Behind The Beautiful Forevers By Katherine Boo

Mumbai is the most populated and costly city in India. Only minutes away from luxurious urban life and right next to the Mumbai International airport lies Annawadi. In Annawadi, three thousand people live within a half-acre slum on the edge of a sewage-filled lake (Gates). All that hides Annawadi from the view of travelers arriving or departing on one of the hundreds of international flights at Mumbai Airport is a large concrete wall plastered with advertisements for ceramic tiles that will remain “Beautiful Forever”. In Behind the Beautiful Forevers, American journalist Katherine Boo goes behind the Beautiful Forevers wall and reports the conditions within the slum. Although some may claim that Boo did not incorporate enough history or contextualization

Her point of view is unique because unlike many other writers, she takes herself out of the story. Although numerous families are discussed, Boo follows one family, the Hussain family, the most. The Husain family is one of only two Muslim families in the slum of Annawadi. The Husain family and the mother of the other Muslim family, Fatima, run into issues when Fatima lights herself on fire and claims that the Husains pushed her into burning herself. Abdul Husain, the son, and Karam Husain, the father, are arrested and placed in jail. In jail they encounter abuse that only gets worse when Fatima dies. This causes the charges against Abdul and Karam to increase to murder. Abdul’s mother, Zehrunisa, faces pressure to bribe police officers to save her husband and son. She bribes officers to try Abdul as a minor rather than as an adult because they don’t know his true age. Karam’s murder trial begins in one of the fast paced court systems in India. Judges have very little time to hear the court cases resulting in a justice system that only provides justice to those who pay the most. Just as the judge is almost ready to pronounce Karam not guilty, the judge is reassigned to a new position and a new judge must hear the case. After over a year, Karam is finally pronounced not guilty but Abdul’s case had yet to be heard in the minor

These conditions cause numerous health issues that often lead to premature death. Not only do the living conditions cause physical health issues but also mental health issues. Children and teenagers who live in Annawadi are faced with uncertainty every single day. Although they worry about food- they are more worried about when they will meet what appears to be inevitable death. Instead of worrying and waiting, many choose to self-inflict death. Ingestion of rat poison is a common method of suicide in Annawadi because undoing the harm that it causes- costs money and typically requires a doctor. This financial barrier allows Annawadians to ensure their own death without interference from family and friends. Katherine Boo’s depiction of poverty in Annawadi is extremely graphic: “The book is telling the truth in very graphic form about the pain of the poor, the maggots in the skin, the fungi on the feet” (Rehm et al.). Despite Boo’s graphic descriptions of poverty in Annawadi, she draws in the attention and sympathy of those all over the world, privileged or not, due to her ability to create a narrative arc that makes the book read like fiction. The realization that the story of Abdul and his family is in fact their reality, slaps readers in the face as they begin to truly understand the breadth of the hardships the citizens of Annawadi face: “you are just right