The latest runaway best-seller in Brazil is the autobiography of a young prostitute, Raquel Pacheco, a.k.a. Bruna the Surfer Girl. The book is called The Sweet Venom of the Scorpion: The Diary of a Call Girl and here’s what Reuters has to say: “In just over a month, it has sold some 30,000 copies and is already in its third edition — a huge success in a country where only a fraction of the population reads books. It also ranks third on Brazil’s bestseller list for nonfiction books, neck and neck with international hits like Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.” It doesn’t appear as if an English translation is yet available; am guessing agents are circling now.
Our Brazilian Competition
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I haven’t yet had a chance to red this one but I know plenty of people are reading your book in Brazil.
I haven’t yet had a chance to red this one but I know plenty of people are reading your book in Brazil.
Her book started with a blog http://www.brunasurfistinha.com/blogs/
(BEWARE, the link is not workplace safe!).
In fact, two undergraduate students of mine are doing “freak” research about the economics of prostitution. Motivated by Freakomics (and maybe by Bruna’s blog), they gathered data from a website in Brazil where customers rate the services of prostitutes. Now they are trying to measure the effects of the women attributes and their sexual practices on their grades and prices.
Her book started with a blog http://www.brunasurfistinha.com/blogs/
(BEWARE, the link is not workplace safe!).
In fact, two undergraduate students of mine are doing “freak” research about the economics of prostitution. Motivated by Freakomics (and maybe by Bruna’s blog), they gathered data from a website in Brazil where customers rate the services of prostitutes. Now they are trying to measure the effects of the women attributes and their sexual practices on their grades and prices.
I am reading Freaknomics… I am not a great reader as most of the Brazilians.. however, I believe Americans don’t read too much neither. This is a good question … Why Brazil still not developed as USA ? Thousands of theories have tried to explain it..Mr Levitt’s afirmation about a small number of readers in Brazil certainly will not give new data because it doesn’t sound as true. I am still trying to understand it! Let me finish this book , because the next one is “The world is flat” by Friedman. And I need to know more about Bruna Surfistinha, she will teach me something, for sure.
I am reading Freaknomics… I am not a great reader as most of the Brazilians.. however, I believe Americans don’t read too much neither. This is a good question … Why Brazil still not developed as USA ? Thousands of theories have tried to explain it..Mr Levitt’s afirmation about a small number of readers in Brazil certainly will not give new data because it doesn’t sound as true. I am still trying to understand it! Let me finish this book , because the next one is “The world is flat” by Friedman. And I need to know more about Bruna Surfistinha, she will teach me something, for sure.
Response to rsbahia, comment #5.
Facts
Fact: americans read more than brazilians (ponto, as we like to say)
Fact: Mr. Levitt didn’t say only a small number of braziliasn read, Reuters Agency did. And they are correct.
Fact: the most proeminents economists in the world, as North, Arrow,…, they all point out the lack of sound institutions as the main cause of the brazilian mediocracy. On the other hand, USA has a history of sound, good institutions.
Response to rsbahia, comment #5.
Facts
Fact: americans read more than brazilians (ponto, as we like to say)
Fact: Mr. Levitt didn’t say only a small number of braziliasn read, Reuters Agency did. And they are correct.
Fact: the most proeminents economists in the world, as North, Arrow,…, they all point out the lack of sound institutions as the main cause of the brazilian mediocracy. On the other hand, USA has a history of sound, good institutions.