Nemesis : one man and the battle for Rio

by Glenny, Misha,

Format: Print Book 2016
Availability: Available at 1 Library 1 of 1 copy
Available (1)
Location Collection Call #
CLP - Main Library Mezzanine - Non-fiction HV6248.L797 G54 2016
Location  CLP - Main Library
 
Collection  Mezzanine - Non-fiction
 
Call Number  HV6248.L797 G54 2016
 
 
Summary
The astonishing story of an ordinary man forced to make a decision that would turn his world upside down

How did Ant#65533;nio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, a hardworking young father, become the king of Rocinha, the largest slum in Rio; the head of a drug cartel; and perhaps Brazil's most wanted criminal, known to all as "Nem"? Nemesis is the riveting account of his ruthless ascent in Rio's terrifying underworld, his sway over its anarchic outlaw culture, and his accidental fall. Nem tried to bring welfare and justice to a playground of gang culture and destitution, but he quickly found himself embroiled in a world of gold hunters and evangelical pastors, bent police officers and rich-kid addicts, quixotic politicians and drug lords with math degrees.

Spanning rainforests and high-security prisons, filthy slums and glittering shopping malls, Nemesis chronicles Brazil's journey into the global spotlight--and the battle for the beautiful but damned city of Rio as it struggles to break free from a tangled web of corruption, violence, drugs and poverty. Nem is held at the center of it all, locked in a fight for his country's future.
Published Reviews
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Investigative journalist Glenny (DarkMarket) provides a grim look at Rio de Janeiro through the life of Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, known as Nem, who up until his arrest in 2011 was one of Brazil's most-wanted criminals. Nem's path to crime reads like something out of a novel. Prior to 1999, when his infant daughter Eduarda was diagnosed with a serious and rare disease, Nem was a diligent employee of Globus Express, a magazine distribution company. Unable to raise the needed funds for treatment, Nem turns to Lulu, a local gang leader, who agrees to give him the money; the grateful Nem offers to work for Lulu to pay off his debt. This arrangement leads Nem to become a major drug dealer who "exercised immense authority over a community of 100,000 people," and who may even have managed to continue to direct his cartel's operations from behind bars. Glenny interviewed Nem in prison 10 times and is clearly sympathetic to him ("Nem is no paragon, nor is he the devil"), but still manages to offer a balanced look at his subject. He less successfully attempts to connect Nem's story to the broader context of human nature. Agent: Clare Conville, Conville and Walsh Literary Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

Additional Information
Subjects Lopes, Antonio Francisco Bonfim.
Criminals -- Brazil -- Rio de Janeiro -- Biography.
Drug dealers -- Brazil -- Rio de Janeiro -- Biography.
Drug traffic -- Brazil -- Rio de Janeiro.
Crime -- Brazil -- Rio de Janeiro.
Biographies.
Publisher New York :Alfred A. Knopf,2016
Edition First United States edition.
Language English
Description xxi, 293 pages : color illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Bibliography Notes Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-280) and index.
ISBN 9780385351034
0385351038
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