Brasil fora de si: Experiências de brasileiros em Nova York (review)

Although there is only one name listed as author on Brasil fora de si: Experiências de brasileiros em Nova York, the book contains the voices of dozens upon dozens of Brazilian expatriates living in that city. This detailed survey of the day-to-day lives, perceptions, and opinions of Brazilians residing in the boroughs and suburbs of New York is based on hundreds of personal testimonies, many of which author José Carlos Sebe Bom Meihy has transcribed directly, often at length. In addition, the author adds his own perspectives and analysis on various aspects of the immigrant experience, creating an informative and entertaining panorama that will be of value to anyone interested in the immigrant experience as it particularly pertains to Brazilians in the United States.

Through his mixture of insightful contextual analysis with personal and pertinent oral history, the author addresses a growing issue that is still quite hidden in the context of public policy debates and mainstream media discussions both within Brazil and, more notably, within the United States. As the author points out, it is virtually impossible to determine the exact number of Brazilians in the United States (40), but it is likely that the official estimates of just under one million may be off by as much as a factor of two. What is known is that, whatever the total number, approximately 70% are "illegal" (46) and, differently from many other immigrant groups, Brazilians tend to concentrate in certain "enclaves," mostly in the eastern United States, including the city that is the subject of this analysis.

One of the primary strengths of this volume lies in its breadth of scope and the illustrative anecdotes and individual voices that illustrate the author's various points. There are quantitative tables of data in an appendix, but this is decidedly a qualitative undertaking focusing on oral histories, not a statistical analysis. (This is made amply clear in the title to the appendix: "Levemente quantitativo.") The tone of the text and the main interest for most readers stem from these dynamic and engaging testimonies, even more than from the experienced and careful considerations of the author.

The absence of the word "imigrante/immigrant" in this book's title is not mere coincidence. Perhaps the book's most notable conclusion is that Brazilians do not primarily consider themselves to be a community of immigrants. Not only do these individuals nearly unanimously maintain a dynamic and vital connection to Brazil regardless of the length of time in New York, but almost every voice in this volume refers to the lack of cohesion or sometimes even of any connection whatsoever among brasucas beyond small groups of family and close friends. The word brasuca—coined specifically to refer to Brazilians residing in New York—itself illustrates the emphasis in these groups on connections with Brazil rather than on integrating into American society as another hyphenated subset of the broader population. The author himself also reaffirms the connection between brasucas and their country of origin by beginning each chapter of the book with epigraphs taken from MPB lyrics.

The book is divided into four parts, the first of which, "Nova York Brasileira," is further broken into four general overview chapters. The first of these presents a general history of Brazilian migration to New York, ably tied to a brief discussion of the Brazilian socioeconomic conditions behind it. The second chapter focuses on numbers and data, both official and non-official, as well as on a descriptive geography of Brazilians in New York, still keeping in mind the importance of the underlying context within Brazil. The third introductory chapter—"Uma rua para o Brasil?"—focuses on the area within New York known as "Little Brazil" and the paradox inherent in the creation of such an area by a group of immigrants who do not identify themselves as a community. The final introductory chapter, after a brief description of the author...