Why read Laughter Out of Place?

Book cover of Laughter Out of Place: Race, Class, Violence, and Sexuality in a Rio Shantytown

Book description

Donna M. Goldstein presents a hard-hitting critique of urban poverty and violence and challenges much of what we think we know about the "culture of poverty" in this compelling read. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in Brazil, Goldstein provides an intimate portrait of everyday life among the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Laughter Out of Place as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Robert Gay

Author

If you want to get a taste of what life is like in a Rio favela, then this is the book for you. Based on years of meticulous fieldwork, Goldstein documents the hardships endured by a woman she befriended who works as a maid for a wealthy family in the city. More importantly, however, Goldstein’s book describes in detail how life in a Rio favela changed as violence associated with the drug trade overwhelms the community. When she began her fieldwork, in the early 1990s, Rio was enjoying a period of relative calm. By the end of the 90s, however,…

From Robert's list on the drugs and violence in Brazil.