"It's time to elect a new president of the Neighborhood Cat Club! WIll it be the candidate from the left side of the street or the right side of the street? When election time rolls around, one candidate (guess who?) will learn what it means to be a good winner and a good loser--and the importance of making your voice heard."--Provided by publisher.

"Compares two favelas in greater Rio de Janeiro, one based on clientelistic politics and the other on community activism. Using solid fieldwork, this profitable study of traditional politics and emerging political challenges is an excellent example of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of popular sectors"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.