Brazil

At Play in the Fields of the Lord, by Peter Matthiessen (1965). In this fictional thriller, Matthiessen takes readers to an isolated settlement in the nearly impenetrable Brazilian Amazon rain forest where a group of Christian missionaries and a pair of hired-gun mercenaries clash over the land and souls of the indigenous Amazonian tribe. This novel was made into a movie in 1991.

*Brazilian Adventure, by Peter Fleming (1933). For a moment, forget about the magic of modern-day Rio and go hunting for a missing British adventurer in the jungles of Brazil with Fleming, the Hugh Grant of 1930s journalism. Underprepared, overwhelmed, but undaunted, Fleming and his mates marched, canoed, and fought through 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers)of Amazon wilderness.

Fordlandia, by Eduardo Sguiglia (2000). Argentinian writer Sguiglia bases his engaging first novel on a historical trivia tidbit: car manufacturer Henry Ford's attempt in 1929 to establish a rubber plantation in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. Detroit efficiency meets the jungle's malaria, snakes, insects, and corrupt human administrators—guess who wins?

Rio de Janeiro: Carnival Under Fire, by Ruy Castro (2003). In this fifth entry in Bloomsbury's The Writer and the City series, Brazilian journalist Castro explores the social history and daily life of Rio, his hometown, taking readers on a lively journey from the streets to the ballrooms to the beaches, telling the humorous and scandalous stories of the Cariocas, Rio's colorful residents.

Samba, by Alma Guillermoprieto (1990). Appearing initially as essays in the New Yorker, journalist Guillermoprieto's work delves into the samba and Brazilian Carnaval culture. In order to learn about the distinctly Brazilian dance and style of music, Guillermoprieto moves into one of Rio's favelas for a year and joins a samba club.

Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice, by Mark J. Plotkin (1994). "Every time a shaman dies, it is as if a library burned down," ethnobotanist Plotkin writes. He travels deep into the Amazon to study the ancient tribal remedies of the indigenous shamans, remedies that are in danger of being lost from both environmental pressures and the fact that younger tribal members aren't stepping up to be apprentices. As Plotkin gains acceptance into these reclusive tribes, he learns about much more than just their herbal cures, but also their poisons, psychedelics, and endangered way of life.