"Highly recommended sampler of 20 essays by leading Brazilian historians and anthropologists. Some authors succinctly summarize their own books; others take on new topics. Not a balanced survey as treatment of periods and topics is uneven. Essays on colonial period are skewed toward sexuality; 19th century is poorly represented; and 20th-century essays emphasize working-class women. However, these emphases reflect trends in historiography. Overall quality is excellent; and many of the 20th-century essays are particularly accessible, fresh, and humorous. Good illustrations"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.