Katharine Boo does a good job of presenting the background of the culture without making the book seem like a textbook. She does this when introducing slang words and explaining where the people of Annawadi came from. The part I found most interesting is when she explains the politics of India. In chapter 2, Boo shares how Asha hopes to become slumlord and talks about how Asha plays the game. On page 21 Asha purposely under-dresses to communicate to the people the idea that "your concerns are so unimportant to me I haven't even bothered to dress." It is also stated that Asha sees corruption as opportunity, and that it doesn't have the same negative connotations it would in America. I think it's important to explain the culture so that the reader can understand the book without having a tilted perception of what happens and why it happens.
Again, Boo writes in such a way that it doesn't feel like a non-fiction book and it captures the readers attention. There is no shortage of imagery. Adding sensory details really helps the book seem less like a reference or textbook. She also includes details about the characters that seem impossible for a non-fiction book to include. On page 33, Boo talks about the appearance of Sunil and provides his own thoughts about who he is in the Annawadi community when she writes, "Sunil was a seed of a boy, even smaller than Abdul, but he considered himself more sophisticated than the other scavengers." Personal details like this help the reader to be better connected to and more interested in how the story unfolds. Adding more detail is something I need to work on in my own writing.
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