Note: I received a free unpublished proof of this book, for a limited time, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

Today we have another largely political book that isn’t really “about” history very far back in the past, but the subject matter is so rooted in history that I think it belongs here. Bolsonarismo is chiefly about Jair Bolsonaro and the ideologies that surround both him and his former presidency. The book traces these ideologies back to other figures and movements in Brazilian and world history, explaining how they developed, spread, and led to Bolsonaro’s massive following and election.

As a white US American who is not Brazilian, has no connection to Brazil, and has never even visited the country, I do not know how well Brancoli’s assertions line up with the reality of Brazilian culture and political life. The author, Brancoli, is Brazilian, worked with other people of a similar background to put the book together, and he cites a multitude of sources at the end. Therefore, I think that his take on these issues is likely at least partly valid, though I am sure that there are other perspectives from within Brazil that are worth looking at and listening to.

Despite the massive cultural gap, I understood nearly all of the text. The book uses language that most readers can understand, explains and defines terms that may be unfamiliar to those outside of Brazilian politics, and provides adequate historical, social, and economic context for all of the key topics discussed. The narrative also features data points, important names, and key dates and events so the reader can easily find more information on any given topic.

One key feature I particularly liked about the book is that the chapters are clearly organized by topic. This makes the concepts easy to conceptualize by showing how different events, philosophies, and figures connect. Key chapter topics include an overview of Brazilian conservatism, neoconservatism as transnational alliance, the role of Christian movements in Brazilian conservatism, pacification and militarism, and the framework of authoritarian meritocracy that promotes entrepreneurism and a conservative view of the family. There are also an introduction and conclusion that tie the general “timeline” and main ideas of Bolsonaro’s movement together.

Another aspect of the book I liked was the author’s explanations of how the policy and political theory of the US and other countries has influenced that of Brazil. Some writers claim or imply that ideas such as racism, puritanical Christian viewpoints, strong-man conservative leaders, and hyper-capitalism are purely US concepts—or only appeal to US Americans—when that is factually untrue. These phenomena have long existed in multiple places, though some have been spread further due to US influence, and it’s important to see how these ideas have impacted politics in differnet ways in multiple places.

Overall, I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the global rise of the far-right, how it functions, and how it came to be. If you are only interested in Bolsonaro and his presidency, the book does not go into fine or chronological detail on that, but it is a good overview of the ideological underpinnings of his movement.

Thank you to Rutgers university Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!

I appreciated learning about the rise in the Far Right in Brazil and certainly about the different branches-- "embarrassed right" is a term I think particularly useful. I believe the language used in this book was fairly accessible, and I hope others find it useful and informative!

This book was very interesting. I knew a little bit about Bolsonario but not too much so I found this book to be very informative. At times I felt it to be a little dense and the narrative flow of the story was not always quite there. It felt a little textbook like when obviously the expectation of a novel is that it is going to have a certain flow to it. But overall I think the execution was fine and the essence of the novel was captivating enough. Fairly solid book.

The boom provides a really good exploration of how one man can leave an undeniable footprint, by exploring how far Jair Bolsonaro's term did reconfigure some elements of Brazilian politics in a way that reverbs even outside of Brazil. It's interesting how the author was able to take a bird's eye view within the year after Bolsonaro's term ended.
While the style is quite academic, the language is approachable for any reader interested in the push and pull of ideological and cultural reconfigurations.