A book as rich and sprawling as the seductive metropolis it evokes, Rio de Janeiro builds a kaleidoscopic portrait of this city of extremes, and its history of conflict and corruption. Award-winning novelist, ex-government minister and sociologist, Luiz Eduardo Soares tells the story of Rio through the everyday lives of its people: gangsters and police, activists, politicians and struggling migrant workers, each with their own version of the city. Taking us on a journey into Rio's intricate world of favelas, beaches and corridors of power, Soares reveals one of the most extraordinary cities in the world in all its seething, agonistic beauty.

About the Author

Luiz Eduardo Soares is an academic, a politician, an activist and a writer. Professor of the Department of Social Sciences at Rio de Janeiro State University, he teaches political science and sociology, with a particular emphasis on the social invisibility of poor black youth in Brazil. He served as national secretary for public security, and is author of the bestselling and widely translated crime novels Elite Squad and Elite Squad 2, both of which have been adapted for the big screen. The film Elite Squad won the Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival.