Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes was a hardworking young father before he became the king of Rocinha, the largest slum in Rio; the head of a drug cartel; and perhaps Brazil’s most wanted criminal, known as “Nem.”
Nemesis is the riveting account of Nem’s ruthless ascent, his sway over its anarchic outlaw culture, and ultimately—his downfall. Struggling to come up with funds to pay for the hospital bills necessary to save a sick baby’s life, a twenty-four-year-old Nem is forced to take a loan from a local mafioso, a decision that plunges him into the heart of Rio’s criminal underworld. Over the next sixteen years, as he grows in stature, Nem will try to bring welfare and justice to a playground of gang culture and destitution.
Drawn from years of in-person interviews and told with humanity and warmth—Nemesis is an unflinching, dramatic investigation into the rise of a crime lord in Rio and the menacing conditions of life inside the favela.