Already published in India to great acclaim and named a Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year and an Observer Book of the Year, Beautiful Thing is a stunning piece of reportage that offers a rare firsthand glimpse into Bombay’s notorious sex industry.

Sonia Faleiro was a reporter in search of a story when she met nineteen-year-old Leela, a charismatic exotic dancer with a story to tell. Leela introduced Sonia to the underworld of Bombay’s dance bars: a world of glamorous women; of fierce love, sex, and violence; of gangsters, police, prostitutes, and pimps. When an ambitious politician cashed in on a tide of false morality and had Bombay’s dance bars wiped out, Leela’s proud independence faced its greatest test. In a city where almost everyone is certain that someone, somewhere, is worse off than them, she fights to survive—and to win.

Sonia Faleiro has crafted one of the most original works of nonfiction about India in years. Unforgettable for its artistry and intimacy, Beautiful Thing is a vivid portrait of one reporter’s journey into the dark, damaged soul of Bombay.

Sonia Faleiro is an award-winning reporter. She is the author of The Girl (Viking, 2006) and Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars (Grove, 2012). The New York Times described Beautiful Thing as 'an intimate and valuable piece of reportage' that 'will break your heart many times over.' In a starred review Kirkus called it an 'international sensation and rightfully so.' Following its publication in the UK in 2011, Beautiful Thing was named an Eonomist, Observer and Guardian Book of the Year, a Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year, and The Sunday Times Travel Book of the Year 2011.

Sonia writes The Other India column on India's marginalized communities and sub-cultures for The New York Times' India site, India Ink. She has spoken about India's marginalized on NPR's All Things Considered and Tell Me More, at TedXAmsterdam Women 2011, and the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. She lives between Mumbai and San Francisco.

For more information about Sonia's work, please visit www.soniafaleiro.com.