Finding Joy In the Slums of India

City of Joy - City of Joy - Dominique Lapierre


I do not know where to begin with this book. To begin with it is the true account of a priest, a doctor, and a poor family in the slums of Calcutta. All I can say is the next time we start to complain about how bad things are in America we need to stop ourselves, read this book, and really evaluate whether things are that bad here. Do we have a problem with leprosy here? After reading this book I can safely say that even in my current situation: life is good. I have three square meals a day, a job, a car, and I do not have to worry about police brutality, corruption, or being exploited by my bosses. For the people in the slums of Calcutta it is a way of life. Death is so common that it is a daily occurrence, even under many of their own rooftops many people can die in a given day. Living in a slum is considered a blessing, dying young a definate, scurrying through trash, selling off their bones when they die, and it continues. LaPierre because of his experiences started City of Joy Aid to help battle poverty. A well made movie starring Patrick Swayze, who suprisingly did a very good job, and an increcible Indian actor Om Puri as the indian father trying to do anything to help his family survive. This movie is a much more paletable version of the book, but it still can be painful the watch. All the lepers in the movie were real inhabitants of the leper colony. Both are worth while, both are painful, both should make you very uncomfortable. If you want to be uplifted by the human spirit, faith, and love in the midst of extreme poverty then check it out.