You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
sad
fast-paced
I originally heard of this case through one of my favourite true crime podcasts, Redhanded. Suruthi and Hannah referred to this book for a lot of their info, so I wanted to pick it up. They also interviewed the author about this story, which gave an interesting insight into the research that went into this book.
The story about the deaths of Padma and Lalli (not their real names) is harrowing, especially when you get into how the living handled it. From family that didn't cooperate because of fear of dishonour to the underfunded and unwilling authorities, it's not what these girls deserved. It's not what anyone deserves. The book also gives a peak into Hindu culture: Faleiro touches on castes, what it means to live in poor rural India and what it means to be a woman. I felt like it gave a very ful and real picture of what happened around this case and around these issues in general. It was very eye-opening.
The chapters were short, which I appreciate in a non fiction book. The story explains different issues and shows the different perspectives almost, as the search for justice continues. Was there a kidnapping? Was there a rape? Was it Pappu? Was the police involved? Was it caste violence? Did the parents have anything to do with it? Stories changed, opinions and interpretations shifted, politics got involved, evidence got tamptered with: it was all a mess! This entire case just had me shaking my head in dismay.
I learned a lot, and not just about the case. Unfortunately, there's no conclusion to this case (not for me and many others at least). The girls' deaths were eventually ruled to be a suicide, but I don't believe that, looking at how botched this entire investigation was. I really appreciate the author's attempt to find out what happened and, especially how she sheds light on all of the related issues the country is dealing with. I feel like, if you want to read more about crimes against women and girls, this book is a good example, but it's not for the faint-hearted (obviously, like many crimes against women and girls aren't). I'm happy I finally got to it.
The story about the deaths of Padma and Lalli (not their real names) is harrowing, especially when you get into how the living handled it. From family that didn't cooperate because of fear of dishonour to the underfunded and unwilling authorities, it's not what these girls deserved. It's not what anyone deserves. The book also gives a peak into Hindu culture: Faleiro touches on castes, what it means to live in poor rural India and what it means to be a woman. I felt like it gave a very ful and real picture of what happened around this case and around these issues in general. It was very eye-opening.
The chapters were short, which I appreciate in a non fiction book. The story explains different issues and shows the different perspectives almost, as the search for justice continues. Was there a kidnapping? Was there a rape? Was it Pappu? Was the police involved? Was it caste violence? Did the parents have anything to do with it? Stories changed, opinions and interpretations shifted, politics got involved, evidence got tamptered with: it was all a mess! This entire case just had me shaking my head in dismay.
I learned a lot, and not just about the case. Unfortunately, there's no conclusion to this case (not for me and many others at least). The girls' deaths were eventually ruled to be a suicide, but I don't believe that, looking at how botched this entire investigation was. I really appreciate the author's attempt to find out what happened and, especially how she sheds light on all of the related issues the country is dealing with. I feel like, if you want to read more about crimes against women and girls, this book is a good example, but it's not for the faint-hearted (obviously, like many crimes against women and girls aren't). I'm happy I finally got to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality
Minor: Blood
The image of the two girls Katra girls hanging from a tree was so strong that despite being an event in rural India, it received country-wide attention. The Anubhav Sinha movie Article 15 that was based on multiple real-life incidents had this haunting image as one of its important shots. The author Sonia Faleiro goes to Katra village, interviews the villagers, relatives, doctors, policemen and in the process reveals information that is a direct indictment of the Indian patriarchal and its policing system.
Suffice to say that the expectation of a sinister plot, political involvement, caste dynamics that we would otherwise expect from a fictional thriller is turned on its head and the reveal is an anti-climax of sorts. It reminded me of the movie Ugly , where a seemingly simple explanation for the death is further complicated by the incompetency of the investigating team.
The chapters are very brief, providing a quick thriller-like proceedings, with the author frequently digressing to larger topics relevant to India. She also notes some important cases of the past that has paved way for changes in the criminal system to atleast . Some of them are:
• 1972, a teenager Mathura was assaulted in Maharashtra got acquitted. Law professors wrote to CJI which made consent as the presumption.
• 1992, Bhanwari Devi, raped by group of Gujjars who were acquitted and it led to Vishaka guidelines.
An important documentation of the callousness of the justice system.
Suffice to say that the expectation of a sinister plot, political involvement, caste dynamics that we would otherwise expect from a fictional thriller is turned on its head and the reveal is an anti-climax of sorts. It reminded me of the movie Ugly , where a seemingly simple explanation for the death is further complicated by the incompetency of the investigating team.
The chapters are very brief, providing a quick thriller-like proceedings, with the author frequently digressing to larger topics relevant to India. She also notes some important cases of the past that has paved way for changes in the criminal system to atleast . Some of them are:
• 1972, a teenager Mathura was assaulted in Maharashtra got acquitted. Law professors wrote to CJI which made consent as the presumption.
• 1992, Bhanwari Devi, raped by group of Gujjars who were acquitted and it led to Vishaka guidelines.
An important documentation of the callousness of the justice system.
In 2014, I had heard about the Badaun case when news reports had hogged TV channels for days: first they said it was rape, then honor killing, then suicide. As always, the incident was covered endlessly & suddenly it all stopped. I didn’t even know the final verdict. Later, many other such incidents would be covered in vulgar details for weeks & stop abruptly. All that remained in my memory were: reported sexual crimes against women, UP, casteism, corruption & powerplay.
This book is an eye opener for those like me, who are drowned with a barrage of news about such incidents but don’t really learn the truth. Sonia Faleiro writes the story of the Badaun case. She writes in great detail about the two sisters & their families, their lives, and the exact sequence of events that happened. But this isn’t a whodunnit because the case was never simple to begin with. Sonia writes about the various factors which made this case complicated & practically difficult to solve: the extreme suppression of women; the prevalent societal norms & customs; the difficult rural life made worse due to poverty, illiteracy, unemployment & poor infrastructure; corrupt and ineffective leaders; underfunded police force, hospitals & investigative agencies; casteism; irresponsible news media.
Only the deceased sisters are the true victims in Sonia’s story, the only good people, the good girls. Everyone else is flawed to an extent, if not directly guilty of the murder/suicide.
This book is perfectly composed. It runs in sequence as the incidents occurred, but it digresses a little to cover related topics like the Nirbhaya case, or relevant subplots of other characters. Her narration style takes the reader straight to where the incidents happened. This is one of the most unbiased narratives of any true crime, that I have ever read. For every party involved, even the cops & the accused, Sonia has presented the good & the bad. This is also one of the most well researched book I’ve ever read. Sonia took 4 years on this book. Every chapter has a list of references in the end.
The sisters died in the dead of the night, but their bodies were left hanging long enough to become a public spectacle, as photos of their bodies were circulated online. It’s only fair that their stories get publicized too, so that at least Indians are aware of how women in their country live.
A highly recommended book.
This book is an eye opener for those like me, who are drowned with a barrage of news about such incidents but don’t really learn the truth. Sonia Faleiro writes the story of the Badaun case. She writes in great detail about the two sisters & their families, their lives, and the exact sequence of events that happened. But this isn’t a whodunnit because the case was never simple to begin with. Sonia writes about the various factors which made this case complicated & practically difficult to solve: the extreme suppression of women; the prevalent societal norms & customs; the difficult rural life made worse due to poverty, illiteracy, unemployment & poor infrastructure; corrupt and ineffective leaders; underfunded police force, hospitals & investigative agencies; casteism; irresponsible news media.
Only the deceased sisters are the true victims in Sonia’s story, the only good people, the good girls. Everyone else is flawed to an extent, if not directly guilty of the murder/suicide.
This book is perfectly composed. It runs in sequence as the incidents occurred, but it digresses a little to cover related topics like the Nirbhaya case, or relevant subplots of other characters. Her narration style takes the reader straight to where the incidents happened. This is one of the most unbiased narratives of any true crime, that I have ever read. For every party involved, even the cops & the accused, Sonia has presented the good & the bad. This is also one of the most well researched book I’ve ever read. Sonia took 4 years on this book. Every chapter has a list of references in the end.
The sisters died in the dead of the night, but their bodies were left hanging long enough to become a public spectacle, as photos of their bodies were circulated online. It’s only fair that their stories get publicized too, so that at least Indians are aware of how women in their country live.
A highly recommended book.
"This is a story about women in modern India. But it's also about what it means to be poor. India is changing; some say it is rapidly modernizing. Yet, for the poor, who have always suffered the most, India hasn't changed all that much."
Good Girls is a tough book to read. Unfamiliar names, customs, geography, and terms mean it is sometimes hard to get all of the details. It is also an incredibly powerful book - about 2 teenage girls, their hangings, the lack of toilets, education, basic infrastructure, police, and reputable government.
It is about what happens when class (caste) rules over humanity, when mistakes aren't forgivable, and when the poor and illiterate, bound by custom and survival, are caught between honor and love.
Good Girls is a tough book to read. Unfamiliar names, customs, geography, and terms mean it is sometimes hard to get all of the details. It is also an incredibly powerful book - about 2 teenage girls, their hangings, the lack of toilets, education, basic infrastructure, police, and reputable government.
It is about what happens when class (caste) rules over humanity, when mistakes aren't forgivable, and when the poor and illiterate, bound by custom and survival, are caught between honor and love.
dark
informative
slow-paced
I could not get into this book. I was so intrigued by the blurb as I love true crime but this was way too heavy for me to follow. I was intimidated by the amount of people in the cast list at the start which is always challenging when you're reading on a kindle, and I feel like the plot should have gripped me at the start and the research about the lifestyle could have been woven through it to keep me engaged.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
People called them Padma Lalli like they were one person.’
On 27 May 2014, in the village of Katra Sadatgani in Uttar Pradesh, India, two teenaged girls went into the fields to relieve themselves before bed. They did not return. In the early hours of the following morning, their bodies were found hanging from a mango tree in the orchard tended by their families. Their bodies were to remain in that tree for some time.
We know those two girls as sixteen-year-old Padma* and fourteen-year-old Lalli*. They were cousins and best friends. *We do not know their real names as there is an Indian law which requires that the identity of the victims of certain crimes is kept private. The irony: a law which affords victims more privacy in death than they were ever accorded in life.
In this book, Ms Faleiro draws on official documents, interviews, and news reports to try to establish a timeline of events within the context of the environment in which the girls lived. Ms Faleiro describes the physical setting: a poor village, with no running water or sanitation (which is why the girls had to relieve themselves in the field); a rigid family structure, shaped by caste, custom and religion; and mistrust of (often corrupt) authorities.
This is a confronting and uncomfortable read. The girls are left hanging in the mango tree because their families believe that this is necessary in order to obtain justice. And once the girls are removed from the tree, inept handling and forensic processes mean mistakes are made, and erroneous conclusions are reached. Contradictory information is given by those interviewed; assumptions are made. The death of the girls is devastating for those left behind. But at every step the investigation is hampered. Honour becomes more important than truth.
What really happened to Padma and Lalli? I doubt that we will ever know.
In writing about this case, Ms Faleiro illustrates the complexity of life in India, the prevalence of crimes against women, the impact of tradition, and how mistrust shapes both investigation and witness accounts.
I finished this book wondering whether the situation has improved since Padma and Lalli died. This is not an easy book to read both because of the content and the amount of detail provided. The detail is necessary but can feel overwhelming.
‘Finally, while this is a story about the marginalisation and subjugation of women in India, it is also about what it means to be poor.’
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
On 27 May 2014, in the village of Katra Sadatgani in Uttar Pradesh, India, two teenaged girls went into the fields to relieve themselves before bed. They did not return. In the early hours of the following morning, their bodies were found hanging from a mango tree in the orchard tended by their families. Their bodies were to remain in that tree for some time.
We know those two girls as sixteen-year-old Padma* and fourteen-year-old Lalli*. They were cousins and best friends. *We do not know their real names as there is an Indian law which requires that the identity of the victims of certain crimes is kept private. The irony: a law which affords victims more privacy in death than they were ever accorded in life.
In this book, Ms Faleiro draws on official documents, interviews, and news reports to try to establish a timeline of events within the context of the environment in which the girls lived. Ms Faleiro describes the physical setting: a poor village, with no running water or sanitation (which is why the girls had to relieve themselves in the field); a rigid family structure, shaped by caste, custom and religion; and mistrust of (often corrupt) authorities.
This is a confronting and uncomfortable read. The girls are left hanging in the mango tree because their families believe that this is necessary in order to obtain justice. And once the girls are removed from the tree, inept handling and forensic processes mean mistakes are made, and erroneous conclusions are reached. Contradictory information is given by those interviewed; assumptions are made. The death of the girls is devastating for those left behind. But at every step the investigation is hampered. Honour becomes more important than truth.
What really happened to Padma and Lalli? I doubt that we will ever know.
In writing about this case, Ms Faleiro illustrates the complexity of life in India, the prevalence of crimes against women, the impact of tradition, and how mistrust shapes both investigation and witness accounts.
I finished this book wondering whether the situation has improved since Padma and Lalli died. This is not an easy book to read both because of the content and the amount of detail provided. The detail is necessary but can feel overwhelming.
‘Finally, while this is a story about the marginalisation and subjugation of women in India, it is also about what it means to be poor.’
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Suicide, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism