The Human Tradition in Modern Brazil continues the non-elite biography approach established in The Human Tradition in Modern Latin America (1997), edited by William H. Beezley and Judith Ewell, and The Human Tradition in Mexico (2003), edited by Jeffrey M. Pilcher. The non-elite biographies in the earlier volumes facilitate comparative analysis of Latin America, and the array of historical scholarship in Beattie's volume enable even more effective regional comparisons. The biographers' epistemological questions will resonate with Brazilian specialists who analyze how social and cultural context helps develop nationhood. By examining what nation meant to Brazilians of diverse social, regional, racial, and cultural descriptions, Beattie, and the biographers have enriched our understanding of Brazilian history and Brazilian national identity.