Tiradentes

It is appropriate that a paperback on Tiradentes should be written by an orthodontist. León Tenenbaum (the name is spelled correctly) is a graduate of the University of Buenos Aires, College of Dentistry. In 1961 he edited for publication in Buenos Aires a collection of scientific works on the practice of orthodontics. In 1963 he received an award from the Argentine-Brazilian Cultural Institute for a paper which eventually was expanded to this book. There is little here that cannot be found in a good textbook, but Tenenbaum has given us a readable account of Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, who is remembered in history as Tiradentes and is revered in Brazil as a revolutionary hero whose aims were eventually fulfilled. Tenenbaum also recounts the role of priests in Brazilian revolutionary efforts as in the Mexican movement for independence. An interesting book, it lacks documentation, but does have a very good bibliography.