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This book is based on a series of interviews with Benedita da Silva, or Bené, as she is affectionately known. Bené is the first poor, black woman from the favelas, the slums, to become a major political figure in Brazil. By recounting her amazing odyssey from Rio's favelas to the nation's Senate, the book brings to life one of Brazil's most popular political figures.

Going to bed hungry as a child and then watching her own children go hungry, Bené portrays the tragedy of Brazil's poor. Fighting to bring water and electricity to her favela and then becoming a founding member of the Workers Party, she embodies the strength of Brazilian activists. Rejecting the passive female role and taking the male-dominated world of politics by storm, she represents Brazil's "new woman."

When we first interviewed Bené, it was a lazy Sunday. In her sandals and house dress, she was strolling through the favela where she has lived all her life, visiting the Neighborhood Association and trying to arrange a more convenient living situation for a poor, elderly friend who could hardly walk. But the pace picked up as she rushed home to put on an elegant silk suit and called her driver to take her to the luxurious Governor's Palace, where she gave a speech to commemorate 300 years of black resistance to slavery and received an award for her efforts to eliminate racism. From there she was off to a reception at a cultural center for the launching of a book about the lives of four black women artists, but not forgetting to first swing by to pick up her granddaughter Ana Benedita at her ballet school. Bené ended the day by attending evening mass at her church and chatting with the pastor about ongoing church projects. This was a "relaxing Sunday".

To witness Bené's week-day activities, we followed her on the two-hour plane ride from her home in Rio to the nation's capital, Brasília, where she commutes virtually every week to carry out her duties as Senator. Her typical day in Brasília starts at 8 am and ends at about 11 pm. Her time is filled with meetings with everyone from grassroots organizers to businessmen, Senate hearings on critical economic issues and press interviews. She often has no time to eat all day long, warming up a late-night bowl of vegetable soup before dragging herself to bed.

Despite her harried schedule, Bené makes time for her family and friends when she is back home in Rio. We had the pleasure of tasting the Senator's delicious home cooking at a family gathering at her house in the favela, where Bené, her son, daughter and husband argued vehemently about soccer teams while the grandchildren danced to funk music on the patio outside. We went to a Christmas potluck party at her office in Rio, where the staff showed their affection by giving her a sexy nightgown for her "romantic nights with Pitanga"-her husband.

We accompanied Bené in moments of joy, like the wedding of one of her advisors, where she delivered a moving speech about love conquering all. There were also moments of great sorrow, like the funeral for a young mother from Bené's favela who died from an intestinal obstruction that was misdiagnosed and mistreated at a public hospital for the poor.

We witnessed Bené's strong spiritual side when we watched her at church and community activities organized by her pastor. On the surface, her conservative Evangelical religion seems to clash with her progressive political views. In fact, many of her colleagues in the Workers Party remain baffled by her religious affiliation. Only after hearing her entire life story did we begin to understand this apparent contradiction.

We were struck by the graceful way Bené moves in and out of the most diverse circles imaginable. In a gathering of blacks or whites, men or women, rich or poor, Bené holds her ground with great dignity. In the Senate, she is mostly surrounded by rich, white men. Although she fights them tooth and nail on economic policies, she greets them with a broad smile. She moves with ease from an austere Evangelical church service in a white, middle-class suburb to a meeting of leaders in the black movement.

To try to grasp Bené's complexities, we supplemented the interviews with archival material. We poured through newspaper clippings and transcripts of the political speeches she has made over the years. We interviewed Bené's friends, family, advisors and the public at large. The result is an intriguing mix of her personal experiences with her political vision.

While famous in Brazil, Bené is virtually unknown to U.S. audiences. But then again, so is Brazil. Most Americans know about Rio's carnival, Pelé and his soccer feats, and perhaps the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. They may have even heard of the plight of Brazil's street children.

Hidden, however, is the vibrant political life of this vast nation. Hidden are the political parties that present a greater range of opinion than our own, the plethora of non-governmental organizations that have created a vigorous "civil society", the women like Benedita da Silva who have challenged Brazil's macho culture and shattered gender stereotypes. We hope that this book helps unmask the "real Brazil." By publishing the book simultaneously in English and Portuguese, we also hope to stimulate new ties between people in the U.S. and Brazil who are seeking creative ways to address poverty, racism, gender inequalities and other social problems.

We hope this book does justice to a woman who is one of Brazil's most popular political figures and offers a ray of hope for so many of her nation's poor.