Nolan Reviews Eliane Brum’s “Banzeiro Òkòtó: The Amazon as the Center of the World”

In the recent issue of The New York Review of Books, Rachel Nolan, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, authored a poignant review of Eliane Brum’s latest book, Banzeiro Òkòtó: The Amazon as the Center of the World.  Nolan’s analysis sheds light on Brum’s captivating narrative, which offers an exploration of the Amazon’s precarious reality.

Brum’s journey into the heart of the Amazon, particularly Altamira, unfolds through the lens of her journalistic prowess, transitioning from São Paulo to the embattled city along the Xingu River. As Nolan vividly depicts, Brum’s narrative is a testament to her commitment to uncovering the hidden lives within the rainforest, those often relegated to the periphery of society.

Nolan’s review highlights Brum’s deep immersion into Altamira’s complex social fabric, where violence and environmental degradation intersect with the struggles of everyday life. Through Brum’s eyes, readers are exposed to the grim reality of illegal deforestation orchestrated by grileiros, or land grabbers, whose actions threaten both the indigenous populations and the fragile ecosystem of the Amazon.

Nolan captures the essence of Brum’s storytelling by stating,

“Brum’s narrative weaves together the personal and the political, offering readers a profound insight into the human cost of environmental destruction.”

Moreover, Nolan highlights Brum’s nuanced portrayal of the diverse inhabitants of the Amazon, from indigenous communities to small-scale farmers and extractors. Brum’s advocacy for those who live in harmony with the rainforest underscores her belief in their right to coexist with nature—a sentiment echoed by Nolan in her review.

Throughout her review, Nolan engages with Brum’s examination of Brazil’s fraught history of colonization and exploitation of the Amazon. Drawing parallels with past and present injustices, Brum exposes the systemic forces driving the destruction of the rainforest while challenging readers to confront their complicity in its demise.

As Rachel Nolan eloquently concludes, Brum’s work serves as a poignant reminder that the fate of the Amazon—and indeed the planet—is intertwined with the lives of those who call it home. It is through listening to their stories that we may find hope for a more sustainable future, even in the face of looming environmental catastrophe.

The full review can be accessed here.

Rachel Nolan is a historian of modern Latin America. Her research focuses on political violence, Central American civil wars, childhood and the family, historical memory, and U.S.-Latin American relations. She is currently completing a book manuscript on the history of international adoption from Guatemala. Read more about Professor Nolan on her faculty profile.