Favela : four decades of living on the edge in Rio de Janeiro /

Perlman has produced an excellent, exhaustive study of life in the 1,020 favelas-squatter settlements in Rio de Janeiro-in this sequel to her 1976 book, The Myth of Marginality. Here she attempts to find and reinterview her subjects as well as their children and grandchildren. Her authoritative account based on interviews with almost 2,500 people (some of whom she has known for 40 years) blends detailed personal testimonies with ethnography and insightful analyses of the urbanization of poverty, the implications of public policy and the drug trade. Her measured approach is all the more compelling because as she investigates the deprivation and danger faced by favela dwellers-19% of the city's population-she also conveys a deep understanding that favelas are not merely despair-filled slums but communities, and many residents have remained there by choice. She is also insightful about the limitations of her own research and the conclusions that can be drawn from it, making her arguments all the more meaningful. Photos. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

More than half of the world's population now lives in urban areas, with the percentage of urban dwellers expected to rise over the next 50 years. Although Rio de Janeiro is known for its spectacular beaches and beautiful coastline, it has also experienced a dramatic rise in the number of informal settlements or shantytowns, known in Brazil as favelas. Perlman (president & founder, Mega-Cities Project) has been researching and studying the favelas of Rio de Janeiro for the past 40 years, conducting more than 2500 interviews with favela residents. Here she continues and expands on her first look at life in the favelas, The Myth of Marginality. Perlman follows four generations of families living in favelas, detailing how they have struggled and succeeded, shaping their communities and the greater city while striving for acceptance and respect. VERDICT Enlightening and exceptional, this book is recommended for anyone interested in the study of poverty, urban areas, human culture, and/or Brazil.-Jeremy Spencer, Univ. of California Law Lib., Davis (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.