City of God (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780802170101)

The searing novel on which the internationally acclaimed hit film was based, City of God is a gritty, gorgeous tour de force from one of Brazil's most notorious slums. Cidade de Deus: a place where the streets are awash with narcotics, where violence can erupt at any moment over drugs, money, and love--but also a place where the samba beat rocks till dawn, where the women are the most beautiful on earth, and where one young man wants to escape his background and become a photographer. When City of God erupted on screens worldwide, it became one of the most critically and commercially successful foreign films of recent years. But few were aware of the story behind the film. Written by Paulo Lins, who grew up in the favela (shantytown) Cidade de Deus in Rio e Janeiro and who spent years researching its gang history, City of God began life as a coruscating, harrowing novelistic account of twenty years in the illicit pursuits of the youth gangs born from the favela. Now available in English for the first time, City of God is a raw, powerful portrait of the countless millions of poor people all over the world.

Author: Paulo Lins
ISBN-10: 0802170102
ISBN-13: 9780802170101
Publisher: Grove Press, Black Cat
Language: English
Published: 09/14/2006
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.53h x 5.19w x 1.30d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2006 pg. 693
Publishers Weekly 08/07/2006 pg. 29
Booklist 09/01/2006 pg. 55
Library Journal 11/01/2006 pg. 69