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The Accidental President of Brazil: A Memoir

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In planning a trip to Brazil, I was looking for a readable history of Brazil's past 100 years to give me an understanding of the nation, its history, and its challenges. Fernando Henrique Cardoso's book appeared to be a perfect choice: it combines history, and social and economic analysis with a personal biography of one of Brazil's finest presidents.

Like most autobiographies, The Accidental President of Brazil is not an objective work. Cardoso does defend his policies and programs, especially his work in developing Brazil's modern currency--the Real. Cardoso, to his credit, did prove to be an effective inflation fighter who instilled some discipline into the samba economy of Brazil. He also strengthened the country as a democracy and won kudos from foreign leaders, the IMF, and the World Bank.

However, Brazil's problems are far from over. Parts of its major cities--the notorious favelas--are ungovernable, and are giving the country a terrible reputation abroad. Poverty and unemployment, which go hand in hand with urban slums, also plague the country. Cardoso draws an interesting analogy between the favelas and the Bronx and Harlem, New York, in the 1970s. Harlem, he argues, looked ungovernable in 1975, but now it is a center of urban renewal and culture. President Clinton even has an office there. In short, if we take a long term view of the favela problem, he explains, positive change is a true possibility. After all, property within a stone's throw of Copacabana beach cannot be slum for ever.

The inevitability of progress sounds like the positivist philosophy of Brazil's founders, and in fact, Mr. Cardoso's grandfather was one of a group of military officers who overthrew Emperor Dom Pedro II and founded the modern state. Cardoso, though, is far too complex to fall into a positivist trap. As an academic, he's often more concerned about explaining Brazil's problems and possibilities than establishing his place in history with a laudatory biography. He employs self-deprecating humor throughout the book and is as quick to point out his failures as his successes. The more I read the book, the more I came to admire the man. I also now know much more about the world fifth largest country, and the biggest economy in Latin America than I did before reading the book. Will Brazil be the next India? Read this book and judge for yourself. Do Brazil!

Cardoso hails from Brazil's first family, and he weaves a very readable history of Brazil through the stories of his grandfather, father and family friends (and enemies). The author evolves from professor to exile to president, forging Brazil's economic reform policies for a decade and staking his own claim on the country's history.

A left-leaning sociologist-turned-economist, Cardoso became famous in the 1970s for the dependency theory (dependencia), trying to explain the relations between the U.S. and Latin America (and first- and third-worlds more generally). But as finance minister in the 1990s, he authored quite un-socialist policies of the Plano Real, breaking inflation through budget cuts, currency reform and attracting foreign investment. He identifies himself with the New Left of Clinton and Blair.

This (I hope) will be effective in the classroom as a personal introduction to a fascinating and important country, and as an insider's perspective on the challenges and responses in globalization-era Latin America. Even allowing for the risk of poetic license in autobiographers and co-writers, the book at times reads like an adventure, with stirring characters, dramatic crises and indefatigable, inveterate hope.

This entertaining and insightful memoir brings together the best of Cardoso's insights as sociologist, politician, president and elder statesman. It is must reading for everyone interested in Brazil's past or concerned about its future.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso began his career as a struggling Marxist sociologist ruminating on stuffy topics such as "the objective possibility of the negation of the situation." After two terms as President of Brazil, he understandably finds academic sociology dull and dogmatic. With a little help from journalist Brian Winter, he has written a fascinating book about his own experiences with the people who run Brazil. He is uniquely qualified because he has known most of the personalities who have shaped Brazil's destiny for half a century, and even longer if we include those he met around the dinner table as a child.

See my full review on www.infobrazil.com

This memoir of former Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, reeks of legacy-cementing, but is nonetheless an interesting and brief fly-by of Brazilian history and the country's emergence onto the global economic and political stage.

The book, translated with the help of Brian Winter, is quite skinny on details. Only 280 pages, the book deals little with the realities that Cardoso inevitably faced in his stint as the leader of modern democracy: legislative battles, ideological compromises, political in-fighting, administrative setbacks.

In Cardoso's recount of his Presidency, we are not afforded a look into the former President's heart as he waged these political battles. We are made unaware of any ideological compromises he may have had to make. We are only encouraged to believe that "if nothing else, Brazil's stability is an overwhelming sign that the ideas of [Cardoso's] government should endure." This may indeed be true, but it would be nice if the reader were allowed to draw this conclusion on their own based upon a fair presentation of the facts, rather than having Cardoso tell us this much.

If you are looking for a detailed play-by-play of Cardoso's eight years in power, this book will prove disappointing (you will have to look to Cardoso's more extensive memoir written in Portuguese for that). Much more of the book is focused on the "Accidental" rather than the "President" part of the book's title.

Cardoso provides a hearty background and detail of his family history, and how he went from child in a privileged Brazilian family to a Sociology Professor at the University of Sao Paulo to ultimately the President of Brazil. Cardoso ultimately reduces his rise to power to little more than "luck and circumstance".

Cardoso takes great pains to frame himself as a wonkish Sociology professor, in love with policy and indifferent to power, who happens to rise through the political ranks (after a period of exile) in a happenstance way.

Although, what also becomes clear in Cardoso's memoir is his gentile nature, administrative acumen, and his genuine desire to make Brazil a better and more prosperous country. The The Accidental President of Brazil: A Memoir gives the impression that Cardoso's desire to cement the legacy of his presidency is less for personal reasons, and more to legitimize Brazil as a stable and worthy country- one whose presidents write memoirs and build Presidential Libraries, and one that will ultimately gain admittance into the G7.

Cardoso also provides some interesting insights into his impressions of United States political leaders, as well as of others around the world. Of Clinton (who wrote the preface of this book), Cardoso writes, "His eye for detail, his passion for policy, and his extraordinary personal skills, made Clinton, without a doubt, the most impressive all-around politician I have ever seen."

Of Bush, Cardoso recounts how Bush asked Cardoso, "Do you have blacks in Brazil?" (Brazil has one of the world's largest population of blacks). Cardoso also portrays Bush as a leader who, during his administration, was obsessed- rightly or wrongly- with only his own nation's response to the attacks of September 11th, and who reduced the diplomatic demands of Latin America to only a question of energy. "All he wanted to discuss was energy in Venezuela, and especially who was friends with the Venezuelan government and who was not."

This stark contrast between Cardoso's impressions of Clinton and Bush present an important truth about United States-Latin American diplomatic relations: Latin America, and particularly Brazil, is interested, as is any nation, of achieving an equal footing in international and diplomatic talks with the United States and other world powers.

Any leader of the United States who makes Brazil feel as if they are merely a pawn, or place of untapped economic resources to be utilized, is likely to estrange a country- that if it can maintain stable leadership (like that of Cardoso's administration)- will only rise to evermore prominence on the world stage.

This is an intriguing and informative political memoir, and I would highly recommend it to anybody interested in recent Brazilian history and politics. First of all, let me share the observation that there really don't seem to be many good books on contemporary Brazil. I am a non-specialist when it comes to Brazil and so I've been searching for some journalistic accounts, travelogues, etc. I was kind of led to this book because it was about the only thing I could find on recent Brazilian politics, but it ended up being a very rewarding read.

There are two primary reasons that Mr. Cardoso's memoir succeeds so well. First, the subject matter, modern Brazilian political history, is intrinsically interesting. Second, and most importantly, however, Mr. Cardoso is a truly engaging and oftentimes humorous writer. This is somewhat of a surprise given his academic background. Mr. Cardoso was a fairly successful sociologist before entering politics, and I half expected that dry academic language to show up now and then in his memoirs, but that is certainly not the case. In fact, Cardoso has a very good sense of humor regarding his academic disposition, and how it has both helped and hindered him in political life.

One point that might be of relevance to those considering whether to read this book: you might be somewhat disappointed if you are only interested in very recent Brazilian history. Practically the first two-thirds of the book detail Mr. Cardoso's life BEFORE he assumed the presidency. Cardoso brings a very interesting perspective to Brazil's turbulent political history, as he was born into a very powerful military family. His grandfather was a leader of the revolt that brought down the monarchy, while his father was an influential figure under the Vargas regime. Cardoso expertly explains the various elite conflicts that kept Brazil in a state of perpetual political instability for much of the 20th century. As a result of a military coup after WWII, Cardoso was forced into exile, as were many other intellectuals. He spent some of this time in Chile, and one episode recalls a party he attended at Pablo Neruda's house, where he met not only the host but future Chilean president Salvador Allende. He was eventually allowed to return, but his dissatisfaction with the military regime that refused to relinquish control induced him to enter the political fray as an opposition figure.

Roughly the last third of the book covers Cardoso's time as president. Cardoso here describes the challenges he faced reforming Brazil's inflation-addled economy (and protecting Brazil from the global financial crises of the late 1990's), fighting corruption, and fixing some of the country's endemic social problems. The latter include the HIV crisis, in which one can reasonably say that Cardoso's administration was successful, and agrarian reform, a problem which still persists to this day. There are also several sections in which he details his troubled and fluctuating relationship with Lula, Brazil's current president. Finally, some of the more interesting episodes recounted in the book are Cardoso's encounters with and impressions of various other world leaders. He had a very close relationship with President Clinton (who, incidentally, writes the preface to this book), and while his praise for the ex-American leader is undoubted sincere, it might to some seem a bit excessive. His impression of George W. Bush is evidently less favorable, and Cardoso even recounts one conversation in which our president asked in surprise, "Do you have blacks down there in Brazil, too?"

In sum, pick this book up if you are interested in Brazil, Latin American politics, or political memoirs more generally.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso was Brazil's penultimate President. Brazil is the 2nd largest country in the Western Hemisphere, one of the world's 10 largest economies, a major exporter, and yet, as Cardoso rightly points out, many Americans, Europeans, and other foreigners associate Brazil with little more than, "soccer, carneval, and the girl from Ipanema." Additionally, there are still associations of Brazil as a "banana republic" and with the military dictatorship. Cardoso shows very personal sides of Brazilian history, from his ancestors' role in the founding of the modern Republic of Brazil, to his career as an academic, his exile, his persecution under the military dictatorship, to politics, to the Presidency. He gives us many "behind the scenes" views of his life as a politician and President in Brazil. His views on the economy and foreign relations are very pragmatic and seem rational. Overall, very well-written and I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand this important country, as well as to those already interested in Brazilian/Latin-American studies.

This excellent book is part personal history, part history of Brazil. As the Financial Times blurb on the paperback cover says, "It reads like a thriller."

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso's life intersects with the major personalities and events of the country over almost a half a century. He and co-writer Brian Winter cover those with great skill. Kudos to the two of them for not turning in a typical ex-presidential 900-page bloated opus (I'm looking at you, Big Dog). This book clocks in at less than 300 pages...each one compelling. These two know how to tell a story.

There's a reason FHC is ranked as his country's top president ever by his countrymen. His inclusive, consultative style, together with his decisiveness and communication skills gave Brazil its first great leader. I'll give credit to Lula for not messing up what FHC started, but it was President Cardoso who kick-started Brazil's transition from "the country of the future" (a future always just a little out of its grasp) to the powerhouse of today.

If you like this book, I strongly recommend A Death in Brazil: A Book of Omissions by the incomparable Peter Robb. FHC touches lightly in his book on the scandal-plagued Fernando Color de Mello administration. Robb does an impressive deep-dive into that period. It's fantastic in every way.

Hello Amazon.com customers,
If you've been trying to understand Brazil, read this book. Fernando Henrique was THE BEST president Brazil ever had. His accomplishments as president is a landmark in Brazil's development. I can say that I thought I knew History of Brazil but after reading this book I tell you that I didn't.
Wonderful book to everyone. It makes a Great Gift (I got this one to my father-in-law and he loved) and it is for sure an item in everybody's personal library. BTW, Fernando Henrique personal library has 15,000 books. The guy really likes to read.
Best to all.

Cardoso rightly calls this book a memoir rather than an autobiography because it emphasizes only the author's political career. But Cardoso's political remembrance also serves as a fine introduction to the history of Brazil, stretching back through his privileged family to the nineteenth century. Although obviously intended for the educated North American reader, the work wisely assumes little specific knowledge of a country as large as the United States but one still struggling to outgrow its top-to-bottom heritage of economic and political irresponsibility.

Cardoso remains a left-of-center sociologist--one has the feeling that his earlier radicalism has been softened in the telling--but his current political stance is "Clintonesque" and pragmatic. (Cardoso's personal admiration for Bill Clinton is open and fervent, and Clinton contributed the preface.)

The book's idiomatic English makes the book eminently readable, and credit for this readability should be given to Cardoso's co-author, the young journalist Brian Winter. Indeed, Winter presumably wrote the first draft of the book after interviewing Cardoso and reading the Portuguese manuscript history of his presidency, thus leaving Cardoso (as the former president modestly admits in the acknowledgments) more of an editor than an author.

Though all political memoirs tend to be studies in reputation burnishing, one leaves the book with a sense that Cardoso was truly a self-effacing public servant, regardless of what one thinks of the specific political and economic policies he promoted while in office.

In The Accidental President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso provides an entertaining look at his unusual career, from his privileged childhood by the beach in Rio, to his sociology research in the shantytowns, to his exile during the military dictatorship, to his entry into politics and taming of Brazil's runaway inflation. An engaging and personable narrator, Cardoso provides fascinating contextual details of Brazilian history as well as the colorful personalities who have shaped it, like Emperor Dom Pedro II, Getulio Vargas, Janio Quadros, and Lula Da Silva. Throughout the book, Cardoso's love for his country and commitment to the poor are apparent, as is his conviction that sensible leaders, guided by good will and tempered by serious policy debate, actually can solve large problems in large countries.