From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
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Start date
July 15, 2013
Finish date
August 15, 2013
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What Members Thought

Tensy (bookdoyen)
Mar 08, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Amazing piece of non-fiction that reads like a novel. The narrator of the audio version did a magnificent job with the accents and making the people come to life. Katherine Boo has illuminated the often complex lives of slum dwellers in Mumbai and how even in the worst of circumstances human beings create a community to survive. The events in the book are harrowing and the cultural differences in the justice system, with corruption rampant, starkly deviates from what Americans take for granted. ...more
Pang
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
Al
Dec 16, 2012 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2012-books
A heartbreaking yet oddly uplifting portrait of family and friends in a Mumbai slum. To be, this was like a modern answer to A Fine Balance. having spent time in India, there was a lot I could recognize. ...more
Julia
Jan 17, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: finished
We need to be reminded how different our experience on this planet is from that of others who live here. How can we ever find common ground when our worlds are so very different? How does a child of this world grow up and assimilate into a world like mine? Even if they could do it. But I know people do -- with experiences just as bad or worse. It seems we shouldn't look so thoughtlessly at immigrants to claw their way illegally into our world. We have no idea what they went through to get here. ...more
Abbey
Jul 13, 2013 rated it really liked it
Meaningful, important, and beautifully written.
Thomas Verstynen
Dec 23, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Beautiful writing that almost makes it hard to believe it's non-fiction. Almost like reading Slumdog Millionaire. One of the best books I have read in a while. ...more
Elizabeth MX
Feb 06, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Connie
Apr 07, 2012 rated it really liked it
Heather
May 18, 2012 marked it as to-read
Shelves: own
Janet
Jul 19, 2012 rated it liked it
Mark
Oct 19, 2012 rated it liked it
Lisa
Oct 20, 2012 marked it as to-read
tee
Nov 28, 2012 marked it as to-read
Shelves: e-pube, non-fiction
Beth
Dec 06, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Tricia
Dec 30, 2012 marked it as to-read
Erika
Feb 11, 2013 marked it as to-read
Jason Fagone
Jun 14, 2013 marked it as to-read
Wendy
Jan 20, 2014 rated it really liked it
Shelves: fiction, india, 2014
Renata
Mar 15, 2014 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Linda
Jun 03, 2014 added it
Shelves: non-fiction
Miriam
Oct 29, 2014 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2014, best-of-2014
Kathy
Dec 06, 2014 rated it liked it
Megan
Mar 30, 2015 marked it as to-read
ellen kozyra
Jan 03, 2016 marked it as to-read
Amy
Mar 13, 2016 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Kristina
May 13, 2016 marked it as to-read
Aimee
Feb 18, 2017 marked it as to-read
Shelves: wtr-culture
Cathy
Sep 24, 2017 rated it really liked it