Maximum City


I know a few of you have probably already read this book but I hadn't heard about it until a few weeks ago.  A dear friend of mine had returned from her Around The World Trip and picked Maximum City up along the way.  She's also a Bombay native and knows that I have a penchant for reading about India and a deep appreciation for Indian authors.

I came away with a shaken and enlightened view of Bombay and the people who live in it.  Suketu Mehta does a (excuse my language) bombass job of telling the story of policemen, gang members and bar dancers.  The personal element that he adds to the journalistic reporting is perfect as all of the stories have a very human element.  The city, after all, is made up of the millions of inhabitants that are all scraping by and clambering up to survive.  Mehta shares his own struggle with getting to know his subjects and how he views them morally and I feel that the book really wouldn't be the same without that element.

I'm still undetermined about whether or not I would want to visit Bombay and this book doesn't particularly paint the city in an attractive light for a visitor.  Have any of you been before?  If so, what are your thoughts?

Comments

  1. I haven´t heard about it either - thanks for the tip! :-)

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  2. I tend toward fiction when I read, so I'm always glad to have a good recommendation when it comes to nonfiction.

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  3. I've never been, but now I want to read the book. :)

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  4. Girl, your lists of books is making my to-read list quite long:) I've never been to India but have friends who have been there, and it's a love-hate relationship.

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  5. Thanks for sharing this book with us! I grew up around many South Asian friends, and were always fascinated by their culture, history and traditions. I've always wanted to visit India, in particular, and will probably do so in the future.

    There are so many articles out there highlighting the growth of India's cities, and at the same time, the struggles of industrialism and the people caught in between. I can't wait to read this book though!

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  6. Eep! I've been to India once and Bombay wasn't one of the places I visited. While I really enjoyed visiting India - it was also incredibly challenging for me, to be honest, I don't think I'd go back.

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  7. I have never been but it is definitely on my list.

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  8. This is EXACTLY my type of book!! Typically I love a book where you can learn something. Did you ever read The 19th Wife? One of my favorites!!

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  9. never been, and have now heard of this book, thanks to you

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  10. That sounds like a very interesting read. I've never been to india before; it's the sort of image i have from slumdog millionaire that makes me wary about going there

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  11. i haven't heard of this, but am always looking for something interesting to add to the list.

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  12. My friend went to Mumbai (Bombay's new name!) for a few months for a grad school program, and she was really struck by the EXTREME discrepancies between poverty and wealth. All in all, it was a memorable trip for her, but I don't think she'd want to go back anytime soon!

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  13. Adding "bombass" to my vocab immediately. Thank you.

    Happy weekend!

    ambsgoodlife.blogspot.com

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  14. I haven´t heard about it either. Adding it too

    Happy Sunday

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  15. It's a great book, isn't it!? The SJ prize winners are reliably excellent. I missed the chance to go to Mumbai when I was in India and completely regret. When I go back (whenever that may be) I'm totally going! x

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  16. I've never heard of it, but gosh... it sure does sound like an interesting read.

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