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Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Modern · Nonfiction, India, History

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

by Katherine Boo
2012 · 278 pages · Nonfiction
57 Modern ★ 3.98 on Goodreads · 120K ratings
Critics' pick
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

Is it worth reading?

National Book Award (Nonfiction) winner (2012). On the NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list. 3.98★ from 120K Goodreads ratings.

By the numbers

57Must-Read Score
  • Readers42 out of 100 · counts 40%+19
  • Critics94 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+34
  • Bestseller26 out of 100 · counts 14%+4
  • Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 15%+0

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.

Where it ranks

Won

Shortlisted

On the lists

Reads as

True story

How we rank

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