Author(s): Jorge Amado (tr. Gregory Rabassa)

Classics

A Brazilian "Lord of the Flies," about a group of boys who live by their wits and daring in the slums of Bahia They call themselves "Captains of the Sands," a gang of orphans and runaways who live by their wits and daring in the torrid slums and sleazy back alleys of Bahia. Led by fifteen-year-old "Bullet," the band--including a crafty liar named "Legless," the intellectual "Professor," and the sexually precocious "Cat"--pulls off heists and escapades against the right and privileged of Brazil. But when a public outcry demands the capture of the "little criminals," the fate of these children becomes a poignant, intensely moving drama of love and freedom in a shackled land. "Captains of the Sands" captures the rich culture, vivid emotions, and wild landscape of Bahia with penetrating authenticity and brilliantly displays the genius of Brazil's most acclaimed author.