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chiarabruck's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
I wish this had been fiction. Terrible to know that stories like these are happening on a daily basis in India.
swar28's review against another edition
3.0
Living in a country like India, where there are so many things that are still changing to become a better place for the generations to come, there still are places where education, equal rights for women and standard of living is a concern. The Good Girls - an ordinary killing, is an eye opening, heart breaking book about a true incident that occurred in the Katra Village of Uttar Pradesh, India.
The book is extremely well researched and well written, giving a feel of reading another crime or thriller novel. However, when it dawns upon you, that something like this incident, really happened, it gives the chills. I do remember this incident and the nation wide opinions people had about it. But to read such details about this case was a different experience altogether.
I have so many questions after reading this book. Questions like, will woman ever feel safe in this world? Do we have to hide from each and every person around us, just so we can live to see another day? I am lucky, I have privileges others don't, doesn't mean I am not afraid to come home alone at night. --Spoiler Alert-- The girls in this book, are young women, who meet a boy from the neighbouring village and engage in sexual activities. These girls do not have access to a toilet in their house, have to look after their homes, have been made to withdraw education and be married soon. With so many restrictions, on getting caught, they have no option but to die by suicide, so that they do not have to face their family, destroy their honour or worse, be killed by them. So another question that comes to be is, who really is at fault here? Something to ponder upon.
I will think about this book and a lot of crimes like this that go by. We do not even understand the reality of what is happening, thanks to the news channels dramatising every incident that happens and keeps us from facts. So I am thankful for this book and the details in it, for shining light on this case.
The book is extremely well researched and well written, giving a feel of reading another crime or thriller novel. However, when it dawns upon you, that something like this incident, really happened, it gives the chills. I do remember this incident and the nation wide opinions people had about it. But to read such details about this case was a different experience altogether.
I have so many questions after reading this book. Questions like, will woman ever feel safe in this world? Do we have to hide from each and every person around us, just so we can live to see another day? I am lucky, I have privileges others don't, doesn't mean I am not afraid to come home alone at night. --Spoiler Alert-- The girls in this book, are young women, who meet a boy from the neighbouring village and engage in sexual activities. These girls do not have access to a toilet in their house, have to look after their homes, have been made to withdraw education and be married soon. With so many restrictions, on getting caught, they have no option but to die by suicide, so that they do not have to face their family, destroy their honour or worse, be killed by them. So another question that comes to be is, who really is at fault here? Something to ponder upon.
I will think about this book and a lot of crimes like this that go by. We do not even understand the reality of what is happening, thanks to the news channels dramatising every incident that happens and keeps us from facts. So I am thankful for this book and the details in it, for shining light on this case.
vaibhavsh2624's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to netgalley and groveatlantic for providing the e-arc.
This book didn't surprise me and that is a disturbing fact. We are so used to crime against women, police incompetence, broken systems, botched investigations and corrupt practices that nothing is a surprise anymore.
'One night in the summer of 2014' two girls of the Katra village, Sadatganj, UP went out to defecate in the fields and never returned home. The next morning they were found hanging from a tree in an orchard. Padma & Lalli (names changed) were first cousins and thick as thieves. They were always together, herding their goats or working in the farms, chatting up with other girls or snooping out at night. Together in life and in death.
Sonia Faleiro takes up this case as the centerpiece of her book which is about so much more than just a case. With a stupendous amount of research comprising of more than 200 interviews, chargesheets and investigation notes, news items, youtube videos, testimonies and more, the author draws a compulsively readable narrative of the whats, whys and hows of the said case.
The book is written like a true crime novel but the minute you are lulled into thinking it is just a story, it hits you in the face with cold facts, case studies, dialogues from the victims' family members and statistics about crimes against women.
As you read further, you realise that all of this happened, for real, two teenage girls hanging from a tree, the hours of protest by family members, the botched up post mortem, the news room drama, the twitter trends, the half hearted investigation, the CBI intervention and the trauma the family went through.
Faleiro also goes on tangents to tell the readers about the laws regarding rape and crimes against women, how they came to be, the different cases that made the fast track courts spring up or helped in formulating the stricter and more sensitive laws.
She also provides us with context of how things go about in the rural India, the lives of women, the education they are provided and why, the false sense of freedom, the history of crime in and around the area, the socio-political scene, and the subtle and not so subtle powerplay of castes and sub-castes.
The Good Girls is a brilliant book, one backed with stunning research and simple yet engaging writing. This is something which should be a staple read. I give this book 4.5 stars.
This book didn't surprise me and that is a disturbing fact. We are so used to crime against women, police incompetence, broken systems, botched investigations and corrupt practices that nothing is a surprise anymore.
'One night in the summer of 2014' two girls of the Katra village, Sadatganj, UP went out to defecate in the fields and never returned home. The next morning they were found hanging from a tree in an orchard. Padma & Lalli (names changed) were first cousins and thick as thieves. They were always together, herding their goats or working in the farms, chatting up with other girls or snooping out at night. Together in life and in death.
Sonia Faleiro takes up this case as the centerpiece of her book which is about so much more than just a case. With a stupendous amount of research comprising of more than 200 interviews, chargesheets and investigation notes, news items, youtube videos, testimonies and more, the author draws a compulsively readable narrative of the whats, whys and hows of the said case.
The book is written like a true crime novel but the minute you are lulled into thinking it is just a story, it hits you in the face with cold facts, case studies, dialogues from the victims' family members and statistics about crimes against women.
As you read further, you realise that all of this happened, for real, two teenage girls hanging from a tree, the hours of protest by family members, the botched up post mortem, the news room drama, the twitter trends, the half hearted investigation, the CBI intervention and the trauma the family went through.
Faleiro also goes on tangents to tell the readers about the laws regarding rape and crimes against women, how they came to be, the different cases that made the fast track courts spring up or helped in formulating the stricter and more sensitive laws.
She also provides us with context of how things go about in the rural India, the lives of women, the education they are provided and why, the false sense of freedom, the history of crime in and around the area, the socio-political scene, and the subtle and not so subtle powerplay of castes and sub-castes.
The Good Girls is a brilliant book, one backed with stunning research and simple yet engaging writing. This is something which should be a staple read. I give this book 4.5 stars.
gayathiri_rajendran's review against another edition
4.0
This has been one of the most difficult reviews I had to write. I couldn't put my thoughts into sentences because of shock. The Good Girls is tragic but powerful work on investigative journalism by Sonia Faleiro.
In 2014,two teenage girls were found hanging from a mango tree in Katra Sadatgani in Uttar Pradesh. The girls had stepped out the previous night to relieve themselves before bedtime and they had not returned back. After hours of searching, they were discovered in such an eerie setting. The way they were found made the incident go viral on social media. The family refused to let the authorities bring the bodies down until they got justice.
This book reads like an actual thriller which starts from the beginning and tells the incident in a chronological manner with several unexpected information and twists in the middle. The police didn't do a proper job with the initial investigations and combined with the unreliable witness statements and shoddy autopsies, there was a lot of confusion happening. The author tries to establish a timeline of events and there are descriptions of the village in which the girls grew up in, the social and economic conditions in rural India, caste, customs and the mistrust of authorities. She traces the incident in Katra, to the initial police investigation and the handover of the case to the CBI.
This is one of the quotes from the book which resonated with me.
“The story of Padma* and Lalli* revealed something more terrible still – That an Indian woman’s first challenge was surviving her own home.”
*The girls’ names have been changed in accordance with Indian law which requires that the identity of victims of certain crimes remain private.
What really happened to both the girls will forever be shrouded in mystery and none of us will ever really know. This was such a disturbing and uncomfortable read but very enlightening. It made me feel incredibly fortunate.
In 2014,two teenage girls were found hanging from a mango tree in Katra Sadatgani in Uttar Pradesh. The girls had stepped out the previous night to relieve themselves before bedtime and they had not returned back. After hours of searching, they were discovered in such an eerie setting. The way they were found made the incident go viral on social media. The family refused to let the authorities bring the bodies down until they got justice.
This book reads like an actual thriller which starts from the beginning and tells the incident in a chronological manner with several unexpected information and twists in the middle. The police didn't do a proper job with the initial investigations and combined with the unreliable witness statements and shoddy autopsies, there was a lot of confusion happening. The author tries to establish a timeline of events and there are descriptions of the village in which the girls grew up in, the social and economic conditions in rural India, caste, customs and the mistrust of authorities. She traces the incident in Katra, to the initial police investigation and the handover of the case to the CBI.
This is one of the quotes from the book which resonated with me.
“The story of Padma* and Lalli* revealed something more terrible still – That an Indian woman’s first challenge was surviving her own home.”
*The girls’ names have been changed in accordance with Indian law which requires that the identity of victims of certain crimes remain private.
What really happened to both the girls will forever be shrouded in mystery and none of us will ever really know. This was such a disturbing and uncomfortable read but very enlightening. It made me feel incredibly fortunate.
tessakris's review against another edition
3.0
This was something interesting/tragic to learn about it, and I really appreciate the work that the author put into doing her research and learning about the story. Unfortunately it was pretty hard for me to follow because I was listening.
Recommended by Jessica Ti'a.
Recommended by Jessica Ti'a.
abby_can_read's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.0
🎧
I listened to the audiobook. I liked the narrator. The book was alright. It seemed well researched and well written. I like that Faleiro wrote this in a narrative form.
I listened to the audiobook. I liked the narrator. The book was alright. It seemed well researched and well written. I like that Faleiro wrote this in a narrative form.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Self harm and Alcoholism
wesleysbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro
I am so glad to have come across this book. The first non-fiction book of the year came as a blessing. 2020 was not a good year all around, but specifically, it wasn't a good reading year either. I am glad that this book came to me and I was able to sit with it and finish reading it in less than a day. It is a piece of gripping literature. One of the best narrative non-fiction books I've read that relies on an honest journalistic outlook while also keeping a novelists eye for detail.
Throughout the book, Sonia Faleiro makes critical comments about various aspects about society, caste, Indian politics, criminal investigations, corruption (sometimes, all in one page it would seem).
The portraits of the people who played key roles are cutting and insightful. The manner is which she is able to keep an eye on caste and class differences and how these play up in the way people react are stunning.
At the heart of it, this book is a feminist text, as Deepa Anappara pointed out. Sonia Faleiro does not forget the women that mainstream media often sideline. She keeps the quite neighborhood women, their innocent little daughters, and the mother who descends into madness in the picture. They watch, and we watch with them how a small amount of thought is given to them. They are allowed very little room to grieve. She writes about the moment when the women decided to put themselves at the base of the tree where the girls hung and thereby registered protest and brought national media attention.
One of the best things about this book is how the writer does not let things get too technical. She is able to keep enough detail and ground her arguments and the narrative. For the dedicated reader, there are 20 pages of notes and bibliography to follow-up with. The writing also does not run the risk of having too much jargon. Lucidly written, the book is the product of four years, interviews with more than a hundred people, and reports that amounted to 3,272 pages. To say that it has been thoroughly researched, would be an understatement.
I am so glad to have come across this book. The first non-fiction book of the year came as a blessing. 2020 was not a good year all around, but specifically, it wasn't a good reading year either. I am glad that this book came to me and I was able to sit with it and finish reading it in less than a day. It is a piece of gripping literature. One of the best narrative non-fiction books I've read that relies on an honest journalistic outlook while also keeping a novelists eye for detail.
Throughout the book, Sonia Faleiro makes critical comments about various aspects about society, caste, Indian politics, criminal investigations, corruption (sometimes, all in one page it would seem).
The portraits of the people who played key roles are cutting and insightful. The manner is which she is able to keep an eye on caste and class differences and how these play up in the way people react are stunning.
At the heart of it, this book is a feminist text, as Deepa Anappara pointed out. Sonia Faleiro does not forget the women that mainstream media often sideline. She keeps the quite neighborhood women, their innocent little daughters, and the mother who descends into madness in the picture. They watch, and we watch with them how a small amount of thought is given to them. They are allowed very little room to grieve. She writes about the moment when the women decided to put themselves at the base of the tree where the girls hung and thereby registered protest and brought national media attention.
One of the best things about this book is how the writer does not let things get too technical. She is able to keep enough detail and ground her arguments and the narrative. For the dedicated reader, there are 20 pages of notes and bibliography to follow-up with. The writing also does not run the risk of having too much jargon. Lucidly written, the book is the product of four years, interviews with more than a hundred people, and reports that amounted to 3,272 pages. To say that it has been thoroughly researched, would be an understatement.
deetalkz's review against another edition
5.0
What is the shame worth?
This the question that kept nagging me a day and night after I turned the last page of this book.
The image is chilling - that of two teenaged girls hanging dead by a tree branch in an open field. What could have caused this? Who must have lead to this? How did things come to this? These are the questions @sonia.faleiro sets out to answer in her book ‘The Good Girls.’ She tries to be the objective journalist looking for answers, but how “objective” can one be when such two young girls have been found hanging dead in a field. The girls had gone off to the field as their homes did not have proper sanitation facilities. Taken out of school the girls were expected to be married off soon. When they went missing their family feared more for their honour than for their safety. The police chowki was habitually incompetent and arrogant owing to the prevailing caste dynamics. But still, what could have caused this catastrophe where little girls had been unsafe in their own household?
Every few pages the book kept introducing me to a rural India I wasn’t prepared for. One where not only did women amount to nothing, but men of caste had their own daily headaches. Caste and gender had morally, ethically and financially corrupted our system and the rot was now out in the open.
In 2014, two teenagers, cousins, in Katra Sadatganj go missing one night. The next day they are found hanging by a tree in an open field. The imagery of this goes viral provoking the collective conscience of a people who had risen for Nirbhaya just two years back. However, all the “wokeness” had fallen short of preventing this incident and an incompetent system kept failing these girls time and again.
It is nearly impossible to not be enraged for Padma and Lalli after reading this. And so, I urge all of you to please please please be enraged for them, for us and for more to come because we deserve better!
This the question that kept nagging me a day and night after I turned the last page of this book.
The image is chilling - that of two teenaged girls hanging dead by a tree branch in an open field. What could have caused this? Who must have lead to this? How did things come to this? These are the questions @sonia.faleiro sets out to answer in her book ‘The Good Girls.’ She tries to be the objective journalist looking for answers, but how “objective” can one be when such two young girls have been found hanging dead in a field. The girls had gone off to the field as their homes did not have proper sanitation facilities. Taken out of school the girls were expected to be married off soon. When they went missing their family feared more for their honour than for their safety. The police chowki was habitually incompetent and arrogant owing to the prevailing caste dynamics. But still, what could have caused this catastrophe where little girls had been unsafe in their own household?
Every few pages the book kept introducing me to a rural India I wasn’t prepared for. One where not only did women amount to nothing, but men of caste had their own daily headaches. Caste and gender had morally, ethically and financially corrupted our system and the rot was now out in the open.
In 2014, two teenagers, cousins, in Katra Sadatganj go missing one night. The next day they are found hanging by a tree in an open field. The imagery of this goes viral provoking the collective conscience of a people who had risen for Nirbhaya just two years back. However, all the “wokeness” had fallen short of preventing this incident and an incompetent system kept failing these girls time and again.
It is nearly impossible to not be enraged for Padma and Lalli after reading this. And so, I urge all of you to please please please be enraged for them, for us and for more to come because we deserve better!