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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140251 in Books
• Published on: 1992-10-01
• Original language: French
• Binding: Paperback
• 35 pages

From the Back Cover
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 unknown 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.
'This book is a masterpiece' -Le Monde

'Its heroes show us...how majestic the human spirit can be. CITY OF JOY redefines all our perspectives' -Sunday Telegraph

Customer Reviews

The only book I have ever read that I could actually smell!
City of Joy, quite simply, is the most evocative book I have ever read. For those readers who have seen the film, it bears no relationship to the book except in the vaguest sense. The characters have been changed and it does not tingle the senses in the same unforgettable way. Life in Calcutta is portrayed in such fine detail that when the sewers overflow in the monsoon rains, you actually smell the stench. You can see the children picking over the rubbish tips, taking home their findings, the families living in the streets, and the bicycles all but run over your toes. By the end of the book, it is all one can do not to hop on the first plane to India to help the poor unfortunates who make up such an appreciable part of the city. In the opening chapters, I had to be a little tenacious to give the tale time to unfold, but after that, I did not want to stop until the book was finished - and I was left wanting more, much more.

This book is like stepping into the heart of India
I read this book before going to Kolkata for volunteer work. I couldn't have prepared better with this beautifully written, passionate novel of the amazing world of Kolkata. If you want to experience India or just read an amazing novel about the joy in the midst of poverty or the heroes who fought to eradicate it then this is the book for you.
This is in my mind one of the books that has influenced me the most in my life, buy it you won't regret it!

Casada
I read this book some years ago and it is the only book I have ever given 5 stars to. Lending it to friends I seem to have lost it in the mists of time so I shall buy it again, read it before suggesting it to our book club.
It left me feeling totally inadequate and full of admiration for people who give their lives to helping others. It took me a while to read another book because I could not get this one out of my head. A must read book!