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This is a difficult book to "rate" I went in a bit begrudgingly. An American White Woman teaching us about Indian slums? I am cautious of profiting off the poorest of the poor.
Her writing is fantastic. It is a difficult topic and I think she does well telling you the facts while also being sympathetic. It is a tightrope telling such sad stories with care, but I think she did that well.
I don't know if I can rec it, but I am glad I read it.

What an incredible book. I appreciate that Boo dignifies and humanizes a population that is largely discarded by society, much like the trash they scavenge and sell. Boo lived in a Mumbai slum for 3 years, yet the story isn't about her at all. It wasn't a story of a white lady being inspired or changed by poverty, but it was an honest look at the Caste system and the families who rise above by any means necessary.

Good morning from my porch! I love spring break. ☀️
This book has been on my TBR for a looong time. I think I heard the author on an NPR broadcast years ago, so I'm excited to start it today.

I recognize this as an important book, but I can‘t call it an enjoyable one. Very grim with few if any likable characters, and plenty of grisly deaths. The narrator was good, but not the best early-morning exercise listening.

Slow in spots, and an abrupt ending.

This was depressing.

For those interested in learning more about life of the caste system in Mumbai, this nonfiction will open your eyes. I found it difficult to understand how poor so many people are. The living conditions are absolutely terrible. The work some do in order to try to survive is eye opening. My heart broke for those who found the only way to escape was through suicide. Katherine Boo‘s dedication to detailing life in this book was top-notch.

This was my best nonfiction for January. I‘m following in @jenniferw88 ‘s footsteps and doing brackets for Fic and nonfic separately.

Wow. This is nonfiction but it reads like fiction. It‘s about several families in Annawadi, a “makeshift under city” on the edges of Mumbai‘s airport. They live in shacks they‘ve often built themselves from whatever they can find, and scratch out their living by selling sorted garbage to recycling plants.

Beautifully told, but heart wrenching, this‘ll stay with me.

After 3 years spent with the residents of a slum the author documented the struggles of the poorest of the poor in the pursuit of opportunity in an unfair system, into a remarkable, heartbreaking piece of writing.

"He wanted to be better than what he was made of. In Mumbai's dirty water, he wanted to be ice. He wanted to have ideals. For self-interested reasons, one of the ideals he most wanted to have was a belief in the possibility of justice."

Another brilliant piece of non-fiction. A journalist documents life, death, and hope of people living in a Mumbi Undercity. Katherine shares the story of individuals who experience these wretched and inhumane living conditions.

I studied this book in undergrad. Another must read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#letterB #Alphabetgame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A very well written work of non-fiction following the lives of a few families living in a slum in Mumbai city. It beautifully exposes life below the poverty line and Boo‘s journalism is top-notch. Reads like fiction.

It‘s more me than it is the book, but I didn‘t really care for this to be honest. I had a hard time following the story and had the audiobook on as background “noise”, if you want to call it that. I was glad to have finally finished this.

Adding this to my tbr. A few others on the (flat card, front) here are big favorites and of the whole list, I still need to read 4. Received the notecard set as a gift. A lovely wonderful gift for someone like me! I read a lot and write a LOT of letters. The card on left is the only list of the bunch I can say I have read all.

#readingasia2021 #India @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

I enjoyed the writing and multi-faceted approach to this. A good book that should be read.

#ReadingRush2020
#LLReadathon

#50booksIlove
BOOK 9
Non-fiction are hard to read but this one had such a powerful story that I could not down.It follows life of several people in a slum in Mumbai, India.What stunned me was the politics of power,even though life is an everyday struggle, people still vie for power.In your own everyday struggle,you don't think about these areas but reading it made me realize how insignificant some of my own problems were. Higly recommend it.

#QuotsyJun20 Day 17: #Garbage

🖍️ Behind the Beautiful Forevers
🖍️ Boo, Katherine
🖍️ The Blacklist
🖍️ Bareilles, Sara
🖍️ Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
#manicmonday #letterb
@JoScho

This book has many strengths, but I enjoyed The Rent Collector so much more. They both address a similar concern; The Rent Collector just offers a great deal of hope amidst the poverty.

Amazing work of narrative nonfiction. Boo relays the hopes and dreams of families seeking a better life in a society where the odds are stacked against those of low caste. Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Engrossing. Drives home that I have a lot to be grateful for, and to have a more positive outlook. #grateful

Trying out my new attachment to my KitchenAid. Because who doesn‘t want to do that at 6am before work. 😂 I‘m so glad I got this mixer for Christmas. I love it. #library #audiobook The narrator has grown on me more and I don‘t mind him anymore.

Cooking has always been the bane of my existence but I really need to learn to cook before we have kids. Sunday it was ribs and today it is baked spaghetti. They may be simple but I have to start somewhere.

I was excited to find this one available right away after hearing about it from Anne on #WSIRN but I‘m really not enjoying the narrator. I don‘t know if I can listen to him the entire 8 hours.

One of my all-time favorite books. It‘s tragic and inspiring, a story vividly and beautifully told. Katherine Boo transports you to Mumbai slum, takes hold of your heart, and doesn‘t let go. It‘s a true story with multiple storylines woven together like a novel, a rare work of art. Even all these years after reading it, my heart aches when I think the people whose lives she captures in its pages. I want to be Katherine Boo when I grow up.

This was fun—thanks @RealLifeReading !

#alphabetbookishquiz

This was heartbreaking. I had to keep reminding myself that this was nonfiction, some of these stories just tear you apart. The one that really got me was the widowed woman and her husband's funeral pyre. #28 #2019

Starting this next on #overdrive #currentlylistening

At times, this book left me angry, gutted, and stupefied; and, yes, sometimes hopeful. It will be a long while before I finish thinking about this book and the people of the former Annawadi slum in Mumbai.

Good Lord! This was a tough read for this sensitive soul of mine. Nonfiction that reads like a novel, the author writes of the lives of people living in the Mumbai slums. The class difference, the effort required to make the smallest amount of money each day, the inhumanity toward others, and the dishonesty of neighbors and police make one understand the hopelessness of those she writes about.

"at the heart of bad nature is envy and at the heart of envy is hope--that the good fortune of others might one day be theirs" read Behind the Beautiful Forevers...it tells us that there is struggle, deceit,jealousy,hope and determination behind the beautiful forevers....

This was a deeply sad look at life in A Mumbai slum that left me with a feeling of hopelessness. The violence and cruelty within a community reflects a primal survival that I wasn‘t fully prepared for. I‘m glad to have read it, and am also glad to put it down.

Today at the library sale I ran into a favorite read from a few years back! This book was fascinating and heartbreaking and so, so good.

#librarysale #booksale #nonfiction #usedbooks

This book had so many powerful stories, full of both hope and devastation. I learned so much about life in India‘s slums, and the power structures that keep the poor in their country down. I was especially touched by the stories of Manju, a young woman trying to get an education, and Meena, daughter of the female slumlord Asha.

Last book for this round of #lmpbc #groupN! #NforNonfiction

This book is eye-opening. I realize that I had very little idea about how Indian slum-dwellers live. While I‘ve learned so much, its heaviness means that I‘ve had to take breaks to read lighter books.

@BarbaraTheBibliophage I am about 2/3 in, and I should be able to finish this weekend and get it back to you next week. #lmpbc #groupn

I just finished Part 1. Annawadi, a slum of Mumbai, is a fascinating place. I like Abdul, Sunil, and Manju so far. I look forward to finding out more about them. #lmpbc #groupN #NforNonfiction

I just received the last book for our #lmpbc! #groupN #NforNonfiction

This looks amazing! Im looking forward to reading it!

So good, a heart-wrenching and yet strangely hopeful view into the lives, hopes, and tribulations of a small community living in a slum near a Mumbai, India airport. What are their daily lives like, what do they do to survive, what conflicts do they have with the larger city and among themselves, just stating that sounds like it should be a boring read, but the author gets to know all her subjects well and so do you as they tell you about (cont.)

Been in a bit of a reading slump lately, what with getting ready to start school in just over a week and my husband being off on a Viking ship (!). Enjoying some tea on this lovely cool morning while I finish up this pick for #lmpbc #groupn

Read this in college & it has remained with me till today. There is a line in the book "at the heart of her bad nature was envy. And at the heart of envy was possibly hope-that the good fortune of others might one day be hers" this sums up the idea behind this book and life itself, at least sometimes. Read this beautiful non fiction which captures all the human emotion and the struggle of living in difficult conditions but dreaming of a good life.

This arrived yesterday - so excited to dig in! Thanks @BarbaraTheBibliophage for the lovely gifts! #lpmbc #groupn

Katherine Boo does a fantastic job of telling these stories with a balance of hope and despair. Although, they do lean towards the depressing most of the time. This wasn‘t a quick read. I had to put it down many times because Boo never whitewashes the truth. She‘s created a tour de force of social justice. Well worth the time for its heart, as well as its hurt.

Full review www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2018
#Lmpbc #groupn #nfornonfiction

✏️ Behind the Beautiful Forevers
✏️ Bacon! 🥓
✏️ Julian Barnes
✏️ Buffy the Vampire Slayer
#manicmonday @JoScho