. Beautiful living room with a long suffered scrap paper patio and city dump. Rubble and trash made into pure poetry, by a semi-illiterate Brazilian writer. Life is hard, but still it works miracles. Read without remorse. And without prejudice.

Rating:
Summary: A sad look at the reality of life in Brazil.
Review: The dairy of Carolina Maria de Jesus described the daily routine life in a favela- a human garbage dump, house of the poor, the hungry, the desperate. The author illustrated the way daily life threatened these poor favelados.The hunger that invaded every shack, particularly hers, drove her to hunt for paper and metal in order to acquire just enough money to keep her and her children alive. The black population in Brazil was treated as none human beings. They were descriminated against by most of the white majority population. It clearly reflects the title of the book " Child of the dark."

Rating:
Summary: Ultimately, a dull and monotonous story.....
Review: This book is both an uplifting and depressing work. For anyone who has ever visited the third world, and especially for those that never have; this book is a must read. It is uplifting and inspiring in showing the heroine's sheer strength of character that gets her through a life that would most certainly kill most of us. Written without pretense, it is a brutal indictment of the negative forces that constantly try the human spirtit. Here the enemy is not one person, or an army or even the poverty that wreaks havoc on the lives of these people, but rather the world's tolerance and acceptance of the pain, hunger suffering and injustices that are created by a world where the the rich can justify their greed by demoninzing their own creation: the conditons that make people live in utter desperation. Poverty and ignorance are not romantized here but instead like in Buñuel's film Los Olvidados, Child of the Dark shows us that hunger and loss of dignity brings out the worst in people. It is depressing because we all know that places like this exist not only in Brazil, but in almost all countries on earth, and that we all share in the guilt of allowing such horror to exist.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting insight
Review: This book is raw and angry, but a satisfying read nonetheless. Poverty, murder, fights and most of all hunger are the main themes in this book. But what keeps you interested is her wonderfull insights on life and her overwhelming love for her children. Toward the end it starts to lag, after all, it is a diary that was not meant for publication. The characters are scattered and it's a bit repetitive, but the important thing is she takes you into her world. That, in my mind, is the gift of a talented author

Rating:
Summary: I'll think twice before throwing food out again
Review: This book is truly an eye opener as to what it really means to be poor and hungry. I can't believe that someone with only two years of schooling could churn out such a masterpiece, the language and thought processes involved will leave you wondering with amazement. What suprises you is that in and amongst all the squalor, deprivation, fights and hunger she still admires the night sky, the birds, the stars, the beautiful weather. What a woman ! Most people in her position wouldn't have time to be thankful for these "free" beautiful things and that is what I found so touching. Her dedication to her children and indeed her neighbours will teach all us other mortals in the devleoped world what being humble really means. At times this woman cannot find a meal but when she has money and food she shares it with her friends and neighbours, wondering little if she will have a meal the next day. Her ability to keep going despite her adversities will shock you. Please read this book, you will aspire to be a better person afterwards.

Rating:
Summary: I'll think twice before throwing food out again
Review: This book is truly an eye opener as to what it really means to be poor and hungry. I can't believe that someone with only two years of schooling could churn out such a masterpiece, the language and thought processes involved will leave you wondering with amazement. What suprises you is that in and amongst all the squalor, deprivation, fights and hunger she still admires the night sky, the birds, the stars, the beautiful weather. What a woman ! Most people in her position wouldn't have time to be thankful for these "free" beautiful things and that is what I found so touching. Her dedication to her children and indeed her neighbours will teach all us other mortals in the devleoped world what being humble really means. At times this woman cannot find a meal but when she has money and food she shares it with her friends and neighbours, wondering little if she will have a meal the next day. Her ability to keep going despite her adversities will shock you. Please read this book, you will aspire to be a better person afterwards.