Dancing with the Devil in the City of God : Rio De Janeiro on the Brink

In The Tradition Of Detroit : An American Autopsy And Maximum City Comes A Deeply Reported And Beautifully Written Biography Of The Seductive And Chaotic City Of Rio De Janeiro From Prizewinning Journalist And Brazilian Native Juliana Barbassa. Juliana Barbassa Moved A Great Deal Throughout Her Life, But Rio Was Always Home. After Twenty-one Years Abroad, She Returned To Find The City That Once Ravaged By Inflation, Drug Wars, Corrupt Leaders, And Dying Neighborhoods Was Now On The Precipice Of A Major Change. Rio Has Always Aspired To The Pantheon Of Global Capitals, And Under The Spotlight Of The 2014 World Cup And The 2016 Olympic Games It Seems That Its Moment Has Come. But In Order To Prepare Itself For The World Stage, Rio Must Vanquish The Entrenched Problems That Barbassa Recalls From Her Childhood. Turning This Beautiful But Deeply Flawed Place Into A Predictable, Pristine Showcase Of The Best That Brazil Has To Offer In Just A Few Years Is A Tall Order--and With The Whole World Watching, The Stakes Couldn't Be Higher. With A Cast Of Larger-than-life Characters Who Are Driving This Fast-moving Juggernaut Or Who Risk Getting Caught In Its Gears, This Kaleidoscopic Portrait Of Rio Introduces The Reader To The People Who Make Up This City Of Extremes, Revealing Their Aspirations And Their Grit, Their Violence, Their Hungers And Their Splendor, And Shedding Light On The Future Of This City They Are Building Together. Dancing With The Devil In The City Of God Is An Insider Perspective Into A City On The Brink From A Native Daughter Whose Life, Hopes, And Fortunes Are Entwined With Those Of The City She Portrays-- Introduction: Or, Is God Brazilian? -- Rio, Home -- The Rise Of The Red Command -- Whacking The Weeds -- Fear And Heat -- In The Heart Of Evil -- Not For Beginners -- It's Complicated, Querida -- Saving Themselves -- Beautiful And Broken -- The First Carioca -- Long Live Construction -- The Business Of Sex -- Love Is Essential -- Dignified Living Conditions -- We Built This City -- The World Belongs To The Daring -- Futebol Nation -- The Cup Of Cups. Juliana Barbassa. A Touchstone Book. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 291-295) And Index. From prizewinning journalist and Brazilian native Juliana Barbassa comes a deeply reported and beautifully written account of the seductive and chaotic city of Rio de Janeiro as it struggles with poverty and corruption on the brink of the 2016 Olympic Games. Juliana Barbassa moved a great deal throughout her life, but Rio was always home. After twenty-one years abroad, she returned to find her native city—once ravaged by inflation, drug wars, corrupt leaders, and dying neighborhoods—undergoing a major change. Rio has always aspired to the pantheon of global capitals, and under the spotlight of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games it seems that its moment has come. But in order to prepare itself for the world stage, Rio must vanquish the entrenched problems that Barbassa recalls from her childhood. Turning this beautiful but deeply flawed place into a pristine showcase of the best that Brazil has to offer in just a few years is a tall order—and with the whole world watching, the stakes couldn't be higher. Library Journal called Dancing with the Devil in the City of God "akin to Charlie LeDuff's Detroit "—a book that "combines history and personal interviews in an informative and engaging work." This kaleidoscopic portrait of Rio introduces the reader to the people who make up this city of extremes, revealing their aspirations and their grit, their violence, their hungers, and their splendor, and shedding light on the future of this city they are building together. Dancing with the Devil in the City of God is an insider perspective from a native daughter and "a fascinating look at the people who live in and aspire to change one of the world's most impressive cities" ( Booklist , starred review). "In the tradition of Detroit : An American Autopsy and Maximum City comes a deeply reported and beautifully written biography of the seductive and chaotic city of Rio de Janeiro from prizewinning journalist and Brazilian native Juliana Barbassa. Juliana Barbassa moved a great deal throughout her life, but Rio was always home. After twenty-one years abroad, she returned to find the city that once ravaged by inflation, drug wars, corrupt leaders, and dying neighborhoods was now on the precipice of a major change. Rio has always aspired to the pantheon of global capitals, and under the spotlight of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games it seems that its moment has come. But in order to prepare itself for the world stage, Rio must vanquish the entrenched problems that Barbassa recalls from her childhood. Turning this beautiful but deeply flawed place into a predictable, pristine showcase of the best that Brazil has to offer in just a few years is a tall order--and with the whole world watching, the stakes couldn't be higher. With a cast of larger-than-life characters who are driving this fast-moving juggernaut or who risk getting caught in its gears, this kaleidoscopic portrait of Rio introduces the reader to the people who make up this city of extremes, revealing their aspirations and their grit, their violence, their hungers and their splendor, and shedding light on the future of this city they are building together. Dancing with the Devil in the City of God is an insider perspective into a city on the brink from a native daughter whose life, hopes, and fortunes are entwined with those of the city she portrays"-- Provided by publisher Rio de Janeiro is a city of extremes: from Carnaval's hedonistic delights, to the poverty of the favelas, to the softly seductive samba beat. But there's a dark side to this beautiful city: for years, Rio was ravaged by inflation, drug wars, and crooked leaders, and the legacy of decades of corruption can be seen in the very real struggles the city faces today. Now, Rio is ready to remake itself, this time into a global, modern capital ready for its turn on the world stage with the Olympics in 2016. But at what price? Armed with sharp prose and a reporter's instinct, Rio-born journalist Juliana Barbassa brings a firsthand glimpse of what's really happening in Rio (the good, the bad, and the maddening). She paints a fascinating picture of this city "on the brink," explaining how Rio will succeed (or fail) based on the choices its leaders and citizens make today. But through it all, she never loses sight of the human face of Rio.--Adapted from book jacket.