Set in 1960's Brazil, Shantytown is a YA novel that shows how a sixteen year-old boy, Mario, successfully engages with the challenges and temptations of Papa's world of poverty, injustice, prostitution, violence and crime, which he is determined to leave behind in pursuit of a decent way of life. A complete break with the past means discovering a new identity. He ought to commit to a vision for his future life beyond their squatter's gully. Mario has to overcome the shadowy religious traditions of a Papa immersed in the spirit world of macumba that help him in his life of crime, imprisonment and torture, and convince his mother that joining Papa's criminal gang is not what is best for him. He needs to reject his school chums that would have him manage a stable of prostitutes. Taking a bus out of shantytown is not easy, and Mario is constantly brought down by circumstances of his world. Yet he finds a way to break out. He was not born a hero, but discovers and grows an inner courage with the help of friends that sustain him throughout the struggle. Mario learns to be master of his own life, to look out for his family, to love his girlfriend, and stand by his community.