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Dancing with the Devil in the City of God: Rio de Janeiro on the Brink by [Juliana Barbassa]

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Juliana Barbassa

Dancing with the Devil in the City of God: Rio de Janeiro on the Brink Kindle Edition

by Juliana Barbassa (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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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).

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337 pages
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English
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Touchstone
Publication date

July 28, 2015
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30373 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Juliana Barbassa was born in Brazil, but she had a nomadic life between her home country and Iraq, Malta, Libya, Spain, France, and the United States before settling in Switzerland. Barbassa began her career with the Dallas Observer, where she won a Katie Journalism Award in 1999. She joined the Associated Press in 2003, and after two more awards from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the APME, she returned to Brazil in 2010 as the AP’s Rio de Janeiro correspondent. Dancing with the Devil in the City of God is her first book.

Review

A powerful work ofreportage. Eloquent, heartfelt, and thorough, Barbassa is a brilliant guide tothe underside of Brazil s showcase city. If you want to understand twenty firstcentury Rio de Janeiro, read this book.--Alex Bellos, author of Futebol: the Brazilian Way of Life"

A timelytour-de-force Drawing on the city s history, geography, social structure, culture, political intrigues, and economic disparities, Barbassa has written amultidisciplinary masterpiece. This splendid and accessible narrative is mustreading not just for the journalists, spectators, and athletes who will be inRio for the Olympic Games, but for anyone who has visited Rio or not andhas been caught up in the magnetic attraction of this spectacular andcomplicated city.--Dr. Robert Maguire, Director of the Brazil Initiative at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University"

Ibecame unexpectedly choked up not once but twice in the introduction alone andfound myself sucked into the most in-depth, personal and thorough unfolding ofBrazil s history on the brink of its economic rebirth. Whether as ananticipatory read before Brazil hosts the Olympics in 2016 or to better grasp acountry so rich, complex and divided by extreme dualities of lifestyles, thisis a book that you will be unable to set down. Juliana Barbassa brings usboth a journalistic and introspective vantage point of a country in the midstof a metamorphose with the unique angle of a native born Brazilian returninghome forever a foreigner after living abroad for much of her life with awell-worn passport. Contemporarily relevant, uniquely compelling, exquisitelywritten and brilliantly delivered, I anticipate many readers, like myself, willfind our passport soon bearing the stamp of Brazil thanks to Barbassa.--Jesica Sweedler DeHart, BookPeople of Moscow (Moscow, Idaho)"

IsBrazil ready to take its place as the 6th largest world economy andis Rio ready to host the 2016 summer Olympics? Will the monumentalsocial and political changes currently underway last beyond the final medalceremony? Barbassa's well written and informative expose is a fascinatinglook at Rio s history and attempts to transform itself into a safe, democraticand ultimately modern city. --Phyllis Spinale, Wellesley Books"

Returning to Rioafter years abroad, Juliana Barbassa takes the reader on a journey of urbanexploration beyond the tourist cliches of Ipanema and Carnival. Her book, "Dancingwith the Devil in the City of God," seamlessly melds deep reporting withnuanced memoir, providing an insider s guide to a global city of immenseenergy, appetites, heartbreak and danger. To understand Rio s prospects for the21st century, come with Barbassa on her voyage of inquiry andrediscovery. It s a trip worth taking. I savored every moment.--Ambassador Derek Shearer, Director of the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs, Occidental College, Los Angeles"

A timelytour-de-force...Drawing on the city's history, geography, social structure, culture, political intrigues, and economic disparities, Barbassa has written amultidisciplinary masterpiece. This splendid and accessible narrative is mustreading not just for the journalists, spectators, and athletes who will be inRio for the Olympic Games, but for anyone who has visited Rio - or not - andhas been caught up in the magnetic attraction of this spectacular andcomplicated city.--Dr. Robert Maguire, Director of the Brazil Initiative at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University

Juliana Barbassa haswritten a beautiful yet unflinching meditation on one of the world's greatcities during a moment of profound change. Her book is a moving examination ofthe immense charms, staccato violence and unfulfilled promise of the marvelouscity and of the heart of modern Brazil.--Michael Deibert, author of In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America's Drug War in Mexico

Riode Janeiro is one of the world's most exotic cities and much in the news overthe past few years with the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics upcoming in2016. Journalist and Brazilian native Juliana Barbassa presents a complexportrait of a city, country and society attempting to present the best possibleface to the world while having to confront numerous problems in its ownsociety, particularly a criminal level that is almost beyond belief. Herdescription of this massive change being attempted from on high and thedisruption to an entrenched society is informative, instructive and mesmerizingas she strips bare the glitter and glitz of the beaches and gives us the trueRio.--Bill Cusumano, Square Books (Oxford, MS) --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00P4349SW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Touchstone; Reprint edition (July 28, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 28, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 30373 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #686,010 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #25 in Brazil Travel
- #28 in Rio de Janeiro Brazil Travel Guides
- #38 in History of Brazil

Customer Reviews:
77 ratings

About the author

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Juliana Barbassa

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Juliana Barbassa holds bachelor’s degrees in Spanish Literature and journalism from UT Austin and master’s degrees in Latin American studies and journalism from UC Berkeley. Her earlier journalism work covering immigration earned her a Katie Journalism Award and made her a finalist for the Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award. She reported for the Associated Press for ten years and served as its Rio de Janeiro correspondent from 2010 through 2013. An expert in Brazilian current affairs, Juliana has also made various appearances on programs such as the BBC, NPR, Public Radio International, and HuffPostLive to discuss such events as the deadly floods, mudslides, the violence in Rio’s favelas, and Brazil’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. For more information about Juliana and her travels, visit http://julianabarbassa.com/.

Connect with Juliana on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dancingwitht...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbarbassa

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jbarbassa/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7628143.Juliana_Barbassa

Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		14%
3 star		6%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Eric

A compelling look at modern Rio de Janeiro

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2017

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My first (and to date, last) visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was in February 2008 for Carnaval. It was a magical time and I was enthralled by this beachside city. I still have some great memories of the "Cidade Maravilhosa" even today. So I was glad when I discovered 'Dancing With The Devil in the City of God' and to read more about this city and how it has changed since my visit there almost a decade ago. This book was a welcome addition to my library. This book weaves a rich tapestry of Rio de Janeiro today. What I presumed was a book purely about Rio's politics turned out to be anything but. Ms. Barbassa invites you to delve into Rio's history, its decades of corruption and it's struggles and joys in hosting the World Cup and the Olympics. There are stories contained in this book that range in tone from tragic to pure adoration, as the author recounts many anecdotes from her own childhood memories of Rio to her more recent experiences living there as an adult. Her interviews with various "Cariocas" (a term used for the residents of Rio de Janeiro) shed some light on everything from politics to human rights and environmentalism, helping the reader to understand the joys and trials that face not only Rio's population, but also Brazil as a whole.

The author doesn't attempt to cast down Rio or Brazil in a bad or a good light, but on how all the forces and events that led up to the present have helped how the world sees Brazil on an international level. An open-minded and welcoming country in many ways, but also a country plagued by such tragedies as the violence brought forth because of the drug and gang wars. The author paints a vivid image of Rio's past and present in a way that moves you and makes you think. As someone who has been there, and reading about its problems like pollution and crime, I hope all the best for this city, as well as for the nation of Brazil as a whole.

One person found this helpful

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George Fulmore

Good Insight about a Great City

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016

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“Dancing with the Devil in the City of God,” by Juliana Barbassa
Book Review
August 5, 2016
By George Fulmore

This book will give one insight into Rio je Janeiro. It’s written by a journalist who was born in Brazil, then moved several times, but retained her fluency in Portuguese. She returned to Rio as a journalist to work for the AP before the World Cup in 2014, then stays afterward to continue her insights leading up to the Olympic games.
Perhaps her ultimate insight comes near the end of the book when she says that having the Brazilian soccer team humiliated in the World Cup by a German team in the semi-finals stripped the pillars of the Brazilian façade, that being that samba, soccer and Carnival were enough to sustain the nation’s image in the world. But, now, with much of that gone, it would be time for discussions on what was failing in Brazil and how the country could move on.
But the bulk of the book is a series of themes, built from areas of expertise and real experiences of the author living and writing in Rio. She reviews the economic hard times of the 1980s in Brazil, and tells us that in 1982, Brazil was, essentially, broke. This was followed by the economic boom that happened in the first decade the new century and even during the period of the Great Recession in the U.S. Brazilian banks had done better than those in the U.S., plus China was buying raw materials from Brazil to continue its growth.
There are several chapters on the gangs and the favelas and the pacification of such by the police and armed forces. She also tells us of the incredible red tape involved with leasing an apartment in Rio. And she recaps the details of the terrible land movements and loses of life in areas outside of Rio in 2011, when there was a period of very heavy rain.
Some of the author’s greatest insights are to tell us of the failings of Brazilian government services, such as preventing pollution in the rivers and a building a sensible way to get rid of trash. She tells us that littering is a national problem and that traffic and transportation can be a mess.
There is a chapter about the LGBT community in Rio. Technically, prostitution is legal in Rio, but it is fraught with danger. Historically, the police have been corrupt. But to its credit, Rio made great strides to reverse the spread of AIDs when it was rampant in the 1990s.
In the summer of 2013, there were riots in the streets protesting the way the government was spending money on the coming World Cup and Olympics. A police crackdown was brutal.
The book is not a sequential look at Brazilian history. It is not even a complete look at its many social aspects. For example, there is nothing about the racial strife and complications in Brazil. There is little about the music or about the Samba Clubs. And no mention of Copacabana Beach on New Years’ Eve.
The strength of the book is that it fills in historical details for those of us who have some background knowledge of Rio. And, it is a timely read now with the Olympics in town. I recommend it.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Superficial and tedious.No real analysis or fact-based examples

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2018

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Very superficial and tedious. The book fails to explore the Brazilian idiosyncrasies and does not provide any real analysis or critics. It feel more like a narrative of someone born in Brazil but raised abroad than an interesting material that tries to understand brazil and its complexities.

Roosevelt Jefferson

Concise and informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2018

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Excellent book. A detailed look into the corruption, race relations and nepotism of brazilians ( mostly white ) elite.

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2016

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LIKE IT!

hazel lev

bought this for a class

Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2020

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fairly good reflection of what i saw in one month of research in brazil. 4 stars because it could have been a bit more engaging and i was forced to read it.

Joan Woodhouse

I really enjoyed reading this extremely accurate narration about it

Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2016

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As Rio de Janeiro was my home town, I really enjoyed reading this extremely accurate narration about it. I found it extremely interesting, and even learned some facts that I hadn't known.

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