Red Gold: The Conquest of the Brazilian Indians

Rating:
Summary: Much more than a formal history text.
Review: A terrifically comprehensive history of the impact of European settlement on the native population of Brazil. Hemming has introduced a style and content that makes this as much a story book as a formal text book. The brutal and tragic consequences of the meeting of two extremely diverse cultures are brought to life in this book, with the greed and self-righteousness of the Portugese settlers set against the innocence and primitive nature of the indigenous 'Indians'. Anybody with an interest in the history of Brazil would find this a truly fascinating read.

Rating:
Summary: Rivers of Blood
Review: The story of how the Portuguese came to rule Brazil takes us to the "Pope Line" of Alexander VI, which split South America into two pieces. Most of it fell within the Spanish hemisphere, but, as fate would have it, the eastern slab (roughly, where Brazil is) went to Portugal. Given the absence of mineral deposits, the colonists resorted to exploiting human population. The tale of Brazil's conquest is a grim story of progressive accretion, acre by acre, tribe by tribe, with only the Jesuits serving to moderate the excesses of the colonists. Needless to say, the Jesuits were soon eliminated as a threat (this is depicted in the Morricone film "The Mission") and the Brazilian interior given over to plunder. Hemmings also takes us through the Dutch and French interludes, wherein Portugal stood to lose its dominions to these interlopers. There are few heroes on the European side in this epic, however there are a number of brave tribesmen who succeeded, always temporarily, in holding back the advance.

Rating:
Summary: Rivers of Blood
Review: The story of how the Portuguese came to rule Brazil takes us to the "Pope Line" of Alexander VI, which split South America into two pieces. Most of it fell within the Spanish hemisphere, but, as fate would have it, the eastern slab (roughly, where Brazil is) went to Portugal. Given the absence of mineral deposits, the colonists resorted to exploiting human population. The tale of Brazil's conquest is a grim story of progressive accretion, acre by acre, tribe by tribe, with only the Jesuits serving to moderate the excesses of the colonists. Needless to say, the Jesuits were soon eliminated as a threat (this is depicted in the Morricone film "The Mission") and the Brazilian interior given over to plunder. Hemmings also takes us through the Dutch and French interludes, wherein Portugal stood to lose its dominions to these interlopers. There are few heroes on the European side in this epic, however there are a number of brave tribesmen who succeeded, always temporarily, in holding back the advance.