by Katherine Boo
Katherine Boo spent years visiting and immersing herself in one corner of a slum city, Annawadi, in Mumbai, talking with and interviewing residents through an interpreter. As a journalist, she scoured records and interviewed government officials and public employees to trace the all the facts, even though unknown or misunderstood by the people of Annawadi. The book is a haunting and moving portrayal of real people experiencing hardship and hope in the midst of corruption and garbage. Boo doesn't offer solutions, though some overarching themes are implied by the text.
At first, I thought this book might be a good option for our high school geography course on Asia. While it certainly shows at least one small neighborhood of Mumbia, India, it is a little too focused on the current political and cultural climate for our survey course. To be honest, it might also be a little depressing for ninth grade students. There's violence, death, conflict, and unresolved court cases. Though many of the residents remain hopeful of improving their lives, those of us reading may find it hard to imagine anything better for them. While it might be appropriate for older students particularly interested in India, I'm not going to include it on our lists.
I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review. I checked this book out from our library. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.
