Katherine Boo's book "Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity" is a nonfiction, journalistic account of the lives of several people who live in the Annawadi slum.

Among the lives that Boo chronicles are those of the Muslim Husain family, particularly the teenage Abdul, and the life of Asha, a local school teacher who desires a career as a politician. Abdul is a scavenger, who steals and combs through trash to find materials that can be sold for recycling. His mother handles prices and haggling. They slowly begin saving money, with the intent to purchase land outside the slum and move away. But a disagreement with a one-legged neighbor in pursuit of respect and affection spells disaster for Abdul and his family. Accusing them of beating her, the one-legged neighbor sets herself on fire, seeking attention, and ends up dying in the hospital of an infection. The Husains are blamed, and several members of the family are arrested. Ultimately, they are found not guilty, but at the book's end, Abdul's case is still pending.

Asha has dreams of wealth and power, and she has a beautiful daughter whom she hopes she can arrange in a beneficial marriage. Asha's daughter, Manju, is in college, teaches classes for her mother in the afternoons, and takes care of her family in the evening. She dreams of freedom, and of graduating from college. Asha, who sleeps around, funnels money where needed, and engages in corrupt practices, seeks to become the Corporator of the state Ward in which they live. Eventually, she gives up the pursuit of politics in favor of fraud in a Department of Education scheme.