This book is an excellent read.  It has been several years since I read it, but it is still so memorable it seems like yesterday.  The City of Joy is about a leper colony in the heart of Calcutta and the struggles of the pariahs, the poorest of the poor.  to live, love and survive in a city that is seemingly without hope. 
Yet, when a young doctor from a very wealthy family with a phobia about dirt experiences the loss of a patient, he responds to an ad for a doctor to volunteer to work with the poor in the city of joy. 
His experiences and the incredibly wonderful people he encounters are touching in every way.  I laughed. I cried. And I learned gratitude from the depth of my being. 
This book is well written and unforgettable.  A friend of mine who is a cardiologist read the book and was so moved by it that he and his wife travelled to Calcutta and the City of Joy to see how they could be of help. 
Celebrating life is what this book is all about - right up to the chilling and unforgettable ending!