by Aman Sethi
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Funny and disturbing.”
—Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things
“A Free Man is a beautiful work of journalism, sympathetic and graceful.”
—Esther Duflo, author of Poor Economics and a MacArthur Fellow
“With A Free Man, Aman Sethi comes to the forefront of an extraordinary new generation of Indian nonfiction writers. His compassion and humor are matched by a fierce determination to tell the stories of ordinary Indians, too often forgotten in the scramble for the spoils of the economic boom.”
—Hari Kunzru, author of Gods Without Men
“A Free Man is stunning. Not only is Sethi a remarkable reporter and storyteller, but he possesses a novelist’s ear for language, sense of the absurd, and perfect pitch. I’m bowled over, totally.”
—Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind and A Grand Pursuit
“Funny, poignant, and deeply moving, A Free Man is an extraordinary vignette into an extraordinary life.”
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies
Copyright © 2012, 2011 by Aman Sethi
First American Edition 2012
All rights reserved
First published as a Norton paperback 2013
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sethi, Aman, 1983–
A free man : a true story of life and death in Delhi / Aman Sethi. —
1st American ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-393-08890-8 (hardcover)
1. Mohammed, Ashraf, 1966– 2. Homeless persons—India—Delhi—Biography. 3. Day laborers—India—Delhi—Biography. 4. Delhi (India)—Biography. 5. Life change events—India—Delhi—Case studies. 6. Delhi (India)—Social conditions. 7. Urban poor—India—Delhi. 8. Marginality, Social—India—Delhi. I. Title.
HV4600.D4S48 2012
362.5’92092—dc23
[B]
2012022384
ISBN 978-0-393-34660-2 pbk.
eISBN: 978-0-393-08972-1
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