How to report the shit out of the world: “Behind the beautiful forevers”, by Katherine Boo

Just a christian lady trying to steal children.
Katherine Boo married an Indian academic in 2004. That was the beginning of her union with the country. In 2012 she was already a reputed social journalist, with several awards. A Pulitzer included. And instead of dedicating herself to interviewing the highest spheres, she chose to focus on a small slum in Mumbai. Why that one in particular? Apparently, she visited several marginal areas in Mumbai. She chose Annawadi because of the hope
within huts where you could almost chew the garbage. Katherine spent more than three years documenting the pursuit of opportunity in an unequal environment. Reading the book, I wondered how a 48-year-old white woman managed to blend into Annawadi. Was it necessary for a Western journalist to come to give a voice to these people?

Yes. The story had to come out of India. And not with the intention of lecturing governments on their wealth management. Without ambitions, Katherine documented a reality, told openly and without fiction. A brave labor of love that exposes the corrupt authorities. Of course, very informed. “They thought I was a Christian lady trying to steal children.” This is how Katherine highlights her level of involvement. It is obvious, but it wasn’t easy. How can you, as a reporter, tell the story?

In the epilogue she reveals the key elements of her research: coexistence with people and documentation. It took her all those years to meet people, yes, but also to get documents to support the investigation (many of them classified by the Indian government). Because you need a scientific basis: in this case, more than 3,000 public records, contrasted with some “hang-out journalism”. Facts. The residents’ experiences were also documented on video and audio, photographs, and written notes. But not without a translator. Although her husband is Indian, Katherine hardly knew the language. So, a translator was needed. You can have commitment in your work, but getting another person to support such conditions? She began the work alone, testing with various interpreters until she found the one. Katherine says the main thing is to be present. On chase nights, in Abdul’s hut, in the kitchen with Manju, on
expeditions. Sometimes people forgot her presence after so long. But at first, they didn’t know that she was a reporter. They didn’t believe it until finding a The New Yorker piece by her, translated into Indian. But they didn’t really care. In a suburb where used newspapers are a livelihood and new ones are a luxury, no one cared about that weird woman asking endless questions. 168 people were interviewed from 2007 to 2011.

Reporting the garbage.
The reporting wasn’t pretty. It’s easy to say and hear. But to live it? Witness the deaths of children and people with whom you have shared your time? Katherine didn’t give up. That is the strength of her commitment. She knew how to establish trust with the neighbors to tell her things that they had never told anyone. Three and a half years suffocating into the deathly air of Annawadi to get THE story.

It could easily be a fiction book. The incredible thing is that it is not. The author makes herself invisible to lend her voice to these people. And she starts directly. She doesn’t waste words explaining the history of Mumbai, or giving long facts about poverty. She goes straight to the point, to the characters that guide the story. And the expressions she uses show that she has invested a lot of time there. The question arises as to whether everything is true. I remember highlighting the part in which she narrates the shouts of an ignored old man while he was dying. I didn’t want to believe the author was present and, after doing a little research, I discovered that she had not been there. Very few situations lack her presence. This was one of them. But she tells it with the same details, given from testimonies. As she claims, everything is real, and very specific. She describes everything in detail. And they are not exactly pretty things. What caught my attention the most were the smells and the thoughts of the characters. First, because the words are transformed into a real sense; you can really smell the slum. Second, because to speak for someone, you have to know them very well, to assume what they think. And it seems that Katherine knew it. Or, at least, she asked and they would tell her.

We like to dream of a better world.
I’m amazed. Not only because of the story, but because of the journalistic work of this woman. My stomach turned as I read the descriptions as detailed as the nauseous smell of the one leg woman. I was also aroused by anger and sadness. She knows how to portray reality. Another curious aspect is that
Katherine wrote this book without a deadline. When I read this, a meme came to my mind. It said: “All you need is motivation. False: you need fear and an approaching deadline”. The level of her commitment caused me many questions. Some are answered in the author’s note, others are not. So, as soon as I finished it, I watched her interviews on YouTube to better understand her process. It shows that she is persistent and hardworking. But also full of fury, even sarcastic. Katherine doesn’t excuse the victims, but exposes their mistakes and successes. She puts the story on the table for the readers to draw their conclusions. An uncomfortable book that presents uncomfortable questions. It doesn’t matter if readers care. What matters is getting the story right. And that is only done with writing and re-writing.