A Heartwarmer Amongst All Evil.

Sometimes there are just too many things going on in the world. Right now is one of those times. I'm one of those people who gets easily overwhelmed with world events and therefore will suddenly retreat into my shell (let's just assume I have one) and refuse to consume any more media until I'm ready to handle it again. In this manner, I absorb news in spurts and waves. I would love to make a surfer analogy here but frankly I don't know enough about surfing to make a good one. Damn.
Anyway coming out of my shell I am once again slapped with all this news and information. There is just so much going on right now.
Mel's Madness, Hateful Hez, Horrific Heatwaves..I could alliterate away. But you know it all already. And frankly it's all terribly depressing and evil.

Did you hear about 'A Life Less Ordinary'? No not the movie. This one is a book.
A maid in India has written a book recounting her life and is creating a stir in the literary world back home. The story was covered in the New York Times yesterday and is truly an amazing one.
Baby Halder was abandoned by her mum when she was 4, beaten by her father, married off at 12, pregnant at 13, abused and beaten by her husband, ran away from him to Delhi, got a job as a maid, more abuse from employers and then she found an angel.
A man angel called Mr. Prabodh Kumar.
He caught her flipping through books on his bookshelf when she was supposed to be dusting them. But instead of yelling at her, this wonderful man encouraged her to read and write and ultimately tell the story of her life through a simple but compelling autobiography. She would write every night after finishing her chores and putting her kids to bed. She is being likened to Anne Frank. She still works as his maid despite her huge success, and is working on a second book.
Any Indian knows Baby Halder's life. We have all had maids and heard their sad stories. I don't think I have ever not heard a maid tell me her husband beats her. Her story is the story of millions of poor and uneducated women in India. But to put pen to paper and write a book that actually reaches the mahogany bookshelves of India's elite while being celebrated by women from all walks of life who suffer similarly, is a remarkable and brave achievement.
There is still hope in this world. Still angels like Mr. Kumar.
This is such a moving story and I haven't even read the book yet!