Boo’s method of doing primary research
is very interesting to me. Her stories clearly come from in-depth interviews
with the residents of Annawadi because she knows every character’s motivation
for their actions. No character is one-dimensional, either all good or all bad.
When Boo gave Fatima One-Leg’s reason for sleeping with many men, that sex was the
only time “the part of her body she had to offer [felt] more important than the
part of it she lacked”, that character turned from a villain to a relatable
human being. Boo could not have written that without fully understanding Fatima
and having not only interviewed her, but gotten to know her on a deep level (or
made some very astute observations from one interview).
Boo has also clearly spent time in
Annawadi, enough that she knows the rituals of the place. She understands the
roles each person plays in the town, from the trash collectors to powerful
figures like Asha. Boo understands when these rituals and systems are
disrupted, as when Fatima lies to the police that the Husain family set her on
fire. Boo has also clearly spent a lot of time just sitting with Annawadians
and observing them. This is clear from the minute details she is able to
relate, like that Minju’s students and brothers use her skin-lightening cream.
I would like to be able to immerse
myself in the culture of my site like Boo has. I would like to be able to
translate its rituals and the stories of its people in as clear and effective a
way as Boo does. I hope I will be able to.
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