I think it's this congenital problem with journalism that we oversell the difference we make. We make small differences. Katherine Boo congenitaldifferencejournalism Change image and share on social
We talk a lot about infrastructure in cities, and it's talking about highways and it's talking about trains, but I think more important to people who are low income is, how do I get from here to there? How do I become part of the affluence that's surrounding me? Katherine Boo affluencecityhighway share on social
There's some way in which we would prefer not to see very clearly the immense gifts and intelligence of some of the people who live in our most abject conditions. Maybe there are some things at work in deciding who gets to be society's winners and who gets to be society's losers that don't have to do with merit. Katherine Boo abjectconditiondecide share on social
For myself, suffering doesnt make me a good person; it makes me selfish. Why do we think that people who have less should find it edifying? Katherine Boo doesntedifyfind Change image and share on social
I was spending a lot of time in Mumbai after I met my husband, who is Indian, and while parts of the city were prospering like crazy, I couldn't quite make out how the new wealth had changed the prospects of the majority of city residents who lived in slums. So after a few years I stopped wondering and started reporting. Katherine Boo changecitycrazy share on social
People talk about places like Mumbai as a tale of two cities, as if the rich and poor don't have anything to do with each other. Katherine Boo citymumbaipeople Change image and share on social
In any country, corruption tends to increase when more respectable means of social advancement break down. Katherine Boo advancementbreakcorruption Change image and share on social
We often have an exaggerated sense of what nonprofits and governments are doing to help the poor, but the really inspiring thing is how much the poor are doing to help themselves. Katherine Boo exaggerategovernmentinspire Change image and share on social
I have been dealing with illness and its manifestations since I was a teenager, and I think that gives me a very healthy respect for the things in life we can't control. Katherine Boo controldealhealthy Change image and share on social