Ukusuka kwiveranda kamakhulu ekumgangatho wesibini ngasemva e-Coimbatore enothuli, ndandibabona abahlali belali bengcungcuthekiswa kwincopho yenduli, iingqushu zabo zibekwe kakuhle emgceni wokucoca imihla ngemihla. Xa ndandineminyaka esixhenxe, lo yayingumbono omangalisayo. Ndaye ndaduma ngokuba namaphupha, kuba kwakungekho mntu wayeyazi eyona nto ndijonge kuyo, ndibeke intloko yam ezingalweni zam ndijonge kude kangangeeyure. Emantla, kwiflethi kamama katata eMumbai, kwakukho izindlu zangasese zokusetyenziswa, kodwa ezi zazikwisiphelo sepaseji evulekileyo, kufuphi nethambeka elimanzi nenethambeka apho izicaka zesakhiwo zazigalela amanzi ngentsimbi etshiziweyo. iipleyiti. Iingcango zezitali zazigqunywe ngekhaphethi ephilayo enombala omdaka noluhlaza. Ndazinqanda kangangoko ndinako, nto leyo eyayibangela isisu esibuhlungu mihla le, ukuthomalaliswa ngeoyile ye<em>neem. Ukuze ndibe mnandi, maxa wambi ndandivunyelwa ukuba ndincokole kumaphephandaba akwigumbi lokulala, awayesongwa aze aphoswe ngefestile endleleni.
Abantu ndandibazi, balala endleleni. Ndakhe ndadibana nomntwana phaya ezantsi, kanye. Umzantsi womlenze wakhe wawungwevu kwaye unamaqhakuva, udunjelwe kumbhobho otyebileyo ngenxa yeentshulube. Iinzwane zakhe zaphuma phantsi kweegophe ezisindayo kunye neeflephu, amaqhekeza amancinci.

Njengomntwana ozelwe eMelika, owayethunyelwa ukuba aye kuhlala nezalamane eIndiya rhoqo ehlotyeni, konke oku kwakusothusa, kwaye kubangel’ umdla. Ukubuyela ekhaya, i-wads ye-gossamer-ebhityile, izicubu zephepha ezinevumba elimnandi, eziprintwe ngoyilo lweleyisi, zazisetyenziselwa ukuthintela i-smear nganye encinci ye-snot njengoko ijikeleza kwiporcelain ecwebezelayo ye-commode. Apha, abantu basusa iimpumlo zabo ngqo kumjelo onukayo. Konke oku-intlupheko, isifo, ukungafani-kufuneka kunxulumene, ndacinga. Kumntwana oneminyaka esixhenxe ubudala, yonke into engaqondakaliyo emhlabeni idityaniswe ngasese. Ukukhula kwakuthetha ukuqonda ukuba njani. -Sonia Shah, ngoFebruwari 2006

USonia Shah yintatheli ephandayo kunye nombhali ovunyiweyo ngokugxekayo obhale kuye kwavela kwiWashington Post, iBoston Globe, iNzululwazi eNtsha, iSizwe nakwezinye iindawo. Imveliso yakhe yeziyobisi ngo-2006 ibhentsiswe, Abazingeli bomzimba: Ukuvavanya aMachiza amatsha kwiZigulana ezihlwempuzekileyo kwihlabathi (i-New Press), iye yanconywa ngabashicileli beVeki nganye "njengophononongo oluphikisanayo ... "njengento ebalulekileyo [kwaye] inamandla" yiNew England Journal of Medicine. Incwadi, ethe yathengwa kakhulu umbhali wenoveli wehlabathi kunye nombhali weConstant Gardener uJohn Le Carré wayibiza ngokuba "sisenzo senkalipho," ikonwabele ukusasazwa ngokubanzi kumazwe ngamazwe, kubandakanywa ushicilelo lwesiFrentshi, isiJapan kunye nesiTaliyane.

Incwadi yakhe yowama-2004, iCrude: Ibali leOli (Amabali aSixhenxe), yabhengezwa “njengekrelekrele” kwaye “ibhalwe kakuhle” yiThe Guardian kunye “nokufundwa okuyimfuneko” yiSizwe, kwaye iguqulelwe ngokubanzi, isuka kwisiJapan, kwisiGrike, nakwi. IsiTaliyane ukuya kwiBahasa Indonesia. Ingqokelela yakhe "ekrwada kwaye inamandla" (Amazon.com) 1997, Dragon Ladies: Asian American Feminists Breathe Fire, isashicilelwa emva kweminyaka eli-10, iyaqhubeka nokufunwa ukufundwa kwiikholeji nakwiiyunivesithi kwilizwe liphela.

Ukubhala kuka-Shah, okusekwe kwingxelo yokuqala evela kwihlabathi liphela, ukusuka eIndiya naseMzantsi Afrika ukuya ePanama, eMalawi, eCameroon, naseOstreliya, kuboniswe kwimiboniso yemicimbi yangoku ejikeleze iUnited States, nakwiBBC kunye neOstreliya yeRadio yeSizwe. Isithethi esiphambili rhoqo kwiinkomfa zezopolitiko, u-Shah uye wafundisa kwiiyunivesithi nakwiikholeji kwilizwe lonke, kuquka i-Columbia's Earth Institute, i-MIT, i-Harvard, iBrown, iGeorgetown nakwezinye iindawo. Ukubhala kwakhe ngamalungelo oluntu, amayeza, kunye nezopolitiko zivele kuluhlu lweemagazini ukusuka kwi-Playboy, Salon, kunye ne-Orion ukuya kwi-Progressive kunye ne-Knight-Ridder. Imbonakalo yakhe kamabonakude ibandakanya i-A&E kunye neBBC, kwaye udityaniswe neeprojekthi ezininzi zefilimu, ukusuka kwi-ABC ukuya kwiChannel 4 e-UK. Owayesakuba ngumhlobo we-National Institute kunye ne-Puffin Foundation, u-Shah ngoku ubhala incwadi ngembali kunye nezopolitiko zemalariya kaFarrar, uStraus & Giroux.

UShah wazalwa ngo-1969 kwisiXeko saseNew York kubafuduki baseIndiya. Ukukhula kwakhe, wayehamba phakathi komntla-mpuma we-United States apho abazali bakhe babesebenzisa amayeza kunye ne-Mumbai kunye ne-Bangalore, e-Indiya, apho usapho lwakhe olongezelelweyo lwabasebenzi lwaluhlala khona, luhlakulela umdla wobomi bonke wokungalingani phakathi kunye noluntu. Une-BA kwi-journalism, ifilosofi, kunye ne-neuroscience evela kwiKholeji yase-Oberlin, kwaye uhlala ne-ecologist yeemolekyuli uMark Bulmer kunye noonyana babo ababini uZakir noKush.