Book Review: Porous City: A Cultural History of Rio de Janeiro.

Abstract

Winner of the 2014 Brazilian Studies Association Roberto Reis Book Award, Porous City: A Cultural History of Rio de Janeiro offers a fascinating intervention into a number of fields that, ultimately, Carvalho weaves together to form a nuanced reading of the former Brazilian capital as a “porous city,” a clever and convenient near homophone of the concept of porosity the author develops throughout. The book is a highly recommended read for those with a moderate to strong foundation in Brazilian history and culture, though its chapters would serve as useful supplementary material for the graduate classroom. The author does a fine job of moving at an appropriate pace, and his conclusions never seem hastily formulated or exaggerated. Most of all, the considerable research that has gone into the work is commendable and offers plenty of jumping off points for those who would seek to build upon Carvalho’s reading of porosity.