Title Details

A moving coming of age story about a first love and political resistance during the military regime in Brazil, putting up some universal questions about the individual’s role in a dictatorship. André, aged thirteen, is absolutely charmed by Lia, his new neighbour. The young woman recently moved into the house next door together with her husband and her uncle. During their long conversations, the young nurse tells him that it’s her dream to study and become a barefoot doctor. Then one day, André e finds out that Lia an her husband are involved into a clandestine resistance group against the military regime. To save Lia and her comrades from being caught by the military police, André takes a very high risk. When the police comes during the night to hunt the neighbours’ house, they have already gone . . . The narration is completed by the comic strips André had drawn in his teenage days and an authentic political pamphlet that plays a crucial role in the story. By choosing a teenager’s perspective, Maria José Silveira poses some very important questions about dictatorship in general and makes them accessible for young people.