Book Review: The New Brazil by Riordan Roett

Blessed are we lovers of books about Brazil in English, with both The New Brazil and Brazil on the Rise having come out around the same time in 2010.

But do you need to read both of them?

Having just done so, my answer is: probably not. I enjoyed doing so, partially because reading much of the same information twice in many cases helped me to absorb more of it (I am finally getting the dictators from '64-'85 straight: Castelo Branco, I forget the second one but I know it has "e" between the two last names, Medíci, Geisel, and I forget the last one again. But it's better than it was!). Of course, I could do that by reading the same book twice. And maybe some people can only afford one book. As a result, I am ready to announce the winner. And it is: Brazil on the Rise.

The New Brazil isn't bad. It's a bit longer than Brazil on the Rise, which gives it more time to discuss Brazil's history in more detail, which I certainly appreciated; Brazil on the Rise goes through Brazil's history at an incredibly fast pace. The New Brazil is more dedicated to politics and the Brazilian economy (there are none of the obligatory sections on soccer and carnaval), and I expected the book to seem more sophisticated and leave me feeling like I know a lot more about these things than Brazil on the Rise. But it didn't.

The major issue, I think, is that Larry Rohter, the author of Brazil on the Rise, is a long-time journalist in Brazil. Therefore, he is not only a very experienced writer and good at saying a lot with few words, but he also seems to have spoken to several important people in every important area of political, economic and social life in Brazil. Riordan Roett, on the other hand, is a... (wait while I look this up, because I have no idea)... professor of political science. He is clearly a smart guy. He has certainly read a lot. But his book is more clinical, with no personal touch. The book could have been written by someone who reads a lot and has never left the US, which is definitely not true of Rohter's book And though I figured that wouldn't matter to me before I read the book as long as the information was good, upon finishing it I find that the clinical approach was far less memorable.

The approach matters. Roett goes through Brazil's development in chronological order. Rohter organized his book into a number of arguments. In one section, he is claiming that Brazilians are wrong when they say their country is not racist. In another, he is questioning Brazilian strategy with their newfound oil deposits. He challenges and debates every step of the way. Roett is content to mostly provide a description of where things are going and why. It makes for a good reference, but not a great read.