Dancing with the devil in the city of god (2015)

Rio de Janeiro is a city of extremes: from Carnaval’s hedonistic delights, to the favelas’ dizzying heights, to the softly seductive samba beats that sing from every open door and window. But there’s a dark side to this beautiful city too – for years, Rio was ravaged by inflation, drug wars, and crooked leaders – and the legacy of decades of corruption can be seen in the very real struggles the city faces today. Now, Rio is ready to remake itself, this time into a global, modern capital that’s ready for its turn on the world stage with the Olympics in 2016. But at what price? Armed with sharp prose and keen reporter’s instinct, Rio-born journalist Juliana Barbassa steps out onto the streets and brings back a firsthand glimpse of what’s really happening in Rio (the good, the bad, and the maddening). She paints a picture of the city “on the brink”, explaining why Rio is on the precipice of major change and how it will succeed (or fail) based on the choices its leaders and citizens make today. But through it all Barbassa never loses sight of the human face of Rio – she introduces us to the families fighting to retain their homes in Rio’s infamous favelas, the Cariocas playing their trade in the city’s red-light district, and the frenzy that grips the city as Rio hosts the World Cup.