O massacre da Candelária

the long version

"Based on a true story that shook Brazil, and indeed the world, this novel is a literary/journalistic cry for justice following a massacre of destitute youngsters in Rio de Janeiro. Narrative focuses on an eight-year-old boy living in the slums of Rio with his working parents. Story expands to include lives of other boys, young men, and young women whose only options in life are crime and narcotics. Author concentrates on the youths who were gunned down while asleep on the steps of the Candelária Church"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.