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Fiction is not the same thing as non-fiction and it is very dangerous to confuse the two. Truthiness is not truth.
This book is nicely written and on an important topic, but the whole "narrative non-fiction" thing has gone too far. This should be a "novel based on a true story" or something like that, not "non-fiction." If I wanted this information as an entertaining story, I could just go to Slumdog Millionaire again, and it would be much better entertainment.
I understand the appeal of "creativ ...more
This book is nicely written and on an important topic, but the whole "narrative non-fiction" thing has gone too far. This should be a "novel based on a true story" or something like that, not "non-fiction." If I wanted this information as an entertaining story, I could just go to Slumdog Millionaire again, and it would be much better entertainment.
I understand the appeal of "creativ ...more
In Boo's afterward, she claims that her most reliable informants and interviewees were children, because death and pain and corruption still affected them, while a lifetime of extreme living conditions for the adults 'had sabotaged their innate capacity for moral action'.
Many (privileged) American and Western readers poo-pooed this book for its sensational content, its voyeuristic affect on a distanced reader, its unbelievable-and-therefore-supposed-fictional dire, unrelenting hopelessness of mo ...more
Many (privileged) American and Western readers poo-pooed this book for its sensational content, its voyeuristic affect on a distanced reader, its unbelievable-and-therefore-supposed-fictional dire, unrelenting hopelessness of mo ...more
I heard great things about this book. And I know it's important to reach beyond one's one national or personal borders. Also, I have a mild interest in international development.
This book was great, but didn't always keep my attention.
Bottom line: as bad as you ever think it is in America, as hard as you think a person's life can be here, it's FAR FAR FAR WORSE to be poor in India. It's a level of hell we can't, thankfully, appreciate.
It was also a reminder of how lucky we are regarding recent ...more
This book was great, but didn't always keep my attention.
Bottom line: as bad as you ever think it is in America, as hard as you think a person's life can be here, it's FAR FAR FAR WORSE to be poor in India. It's a level of hell we can't, thankfully, appreciate.
It was also a reminder of how lucky we are regarding recent ...more
I really enjoyed this book, though it was depressing. I don't think it was as depressing as I feared, and it often wasn't depressing for the reasons you would think. The conditions of life were not gruesomely described (though there were a few mentions of infections, fungus and parasites that were disturbing). The vastness of corruption was what depressed me. Moneys from the government, non-profits (even the existence of non-profits) and organizations outside of India were completely and totally
...more
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that this book was just OK for me.
May be it's because I grew up in a country where slums exist, and I knew of the hardship slum dwellers had going for them. I've always felt lucky to be where I am and to have what I have. So the story of Annawadi, a small slum near Mumbai's International Airport, and its inhabitants don't surprise me much. But I do find the hope that exists in Annawadi a bit refreshing. People are hoping to breakout of the life they ...more
May be it's because I grew up in a country where slums exist, and I knew of the hardship slum dwellers had going for them. I've always felt lucky to be where I am and to have what I have. So the story of Annawadi, a small slum near Mumbai's International Airport, and its inhabitants don't surprise me much. But I do find the hope that exists in Annawadi a bit refreshing. People are hoping to breakout of the life they ...more
Unforgettable.
Feb 09, 2012
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Feb 14, 2012
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Mar 12, 2012
Karla Keffer
marked it as to-read
Apr 02, 2012
Roos
marked it as to-read
Jul 03, 2012
Dinh
marked it as to-read
Jan 01, 2013
Alex
marked it as to-read
Jan 12, 2013
Natalie
marked it as to-read
Mar 02, 2013
Pedro
marked it as to-read
Mar 29, 2013
Kris
marked it as to-read
Jul 17, 2013
Karen
marked it as to-read
Dec 10, 2013
Sean Quinn
marked it as to-read
Aug 10, 2023
Steven Harbin
marked it as to-read
