| Can I Come Look At These Items? | | This online store is in association with Amazon.com, so these great, high-qualiy products will come from their warehouse or from other partners. Thanks for shopping! |
|
|
| City of Joy |  | Author: Dominique Lapierre
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $17.94 (100%)
New (9) Used (109) Collectible (4) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 1198271
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.6
ISBN: 0385189524
Dewey Decimal Number: 954.14
EAN: 9780812449006
ASIN: 0385189524
Publication Date: October 1985
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: 1985 First Printing. DJ misssing.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Living in the seeming hell of one of the poorest and most crowded quarters of Calcutta are the saints of today: saints such as Mother Teresa, saints such as Stephen Kovalski, an unkown Polish Catholic priest who made his home there to care for the poorest of the poor. And Max Loeb, an American physician dedicated to fighting disease in this dirty hellhole. City of Joy, the story of these saints, is a testament to the human spirit unbowed by the most wretched of circumstances.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 The City of Joy September 26, 2007
An outstanding book. Highly recommended as essential reading for any thinking person and any person who truely cares about the world and the plight of humanity.
The city of Joy January 11, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the best boooks of Dominique La Pierre, makes you see reality as is, the acceptance with joy of the life you are to live.
 "Disease Porn" is the perfect description October 29, 2006
2 out of 10 found this review helpful
One of the reviewers below described the book as "cardboard cut-out disease porn" and that is the most apt, succint way to describe "City of Joy". The book dives into rampant filth, disease and raw physical suffering with about as much preamble and relish as any porn video dives into sex. It is about as uplifting as self-flagellation, and as inspiring as Fear Factor.
"... a heartrendering tale of the real heros of Calcutta, a tale of the indomitable spirit of humankind to triumph..." May 19, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
"...The 'City of Joy' shall be remembered as the best account of the life of the people in Calcutta's slums; of the city's never-say-die attitude. The book presents a very emotional account of the daily lives of the poor in the city, and makes the reader fall in love with these little heros, who daily fight the battle of life to mete out a subsistence existence. The book is an eye-opener to the people who have never faced the adversities of life. The author has done a brilliant job in portraying the poor with compassion and empathy. A true masterpiece..."
STORY OF THE UNBREAKABLE HUMAN SPIRIT January 5, 2006
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
No other book I had ever read has ever made me more proud about the fact that I am an Indian or importantly, a human being. The moving story, that the author claims is based on facts is probably based on a true one. What is truly remarkable though, is the fact that this is probably not an unusual story or for that matter even an uncommon one! It happens, more so in India that anywhere else, despite 200 years of British rule the Western had not been able to take from these people what they prize most, their dignity. People trying to live a decent life, who hope to live with at least an ounce of self-respect going to great extremes to attain it.
It doesn't surprise me to know this today, nor does it surprise me to know it took so long for the world to know this. What amazes me is that so many Indians have written such bad reviews about this book. It seems ironic that a book that tells a story about the majority of Indians who are uneducated is not appreciated by the minority that are. It makes sense though. This book doesn't directly attempt to glorify India's culture, its traditions or values. Instead it speaks about the bitter realities of a ghetto that almost all educated Indians with a modern outlook likes to pretend don't exist. These are the people that Westerners mostly interact with, these are the people who want to impress India to the rest of the world, and the truths in this book are not what they would think is impressive. It still impressive none the less. In fact it is more than impressive that even at the lowest of low of economic degradation a man can still try to live a life of dignity - the kind that every human being deserves to live with.
IF AFTER READING THIS BOOK YOU SHED A TEAR, either of joy or sorrow, GO TO THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE MOST AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM, thank them for who they are and after that thank God for the beauty that is your life and lastly thank yourself because you are a wonderful human-being.
|
|
|
| |
News 
