TAC Book Lovers' Group discussion

(Discussed September 20, 2018)

Thanks to everyone who came out to discuss Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers last Thursday! The afternoon session had a total of four people attending (Sallie, Tamara, Nhu Nhu, and myself), and the evening session had two in attendance (Vibhu and myself).

Our afternoon conversation started out with an inquiry about the apparent lack of community in Annawadi (this particular slum in Mumbai). In many other slums around the world there seems to be a strong sense of community, with many of the poor residents banding together to help each other. We discussed theories as to why Mumbai is different, and suggested that it may stem from the culture of corruption by those with power & the incredible diversity (caste, religion, political power, occupation, etc.). It felt as though no one could avoid ‘playing the game’ and at any moment you could be at the mercy of one of your neighbors. We discussed how the characters perceived hope, if we had any sympathy for any of the characters (none for Asha), the function of religion in different communities, and the complexities involved in trying to fix this problem.

A huge thank you to Vibhu who, at the evening meeting, spent a lot of time educating me on India. She did not feel as moved by the book as the others did because she is very clearly aware of what is going on, though she was very impressed by the work of Mrs. Boo. She told me that this book accurately portrayed how complicated this place in Mumbai is (I didn’t realize how significant Shiv Sena is), and she is happy that the book exists. This turned into a conversation about Chimamanda Adichie’s work about Nigeria, “The Danger of the Single Story”, and how complicated stereotypes on a country are perpetuated via the narratives we access. Katherine Boo made a point of saying that this isn’t really a book about India, it’s a book about poverty, and we should be sure to keep this in mind.


Other books mentioned at our meeting:

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong

Sabbath’s Theater by Phillip Roth

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

The Forty Rules of Love and The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie


Cheers,
-Drew