Capoeira: A Martial Art and a Cultural Tradition (African Diaspora) (Library Binding)

by Jane Atwood (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Few Americans have heard of capoeira, though it is rising in popularity and will be featured at the 2004 Olympic Games. Atwood offers an enthusiastic if flawed presentation to fill in the information gap. The full-color photographs are energetic, showing players of both genders, a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and a broad range of ages. The format is colorful and vibrant but it is sometimes confusing. Several pictures at the tops of the pages have captions buried under paragraphs of type. Sidebars are set off only by a change of background color that varies randomly from page to page; therefore, children are likely to continue reading the mainstream text directly into a side topic and wonder what happened. The author does a thorough job of explaining capoeira's background; this same thoroughness in introducing the sport's unique vocabulary leads to frustration. So many foreign terms are presented that not even the glossary is of use in keeping them straight. Despite its shortcomings, this book would be a better purchase than yet another karate or judo title.-Laura Santoro, Coventry Library, Cleveland Heights, OH

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Library Binding: 64 pages
• Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823918599
• ISBN-13: 978-0823918591
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,956,874 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Scam, October 16, 2000

By	Michael Mårtensson (Sweden) - See all my reviews

The book "Capoeira - a martial art and a cultural tradition" is worthless if you're already into Capoeira. Most of the facts (and the song lyrics/translations) have been taken from Bira Almeidas book - "Capoeira - a brazilian artform", by that one instead! You can also get better information on Capoeira, just by seraching for "Capoeira" on the Internet! But if you want a lousy copy of Almeidas book, including a lot of wrongly named movements and stuff like that, buy this one!

Even the layout and photography is bad!

Stay away!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misconception?, November 6, 2002

By A Customer

I just wanted to say that I read the info on the back of the book, and when it said that Capoeira would be featured in the 2004 Athens Olympics, I was esctatic because my boyfriend practices Capoeira and I had hopes of surprising him with the information. Little did I know that when I signed on the official 2004 Athens Olympic site and looked up the sports featured, Capoeira would not be listed. Perhaps the info on the book should be rewritten?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Add to collection, March 29, 2001

By	N. M. Boyd "WyzDum" (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is part of a series of books about African and African-American related history. It gives the reader an introduction to Capoeira and is a very good book for children. There are better books for individuals who want more detailed information about Capoeira. However, this is a good selection for someone who does not know much about Capoeira.