Saturday, May 26, 2012

Behind the Beautiful Forevers


By Katherine Boo
Random House,2012. 256 pgs. Nonfiction.

“Beautiful Forever!“ proclaims the flooring advertisement on the wall separating the Mumbai airport from the Annawadi slum. Behind the wall,  the 3,000 inhabitants of Annawadi struggle to find a reason and a way to live. The squalor of the slum and the endurance of the slum dwellers come to life through Katherine Boo’s sketches of the lives and dilemmas of the children and adults of Annawadi. There is no condescension or indictment in her tone; the tragedy and heartbreak are more real because you are never aware of seeing through her eyes. 

If you read this book the depressing realities of life for the poor in modern day India will be impossible for you to forget. Nonetheless I highly recommend you read it. SH

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