Brazil: 11 books to read before you go

This summer Brazil is the hot new travel destination. But before you go, you may want to learn a little about the country. Here you will find a list of travel books that The Lonely Planet recommends you read before arriving in Brazil to "get you in the mood for your trip." In addition to being enjoyable reads, these books will also prepare you for your immersion into Brazilian culture and language. 

1. "A Death in Brazil," by Peter Robb

Lonely Planet calls "A Death in Brazil" (2004) by Peter Robb "one of the most fascinating travelogues published in recent years." Robb investigates 400 years of Brazilian history while sharing anecdotes about the 20 years he spent living and traveling in Brazil. This blend of storytelling – historical events interwoven with modern day experiences – creates a rich exploration of the country.

1 of 11

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.