Author:Lilia M. Schwarcz,Heloisa M. Starling
Shortlisted for the Jabuti Prize for the Best Brazilian Book Published Abroad
'Engrossing ... eye-opening ... an enormously refreshing treat' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
Since Europeans first reached Brazil in 1500 it has been an unfailing source of extraordinary fascination. More than any other part of the 'New World' it displayed both the greatest beauty and grandeur and witnessed scenes of the most terrible European ferocity. Its native people both revolutionized Europe's ideas of itself and were then subject to extermination. For white settlers Brazil's opportunities seemed endless, for imported black slaves it was a hell on earth.
Brazil: A Biography, written by two of Brazil's leading historians and a bestseller in Brazil itself, is a remarkable attempt to convey the overwhelming diversity and challenges of this huge country - larger than the contiguous USA and still in some regions not fully mapped - from its origins to the twenty-first century. The book's major themes are the near-continuous battles to create both political institutions and social frameworks that would allow stable growth, legal norms and protection for all its citizens. Brazil's failure to achieve these except in the very short term has been tragic, but even in the 21st century it remains one of the world's great experiments - creative, harsh, unique and as compelling a story for its inhabitants as for outsiders.
Engrossing ... eye-opening ... an enormously refreshing treat
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday TimesWith great skill the authors have managed to combine clarity and consistency, substance and fluency, historical precision and a text that is a joy to read
—— Lira NetoA thoughtful and profound journey into the soul of Brazil...The Brazil that emerges from this book is, indeed, a fascinating, complex, multicoloured, contradictory and challenging organism, more like a living being than a political, cultural and geographical entity
—— Laurentino Gomes , Folha de São PauloCoinciding with the election of the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, this epic history of the world's sixth most populous country is a shocking, dramatic and utterly engrossing read. The details of Brazil's history, from the 19th-century empire to the suicide of the quasi-fascist dictator Getulio Vargas, are largely unknown to British readers, but that only makes its dark story all the more fascinating.
—— The Sunday Times, Books of the YearDetailed and deeply reasoned . . . Illuminating, engrossing, and consistently thoughtful.
—— Larry Rohter , The New York Review of BooksCompelling and insightful . . . One of Schwarcz and Starling's great strengths is their dissection of changing racial identity.
—— Geoff Dyer , Financial TimesEvocative . . . Schwarcz and Starling adopt what they call a biographical approach: an attempt to tell the collective stories of the generations of Brazilians that have lived . . . They achieve this with flair in their rich evocations of colonial and imperial Brazil . . . Rich and absorbing.
—— Patrick Wilcken , The Times Literary SupplementA startlingly relevant collection that speaks to now
—— Carl Wilkinson , Financial TimesMorrison’s words possess a contemporary resonance, delivering unwavering truths with an intelligent rage that is almost equal to her hope
—— Arifa Akbar , GuardianBrilliant . . . In this revolutionary and revelatory book, James Poskett not only gives us a truly worldwide history of science, but explains how international connections have stimulated scientific advances through time
—— Alice Roberts, author of AncestorsScience's internationalism is well recognized. But scientists tend to regard it as a recent phenomenon that arose from the 'big science' of the twentieth century, rather than one with a history of more than 500 years going back to the Islamic science that inspired astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, and beyond, observes historian James Poskett. His revisionary "global history" boldly rebuts this
—— Andrew Robinson , NaturePoskett's book is invaluable, an important and timely reminder that the world we live in has never been small or unknown, but that sharing knowledge, as well as credit, and working together, is the key to a better future
—— Matt Lewis , History HitFrom palatial Aztec botanic gardens to Qing Dynasty evolutionary theories, Horizons upends traditional accounts of the history of science, showing how curiosity and intellectual exploration was, and is, a global phenomenon
—— Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of KindredRemarkable. Challenges almost everything we know about science in the West
—— Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 MapsThis perspective-shattering book challenges our Eurocentric narrative by spotlighting the work of historically neglected scientists
—— Caroline Sanderson , The Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice'A useful corrective that brings us closer to a more accurate history of Western science - one which recognises Europe, not as exceptional, but as learning from the world
—— Angela Saini, author of SuperiorThe righting of the historical record makes Horizons a deeply satisfying read. We learn about a fascinating group of people engaged in scientific inquiry all over the world. Even more satisfyingly, Horizons demonstrates that the most famous scientists - Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein among them - couldn't have made their discoveries without the help of their global contacts
—— Valerie Hansen, author of The Year 1000A provocative examination of major contributions to science made outside Europe and the USA, from ancient to modern times, explained in relation to global historical events. I particularly enjoyed the stories of individuals whose work tends to be omitted from standard histories of science
—— Ian Stewart, author of Significant FiguresA wonderful, timely reminder that scientific advancement is, and has always been, a global endeavour
—— Patrick Roberts, author of JungleThis is the kind of history we need: it opens our eyes to the ways in which what we know today has been uncovered thanks to a worldwide team effort
—— Michael Scott, author of Ancient WorldsAn important milestone
—— British Journal for the History of Science, on Materials of the MindThe freshest history of the strangest science
—— Alison Bashford, author of Global Population, on Materials of the MindAmbitious, riveting, Poskett tracks the global in so many senses . . . vital reading on some of the most urgent concerns facing the world history of science
—— Sujit Sivasundaram, University of Cambridge, on Materials of the MindTerrific . . . [Makes] a substantial contribution to understanding the universalizing properties of science and technology in history
—— Janet Browne, Harvard University, on Materials of the MindHorizons forces me to think outside my Eurocentric box and puts science at the centre of world history
—— David Reynolds , New Statesman, Books of the Year 2022[Our Man is] heartfelt, virtuosic and quietly thoughtful at the same time
—— Daily TelegraphIsabel Wilkerson's book is a masterful narrative of the rich wisdom and deep courage of a great people. Don't miss it!
—— Cornel WestA landmark piece of non-fiction
—— The New York TimesA briliant and stirring epic
—— Wall Street JournalThe mass migration of African Americans out of the US south forever changed the country's cultural fabric - and Wilkerson's history of this period is full of sacrifice and hope ...a long overdue account
—— GuardianA deeply affecting, finely crafted and heroic book. . . .Wilkerson has taken on one of the most important demographic upheavals of the past century and told it through the lives of three people ... lyrical and tragic
—— Jill Lepore , New Yorker