BRAZILLIONAIRES

Brazil’s shocking rise and even more shocking fall is one of the biggest stories of our young century. Alex Cuadros tells it through the stories of its billionaires – whose genius, hubris and (in some cases) utter folly come through in vivid, human detail throughout this book.

A wild, richly reported tale about Brazil’s recent economic rise and fall, and some of the biggest, most colorful characters in business in Brazil who now have a global reach....But Mr. Cuadros’ story really takes off when he focuses on Eike Batista, an over-the-top one-time billionaire who became the country’s corporate mascot, only to go bankrupt in a dramatic unraveling.

The rise and fall of Batista is dramatically rendered in Brazillionaires, Alex Cuadros’ enjoyable, deeply reported account of Brazil’s outsize collection of tycoons.

Alex Cuadros has written a splendidly original book. Brazillionaires gets into the heart and soul of present-day Brazil through the fascinatingly operatic lives of several of its billionaires. Along the way, Cuadros explains Brazil's unresolved battles in overcoming poverty, corruption, racism, and a great deal more. Written with verve, as well as a merciless eye for the truth, Brazillionaires is as engaging as it is timely.

Well-rounded and -researched portraits of the staggering chasm between rich and poor in Brazil.

An entertaining and readable investigation of Brazil’s ultrarich and their influence on shaping the lives of everyone else.

Cuadros’ book, far from being rendered obsolete by the political and economic crisis, has become more relevant than ever. It serves as both a playbook and a who’s who for the seismic shift in power that just occurred here…Brazillionaires is vital—and accessible—reading for anyone trying to decipher what just happened, and what may yet come, in Latin America’s largest country… Brazillionaires is gripping from the first page. And Cuadros proves to have a gift for elegant and straightforward explanations of some of the most befuddling aspects of the country’s politics and economics… The real beneficiary however is his reader—he’s just the right mix of knowledgeable insider, and arch, critical outsider, and Brazillionaires is a welcome addition to the very sparse canon of good books about Brazil.

Initially, Mr Cuadros writes, he was not enthusiastic about the billionaires beat. Poor people seemed more interesting. In this excellent book he has managed to use billionaires to illuminate the lives of both rich and poor Brazilians, and all those in between.

Not only does Brazillionaires provide a perceptive and entertaining look into the rarified world of Brazil's super wealthy elite, it also opens a window of insight into an utterly bewitching land of stark contrasts and colossal dimensions. From the grit of the Amazon rainforest to the lilting laughter of cocktail parties in the penthouse condos of Såo Paulo, Alex Cuadros brings all his journalistic and storytelling talents to bear in this important and highly readable book.

The lunatic, insular world of Brazil's ultra-rich is opened up for scrutiny in Alex Cuadros' Brazillionaires. Cuadros' skillful reportage and vivid prose illuminate the ideology of some of the wealthiest, most ignorant people, providing a meditation on the meaning of wealth and inequality not only in Brazil but in the United States and around the world.

Brazillionaires, [is] journalist Alex Cuadros’ compelling tale of Brazil’s superrich, which deftly weaves lurid soap opera with high finance and outrageous political skullduggery…if Brazil sometimes comes across as a circus in this compelling, thoroughly researched account, it is because it can be just that.

Brazillionaires should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand Brazil's one per cent—the billionaires that wield so much influence in Latin America's richest country. Cuadros, a diligent and gifted reporter, does not shy away from asking tough questions as he digs deep into the country's economic and social history to chronicle how these outback entrepreneurs got rich in the first place, and how they continue to support the culture of corruption that has led to Brazil's most recent implosion. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop.

Brazillionaires is an essential guide to understanding modern Brazil, its ups and downs, its flaws and lasting allure. But what makes it exceptional is how Cuadros uses insights into how a particular set of exceptionally wealth individuals in a particular historical context made money to ask a broader question: why? What drives them? How are they different from the rest of us—or are they? This turns this unique feat of reportage into something even more fascinating: an exploration of wealth, what fuels our desire for it, and how it transforms us.

Riveting…it’s a testament to Cuadros that he doesn’t just cover Brazil from his desk at Bloomberg but makes a point of immersing himself in the culture of corruption, and that’s what makes his book such a great, and at times hilarious, read.

There is no way to understand Brazil, the world's fifth largest country, without understanding how a handful of billionaires shape the country's politics, media, and economy. With his profound insights and deep reporting, Alex Cuadros is an indispensable voice in telling this story of excess, corruption, and a society torn between hope and turmoil.

A clear-eyed and often funny travelogue through the operatic lives of the country’s ultra-wealthy and their baneful relationship with the state…Ten years ago, [Brazil] was feted as a country that could do no wrong. Poverty and inequality were falling and businesses boomed. But the wheels have fallen off. The country is mired in its worst ever recession… Cuadros’ blend of memoir, exposé and historical narrative provides a wonderful vehicle to explain how this state of affairs was reached.

Cuadros, a reporter for Bloomberg, arrived in Brazil in 2010... part of his job was to rank Brazil’s billionaires…as well as to report on their business deals and their personal lives. In Brazillionaires, he has consolidated and shaped those profiles into a propulsive and engaging portrait of modern Brazil… To contemplate [Brazil’s] condition is to behold an alarming portrait, only to realize that our gaze is not directed at a painting, but a mirror.

Part memoir, part exposé, and part historical narrative, this fascinating look at wealth in Brazil is a strong debut for Cuadros…Power is clearly the real impetus for the driven individuals profiled in the book. Readers will be eager to see what topic Cuadros tackles next

BRAZILLIONAIRES is one of FINANCIAL TIMES’s best business books of 2016

UK and British Commonwealth: Profile Books