Abandoned by her mother, beaten by her father, and hurriedly married off at twelve to an abusive man twice her age, Baby Halder's early life was marked by overwhelming challenges and heartbreak. Desperate, the young mother finally fled with her three children in 1999 to Delhi, where she found work as a maid. Expected to serve her employers' every demand, Halder faced a staggering workload that often left her no time to care for her own children. The young woman's luck finally turned when she started working for a retired professor who noticed Halder's interest in his library. He helped her to read his books and newspapers--which she devoured enthusiastically--then suggested that she write her own life story. In this book, the result of her writing sessions, Halder speaks for thousands of Indian women, inviting readers into a world of poverty and subjugation few outsiders have heard about.--From publisher description.

Originally published: New Delhi ; New York : Zubaan : Penguin Books, 2006.