Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro

Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro by Richard Lapper

Bolsonaro was a Brazilian version of Trump. He was adamantly not politically correct. During the campaign, he was the victim of a failed assassination attempt. He gradually lost popularity during his term in office and was criticized for his handling of COVID-19. He was eventually defeated by Lula, a former left wing president who had been convicted of fraud. (The conviction was later overturned and he was allowed to run again.) The bulk of the book covers the background of brazil leading up to the election. Brazil has significant crime. The criminal gangs have active operations within prisons. (and seem more effective than the government in punishing evildoers.) Police play a significant role in society and hold many elected positions. In spite of this, many neighborhoods have vigilantes which also fight crime. (Alas, these can be just as bad as the criminals.) The court system is slow and delayed through multiple appeals. Things seemed to be going well with oil reserves, but the country was not able to benefit. There is a ton of potential, but few results. Big events such as the World Cup and Olympics brought tourists, but also cost huge amounts of money. Meanwhile, there are significant swaths of poverty. Most of the book covers the past and current history and politics of Brazil. This all provides an understanding of how Bolsonaro came to power.

Run!

Run! by Guilherme Karsten

Animals in the jungle are running. What are they running from? a mouse. Picture are interesting, but not exciting. Story is boring.

Living in . . . Brazil: Ready-to-Read Level 2

Living in . . . Brazil: Ready-to-Read Level 2 by Chloe Perkins (Author), Tom Woolley (Illustrator)

This is a quick introduction to life in Brazil from a kid's perspective. Brazil has beaches and rainforests. There are big cities, people like to play soccer and a kid goes to a private school. There is not a whole lot more in here.

Crooked Plow

Crooked Plow: A Novel by Itamar Vieira Junior

Free blacks live and farm on a plantation by a river in Brazil. The narrator's grandmother and her son have served as the spiritualist and healer for the community. One day the narrator and her sister play with a knife they find and one cuts off her tongue while the other injures hers. This leads one to communicate for the other. They are close together. However, this closeness is hurt when another accuses one of kissing a cousin. They both marry at young ages and one goes off to learn to be a teacher, while the other is in an abusive relationship.

This experience of traditional life is then tied with "modern" life. Landlords prevent the tenant farmers from building brick houses. They exert control of what they do. A new landlord buys the land on the cheap (due to the existing farmers) and works to remove them. The husband of one of the girls is involved in union organization. He is killed. The police perform a superficial investigation, and pin the death on the deceased's "drug activity".  Later that landlord is killed. The people eventually get some recognition. We also learn the history of the knife and the past cruelties and revenge from the family.

The story jumps around a bit in time and does help present the conflicts between traditional and modern society. The traditional beliefs and patterns by people are far from perfect. However, they do serve them well. It is difficult to solve the problems without also ripping apart the positive glue that holds the society together.