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What Members Thought

Meg - A Bookish Affair
Jul 11, 2012 rated it really liked it
Shelves: non-fiction
"Behind the Beautiful Forevers" is one of those books that I have read a ton of rave reviews about. I'm trying to get more non-fiction in my reading diet so this book fit the bill. After reading this book, I can officially tell you that the rave reviews are definitely correct about this book. This book is a difficult read because of the subject matter but this book is such an important read. I truly believe that it is important to read books like this that make you a little more uncomfortable be ...more
Christina
Jan 22, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: nonfiction, 2013
Nonfiction that reads like fiction as it follows several residents of one of the slums in the shadow of the Mumbai airport for several years. There's the family supported by a 16-year old garbage recycler, a neighboring family with a mother who aspires to the middle class via political maneuvering and corruption, a crippled woman who sets herself on fire as a way to extract bribes from a better-off family, which leads to several years of police investigation and a criminal trial...

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Anna
Nov 04, 2012 rated it it was amazing
This is a stark, beautiful non-fiction narrative of life in one of Mumbai's slums. More to come... ...more
Alison
Mar 03, 2013 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
This is nonfiction that is so immersive, you might think it's fiction if you don't know otherwise. The author basically embedded herself for a few years in a Mumbai slum, and got to know some of the people there. We see their stories as they happen - the author isn't present at all in the narrative, which is something I love in nonfiction. I think the amount of time she spent with the people in the book really shines through, and it was a fascinating and depressing look at lives we don't usually ...more
Marie
Oct 08, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: nonfiction
Amazing, heart wrenching. Written like a novel. The best book I've read all year. ...more
Carly
Mar 05, 2013 rated it it was amazing
This is an amazing book. DO NOT pass up the author's note at the end, very powerful. ...more
Sarah
Mar 31, 2015 rated it it was amazing
So glad I finally read this book. People are always asking for it at the Library, and now I know why. Reads like fiction, a fascinating look at people who are so poor it is beyond imagining.
Ayla
Feb 03, 2012 marked it as to-read
martha
Mar 17, 2012 rated it really liked it
Vivian
May 26, 2012 rated it really liked it
Jess
Nov 30, 2012 marked it as to-read
Lizzie
Dec 15, 2012 marked it as to-read
Shelves: nonfiction
Orissa
Jan 07, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: non-fiction
Owen
Jan 10, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: favorites
Stephanie
Feb 25, 2013 marked it as to-read
Topher
Mar 07, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Tonya
Apr 11, 2013 marked it as to-read
Crystal
Jul 14, 2013 marked it as to-read
Rasika
Jul 25, 2013 marked it as to-read
Shelves: set-aside
Abby
Sep 08, 2013 marked it as on-a-break
Lilly
Oct 15, 2013 marked it as to-read
Lori
Jan 05, 2014 rated it really liked it
Shelves: nonfiction, asia
Nora
May 26, 2014 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Megan Reichelt
Jun 11, 2014 marked it as to-read
Erica
Nov 06, 2014 marked it as to-read
Shelves: ebooks
Amanda
Dec 20, 2014 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: gca-12
Tim
Aug 22, 2015 marked it as to-read
Melissa
Nov 11, 2016 marked it as to-read
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