How many teachers have the pleasure of checking their email during the summer break to find that a student is asking for suggestions of books that they can read during the break? 🙂

That email prompted me to revisit Amazon.com’s selection of books in Portuguese. I share my findings and suggestions with you here.

Besides Street Smart Brazil, I also teach Portuguese at University of San Francisco, and before that I taught at UC Berkeley. At university meetings, it is common to hear conversations about students who are difficult to manage. I usually just listen. My experience teaching Portuguese could not be better. Portuguese is rarely a required course, so my students are taking the course because they truly want to learn the language. When they have Portuguese as a required discipline, it means their coursework involves Latin America or Brazilian cultures, which usually means that they have a genuine interest in speaking Portuguese and learning about Brazil. I could not be happier with my learners.

Books in Portuguese on Amazon.com

Reading is a great way to develop vocabulary, dive into the country’s culture and history, and even learn grammar without having to focus on it.

My student’s email sent me to Amazon.com to see what books in Portuguese they have to offer. There are many, both paperback and for Kindle – yay!

I went to the Kindle store and searched for books in Portuguese. The search results are here. On the left-hand column, you can choose your preferred genre.

Amazon.com has several books by Paulo Coelho, a popular Brazilian writer. He usually writes fiction with elements of reflection upon life and self-improvement. You will find a list of his books here.

The most popular of his books is O Alquimista, but please notice that it uses a rather formal and old language style in this book.

 

Another great option for short stories and chronicles is the book Comédias da Vida Privada by Luis Fenrando Verissimo. I have this one here and like it very much: Melhor das Comédias da Vida Privada.

If you are interested in the Brazilian classics, try books by Machado de Assis, Rubem Fonseca, Nelson Rodrigues, Rachel de Queiroz, and Jorge Amado (you probably know the story of Gabriela, Cravo e Canela). You will find some of their books in Portuguese, English, and Spanish on Amazon.com.

Finally, here is a Listmania entitled Clássicos da Literatura Portuguesa that I found on Amazon.com.

You can also choose the Portuguese edition of books by foreign writers. What matters is to choose something you like.

Boa leitura!

Also check out The Best Books to Learn Portuguese