Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Behind the Beautiful Forevers



[Behind the Beautiful Forevers


 We’ve covered considerable ground in Katherine Boo’s book. We've encountered a range of characters, and we've also been prompted to think seriously about several different ideas, conflicts, and circumstances.

What did you find most memorable or noteworthy about Behind the Beautiful Forevers? How so or why?

22 comments:

Mercedes H said...

What I found most notable about Behind the Beautiful Forevers is when Fatima burned herself. I still find the event reoccurring in my thoughts because it was so shocking and unexpected. I would never imagine myself, or anyone else, causing self harm in order to make someone else's life more hectic.

Shervonti Norman said...

What I found to be most notable throughout this entire story was how most the characters were very desensitized to the people dying around them and the poorness of their surroundings. When people committed suicide most of the characters just accepted it. There wasn't much crying or anything, they just kind of moved on. When the characters in the book were murdered, not even the police wanted to make sure the rest of the area was safe. It was just something that didn't pull out any emotion and that overwhelmed me quite a bit. The story overall was very informing and I did not expect it to be as good as it was. Glad I read it.

Brianna B said...

I think what I found the most memorable would just be that these are real people with circumstances so daunting that its almost palpable and that their stories seem to jump from the page even though they are being told secondhand from the author's observations.

Kiana S. said...

Obviously, for me, the most notable part of the book is when Fatima burns herself to get the Husains in trouble. It was such a big point in the book that it is just memorable. What I found most interesting is that Boo spent so much time researching and talking to these people to get the information for her book. It really shows her dedication and I think it was worth it in the long run because she came up with a very informational and entertaining novel.

Brenda W said...

What I found most noteworthy and memorable about Behind the Beautiful Forevers was the depth it explored in these individuals' lives. It is alarming and phenomenal how many of the topics and concepts explored throughout the book are issues we are facing here in America today. There were so many deep implications of this story and I was just surprised about how real the story was. The characters were all so real and I could not help but to imagine myself in their positions and how I would have handled many of the issues and conflicts they faced. In a way, I admire them and their decisions. On that same token, I could not help but to feel sorry for them and/or disagree with several of their actions. At the end of the day, I truly enjoyed the book and did not expect to resonate with it as much as I did.

Jacqueline C. said...

In the book I found the individual stories all interesting. The way the people lived is what most captured me. There are so many things we take for granted that others aren't as fortunate to have. The children are forced to grow up fast and find work because it was hard making money.In order to survive, the people did what was necessary.

C. S. said...

Honestly, I rather enjoyed the whole book. Behind the Beautiful Forevers allowed me to become deeply involved within another culture. It’s hard to pick a memorable moment when all of the characters pulled you into the story of Annawadi. The book pushed me to think critically about how our actions may affect others, let alone another country, the story behind many people, and how to act positively to possibly aid those in need.
Chante Summers

Kayleigh E. said...

What I found most memorable, was how in depth these people let Katherine Boo in. They were very open about their story and their lives. They had such a rough life at some points and yet they willingly shared it. Many people bottle up their emotions and hold everything in. Behind the Beautiful Forevers really made me thing about life. It put some things into perspective for me.

Kiara Gay said...

The most memorable moment for me was when Fatima burned herself and ended up dying from it. I don't really know why that part stuck in my mind so much, maybe because it blows my mind that someone would cause such an injury to their own body just for attention. But at the same time I have known people who take their own lives just because they feel they were a let down in life, or because they didn't think life was worth living and that has something to do with why it is such a memorable part of the book to me, because I can relate personally.

Sierra Ewing said...

This blog post for me is definitely not for the most memorable part of the book nor is the part that impacted me the most; this book had many moments of thought provoking concepts and challenging stories. I will say, however, that the fact that Katherine Boo stepped into their environment and got a genuine taste of their lives first hand and lived it with them shows me true care and empathy. I encourage curiosity and concern but I see little action in my generation. This book was powerful. It was a great story telling of realities. Some people will never be afforded certain privileges and every society has its set of corruptions and social injustices; but, Katherine Boo tapped into more than just stories of a country and more than statistics, she lived life with these people. I just enjoyed experiencing a bit of the slums and getting a feel for the culture and some of the people through the use of description and story telling. Well done. Great read.

Unknown said...

The entire book was interesting and all characters were notable to remember. The most notable and memorable thing for me would be when Meena killed herself by swallowing poison. I will never be able to understand her pain but to think that a girl so young was ready to end her life due to the way she was being treated by her family and them about to give her away to be married says a lot. I couldn't imagine being abused by family members or them choosing my husband for me. It had to be hard living in these types of conditions and death seemed to be her only way out.

Ajeenah Johnson-Brown said...

What I found most notable about Behind the Beautiful Forevers was has numb each character was to their situation. They lived amongst these poor and oppressive surroundings, yet each of them still lived on in their own way. We take a lot of our freedoms for granted and this book just made me realize that even more.

Unknown said...

I would have to say that this was a very interesting book overall. I think the most notable thing was just realizing and understanding the flow and the attitudes of the slums. I respected the various personalities that resulted from the same area.

Sandra N said...

I found the people's actions and reactions to each other to be the most memorable part of the book. They only help each other if it is convenient and beneficial. Instead of coming together as a community and helping each other, they are more than willing to step on each other in a futile attempt to get to the stop. Given thier circumstances, it is understandable that many members of Annawadi are jaded. But the way they relish taking money amd credibility from each other is on another level. Like Asha over charging the people so she herself could have bigger cut of the payment. There is just so much corruption in the slums, police and the rich people of the city that the poor have little to no chance of advancing. That is a very sad way of life to me.

Candace P said...

Within Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers, I found Fatima's suicide to be the most memorable. The act of killing herself had so many effects to the family of Abdul, as well as the entire slumdwell.

Jenee B. said...

The thing that I found most notable was the way the author took a deeper look at the culture than most people do. I also enjoyed the way she told everyone's story, making sure to include every detail. The stories she told were upsetting at times, but very inspiring as well.

Jessica Oranika said...

What I found most noteworthy was the prevalence of suicide and self harm in the slums. Although most people did what they could to survive, others were not above ingesting rat poison or, in Fatima's case, burning themselves for attention. Some characters even attempted suicide multiple times before they were successful.

Anitra B. said...

This book and all of the characters were very interesting. I found it notable how corruption was so prevalent in this town, so everyone just accepted it. It was the only way that some of the people could survive. Fatima's incident was also interesting because it was shocking to see what lengths that she would go to just to hurt or punish the family. I liked getting to read the stories of each characters and finding out about them and their personalities.

Unknown said...

The most memorable was the different inpact each story had on me. We hear about people in other countries living in worse conditions that us, but to really hear about it in depth throughout this book was very meaningful.

Jacquelene G said...

The thing that I found most noteworthy when reading the novel was the whole scavenging lifestyle. This, for many of the Annawadians was their primary means of providing for their families. It kind of put into perspective how they lived and how their culture was. This was a time consuming, detailed job that involved collecting the garbage and sorting it out into things that would be valuable. It also came with a great amount of danger and permanent injuries but it was a way of life for many of the people like Abdul and his family.

Jacquelene G.

Anonymous said...

I would say the thing that struck me the most was the unending persistence of the Annawadians had. That despite all that transpired against them, they still pushed back and dreamed and fought for a better future. Each individual story showed the unwavering conviction the Annawadians had; they all had their own motivations and goals. The book was very informing and gave us a glimpse into the lives of people unlike our own, but in some ways, also similar to ours.

Marta A.

Unknown said...

I think the most interesting thing about the book was the variety of characters. The characters were different with the way that they thought. They all had different morals and different goals (in which they all had an interesting way of reaching them).

I think my favorite part of this book would have to be reading the "witnesses" talk at trial. I was just very intrigued with the different feelings toward Fatima.

-Belainesh Nigeda