Brazillionaires

September 1, 2016

In his first book, former Bloomberg News reporter Cuadros plunges into the world of Brazil's wealthiest citizens to explore the evolving economic and political events forming this nation as its power continues to grow. Billionaires such as business magnate Eike Batista, televangelist Edir Macedo, investor and philanthropist Jorge Lemann, and media mogul Roberto Marinho are but a few of the subjects whom Cuadros weaves into a larger narrative of a rigged system in which the "cordial man" consistently guides the direction and speed with which Brazil emerges as a global superpower. Bringing the World Cup and the Olympics to the area could have been an opportunity to improve the infrastructure and reduce inequality by expanding the middle class. Instead, argues the author, cronyism and corruption have created instability and unsanitary conditions. This is a solid companion to Juliana Barbassa's Dancing with the Devil in the City of God, which looks specifically at Rio de Janiero and the cultural extremes that continue to exist owing to many of the same issues described by Cuadros. VERDICT An entertaining and readable investigation of Brazil's ultrarich and their influence on shaping the lives of everyone else.--Barbara Ferrara, Chesterfield Cty. P.L., VA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2016
On the trail of enormous wealth in Brazil--an engine of national progress or a trench of impoverishment? As an American journalist for Bloomberg News based in Sao Paulo from 2010 to 2016, Cuadros became both fascinated and appalled by the excessive wealth he witnessed. While the Brazilian nouveau rich used to ape the styles of the French, now it is the United States via Miami, where much of the Latin American wealth is invested. In this "parallel universe" of billionaires, the author became acquainted with the "ladder of luxuries" such as private jets, rarefied art and cars, pricey real estate, and restaurants. In this universe, the names on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index needed to worry constantly about kidnapping and protection of family members. The two tried-and-true ways of getting rich in the Brazilian economy were by politics and/or public contracts, and while many of the billionaires Cuadros covers were mired in graft and corruption scandals, the Brazilian saying "Rouba mas faz" (he steals but he gets things done) sums up the public tolerance for them. Cuadros dutifully reveals many of the major players: Paulo Maluf, the force behind the building of the so-called Minhocao (Big Worm) freeway, has become a kind of poster boy for patronage; soy baron and former Mato Grosso Gov. Blairo Maggi routinely battled environmentalists over issues of deforestation; Roberto Marinho built the dominant Rede Globo TV network; Edir Macedo fashioned a massive Universal Church of the Kingdom of God from relentless tithing of the faithful; Eike Batista, head of OGX Petroleo e Gas, went from being the richest man in Brazil to bankrupt. The debt that many of these men owe to the acquiescence of the government, namely that of former populist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff, is remarkable--e.g., what has come to light over the skimming of profits from the massive Belo Monte Dam. Well-rounded and -researched portraits of the staggering chasm between rich and poor in Brazil.

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May 2, 2016
Part memoir, part exposé, and part historical narrative, this fascinating look at wealth in Brazil is a strong debut for Cuadros, former Bloomberg News “billionaires reporter” for Latin America. It’s not surprising that a country larger in size than the United States and home to vast natural resources has become one of the world’s top economies. What is surprising is Brazil’s number of billionaires—54 in U.S. dollars and 150 by the Brazilian real—and how quickly some got rich, such as oil magnate Eike Batista, who rapidly acquired $30 billion and then lost it all in just a year and a half. Born and raised in America, Cuadros relates his experiences as an outsider, writing that he sometimes “missed the codes” regarding issues such as race, religion, and government. While explaining how Brazil’s billionaires “get rich and stay rich,” he explores the role of agriculture, environmental regulations, corruption, and media. Touching on the last point, he describes how the enormous Globo TV network, owned by the billionaire Marinho family, frequently inserts didactic morals into its immensely popular telenovelas. Power is clearly the real impetus for the driven individuals profiled in the book. Readers will be eager to see what topic Cuadros tackles next. Agent: Howard Yoon, Ross Yoon Agency.