" ... A very interesting read, and refreshing and important as it discusses aspects of the nation's history which have received so little scholarly attention to date, despite the millions of immigrants who have made Brazil one of the world's most diverse multi-cultural societies."-- British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, April 2000 "Clearly written and well organized, this book makes a major contribution to the field of Brazilian studies. An outstanding work." Leo Spitzer, Dartmouth College.) "A rich, welcome addition to social history in the broadest sense... [This study] convincingly demonstrates the ironic fact that immigration policies seeking to 'whiten' Brazil instead led to the creation of an immensely multi-cultural society. A major contribution." (Robert M. Levine, University of Miami at Coral Gables) " ... Lesser's study is an important and welcome contribution to unravelling the more or less hidden recesses of ethnicity in Brazil."--European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, 73, October 2002
