This is a detailed account of life in Annawadi, a half-acre slum of 3,000 people in Mumbai, India. She chose this place because it was "fraught with possibilities". Boo spent years in this slum near the airport and her book is a detailed description of the lives of some of the people who live there, including Asha, a woman who creates problems and then gets people to pay her to solve them; Fatima, who sets herself on fire over a dispute with a neighbor; and Abdul who makes a living selling trash and gets caught up in a murder charge.
From HRW reporting, we know that caste discrimination, accountability of the criminal justice system concerning gender-based violence and political participation, and issues of maternal health care are three key issues. Particularly appropriate for our focus this month, HRW is focusing on the responsibility of the Indian government to protect vulnerable communities--and usually among the most vulnerable in these communities are women. Keep an eye on the HRW India page for press releases and updates.
For a very detailed description of the work Katherine Boo did to write this book, and to read about her background and earlier work (which is impressive) see the New York Times.
In fact, the NYT article also contains a very interesting example of global media streams. In the article, we read an account of how her New Yorker article of 2009 (which she wrote in reaction to the Slumdog Millionaire movie) was translated and read by people in Mumbai: and as she was still doing research for this book, the people in Annawadi heard about it and her approach actually improved her reputation in the slum. Even after the publication of the book, the residents of the slum apparently not only read the book but support and appreciate Katherine Boo's work--despite the fact that her writing exposes some of the most intimate, difficult and painful things in their lives.
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