History Archives | Shortform Books

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Asha’s Charity Scams

How Beautiful Forevers Asha Embraced Charity Scams

What are charity scams? How did the character Asha get involved in charity scams in the book Behind the Beautiful Forevers? Charity scams are when a charity fundraiser diverts the majority of the money collected from donors for personal use. In Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Asha used her nonprofit as a vehicle for government officials to divert funds meant for a school education program. She planned to make money from her share of the stolen funds. Read on to discover how the desire to escape poverty drove Asha to participate in charity scams.

How Political Reforms in India Affected Annawadi

What triggered the demand for political reforms in India? How did the reforms affect the residents of Annawadi in the book Behind the Beautiful Forevers? The failure of the police to respond effectively to the terrorist attacks in 2008 triggered the demands for political reforms in India. The anticipated reforms and removal of the ruling political class did not happen. Plans to raze Mumbai’s slums including Annawadi continued. Read on to discover how the demand for political reforms in India affected the residents of Annawadi, as detailed in Behind the Beautiful Forevers.

The Impact of India’s Economic Collapse on Annawadi

How did India’s economic collapse in 2008 affect the residents of Annawadi, according to the book Behind the Beautiful Forevers? What did the residents do to survive? India’s economic collapse heavily affected sectors like construction and hospitality which resulted in fewer jobs for Annawadi’s residents. Hungry residents started eating rats and frogs, while some like Sunil survived by stealing. Read on to learn more about the devastating impact of India’s economic collapse on Annawadi’s residents.

Why Annawadi Residents Tried to Marry into Money

Why were the residents of Annawadi trying to marry into money in the book Behind the Beautiful Forevers? What strategies did they use to find wealthy suitors? The residents of Annawadi wanted to marry into money so they could attain economic security and climb the social ladder. Residents like Manju tried to improve their appearance and build their social networks in hopes of expanding their marriage prospects. Read more to discover how Annawadi’s residents like Manju tried to marry into money.

Climate Change Science: The Early History

What is the early history of climate change science? What role did doubt-mongering play? Addressing climate change involves regulating energy use, the keystone of economic activity. This has made it a target of doubt-mongering—an attempt to discredit the science behind it. Historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway discuss the early debate about climate change science in their book Merchants of Doubt. Read more to learn about early climate change science and the merchants of doubt.

Inside Annawadi: A Spotlight on Life in Mumbai’s Slums

Is Annawadi from Behind the Beautiful Forevers a real place? What is life like in Annawadi? Annawadi is a slum adjacent to the Mumbai International Airport—it was created by the migrant workers that worked there during its construction. Life in the slum is a constant struggle for survival. Residents worked all sorts of odd jobs to make a living. Read on to learn more about the lives of the residents of Annawadi.

Ozone Hole Over Antarctica? The 2 Sides of the Debate

Is there an ozone hole over Antarctica? What is the science? What doubts have been raised? People have debated the size, severity, and cause of the ozone hole over Antarctica for years. Historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway claim in their book Merchants of Doubt that some individuals and groups have sought to discredit some of the science because they believe it is a threat to their agenda. Read more to learn about the debate surrounding the ozone hole over Antarctica.

Scientific Bias: History and Consequences

How did generations past use science to “prove” that some races were better than others? What were the three phases of scientific bias? What lasting impacts did racial pseudoscience have on society? In her book Biased, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt discusses the three phases of historical scientific bias: human hierarchies, polygenesis, and evolutionary IQ. In the past, biased scientists would use pseudoscience and lies to justify inhumane acts such as slavery. Unfortunately, although disproved, many of the ideas are still deeply ingrained in society. Continue reading to learn about the dark history of scientific bias.

Causes and Effects of Ozone Depletion: Truth and Lies

What are the causes and effects of ozone depletion? What’s the science? What doubts have been raised? Since the 1970s, the public controversy about the causes and effects of ozone depletion has been fueled by those who believe that certain environmental policies put their agenda at risk. These “merchants of doubt” seek to undermine the credibility of the science behind such policies. Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway discuss this in their book Merchants of Doubt. Read more to learn about the history of the debate surrounding the causes and effects of ozone depletion.

Donald Trump: Analysis of the 45th American President

Was Donald Trump a good president? What was the American president like as a leader and as a person? Do you think Trump was fit to be a president? In A Warning, a book about the behind-the-scenes of Trump’s administration, the anonymous author provides their subjective analysis of the 45th American president. They describe his character traits, decodes the meaning behind his public remarks, as well as the motives behind his political decisions. Here is a brief overview of Donald Trump’s analysis from the 2019 bestseller A Warning.

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