Captains of the Sands

by Jorge Amado

Book Overview

A Brazilian Lord of the Flies, about a group of boys who live by their wits and daring in the slums of Bahia

A Penguin Classics

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014310635X
• ISBN13: 9780143106357
• Release Date: June 2013
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Capitães is a true classic of Brazilian Literature!

Olá! This is one of my favorite books. It takes place in the cultural mecca of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, as do so many of Jorge Amado's novels. The characters are the "capitães da aréia"--a gang of homeless or truant boys who banded together for protection. It is a coming-of-age story about these young boys, who encounter the typical teenage romances and heartbreaks, along with the terror of the smallpox outbreak and the questions of Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian religion. This is truly a masterpiece of Brazilian literature, not to be missed. For more Brazilian books, check out Atlantico Books!

If you've read them all, read this!

It is absolutely magnificant. This is the first time for me writing a book review online and I thought that I'd never do it, but after I saw that there's is copy out there somewhere I had to say that 69$ is nothing for this book. It is the only book I take along when I travel or move abroad. It is the book that can change your life, or atleast bring that special something to it. Now that I'm reading this through I have this funny feeling that it's not me writing, but from time to time you come across extraordinary matters that make you act in a very peculiar way. This is one them. Don't miss it.

It really touches your heart

This has to be the best book Jorge Amado has ever written. It was the first book of his that I ever read, it touched me so deeply, that I have read almost all his books since. It really lets you know about the poverty in Brasil, and what some people would do for money. Every character and every story in the novel makes sense. It touches my heart to see what some kids go through, not only in Brasil but in the whole world. As a proud Brasilian myself, It made me think a lot about the poverty in my country. The love story is also so romantic and sad. It's simply just the best book that I have ever read.

Very entertaining

Excellent opportunity to learn how poverty plays its role in the life of children in Brazil. The mix of reality and fiction makes this book a must-read.

Classic Brazilian Literature

If you want to read one of the books of Jorge Amado, try this one first. It's a old one, but one of the best. Full of social criticism, but not boring at all