"Outros Tempos" is a collection of chronicles and memoirs by journalist Edney Silvestre, revealing his experiences as an international correspondent on assignments in the Middle East and Cuba. The book focuses primarily on daily life in New York, where he lived for over a decade. Of the 28 chronicles in this book, 19 were published in O Globo, the rest are previously unpublished. Edney's decision to publish the book was a way to say goodbye to the city—the journalist returned to Rede Globo's headquarters in Brazil this year—and to vent. This is cathartic after September 11th. But "Outros Tempos" isn't just about sadness and anger; many of the chronicles are lighthearted and humorous. Throughout the book, Edney reveals to the reader amusing insights into Yankee self-centeredness and the tortuous paths that shaped some of New York's great fortunes. In the first column, which gives the book its title, the journalist writes an emotional essay about the days following the terrorist attack, its aftermath, the behind-the-scenes coverage of Globo's coverage—in short, the transformation of a city and thousands of everyday lives. The days of tranquility and security remain forever in the memories of New Yorkers. On the morning of September 11, 2001, the seemingly impregnable city ceased to be, for an indefinite period, the New York of dreams, the promised land of the world's uprooted. When he arrived there in the early 1990s, Edney witnessed the decadence that plagued the metropolis, permeated by violence and drug trafficking. But he also experienced its rebirth beginning in 1994, with the zero-tolerance system established by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It is this time of splendor and optimism that the journalist addresses in most of the columns collected in the book. Edney plays with the memories of those who knew the Big Apple at its peak, transporting us back to the fond memories of an unforgettable New York. Like a film that begins at the end, Outros tempos begins with the rubble of the World Trade Center and moves forward, with flashbacks that take the reader on a journey through time and space.
