This breathtaking, heart-breaking book provides an insightful look into the intimate details of life in the Annawadi settlement. In many books I have read about India, they have mentioned and skirted around the issues regarding the settlement slums which have spun up around Mumbai, but none have made me feel like I was actually there living these lives as Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Through Katherine Boo’s skillful writing and journalist research, the economic, political, historical, social restraints and changes are seamlessly woven into the tales of the residents. Often times I had to remind myself that this was not fiction, but the lives of real people. I have to admire the inventiveness and optimism of all presented in the book for their belief that a better life is possible by following the rules that are made to keep them as “undercitizens”. I commend Ms. Boo for providing this spellbinding story of people with ordinary concerns of living with dignity and compassion