LIFE OF PI, by Yann MartelAR: Yes
Interest Level: Upper Grades
Audiobook Available in HS Library
One of my very best friends in the whole world recommended this book to me, so I picked it up at an airport. I have to admit that through most of the experience of reading it, I was thinking to myself, "This is an OK book, but I wouldn't rave about it" I stuck with it, though, and boy am I glad I did! It's the story of a sixteen year old boy named Pi--it has nothing to do with the number Pi--it's his nickname, which is short for Piscine...a name that sounded a lot like another unflattering word, (think urine) so he changed it to just Pi. Pi is a deeply spiritual person who, after learning the teachings of Hinduism, Islam, and Catholicism, creates his own spiritual practice from all three traditions. This is the story of how Pi survived 227 days on a lifeboat in the Pacific, with a royal bengal tiger, a zebra and a hyena...or is it?
The Life of Pi . . . hmmmm . . . what can I say. It was a "cult" book around our school last year, what with you and several other teachers reading it and "pushing" it on us unsuspecting book nerds! heheh! Just kidding! (gimme a break -- just got finished with King Dork here with his whole Catcher in the Rye cult thingie going on!) At any rate, it was an interesting book to say the least. I enjoyed it, but didn't "get" it. My dad and I had several conversations about it which I enjoyed. You, book guru Teresa, I could tell, thoroughly enjoyed explaining to me the whole book after I told you I just didn't "get it"! And in return, I thoroughly enjoyed explaining to my dad what you had told me! hahah! So . . . your I-know-something-you-don't-know joy rubbed off on me and was transferred to my dad! funny. Just like me, he totally "got it" after the explanation you gave. Aside from the mossy island . .. still a mystery . . . still unbelievable. A book I read, a book I didn't hate, but not a book on my top 5.
ReplyDeleteThe Life of Pi is an entertaining book. I like animals, seeing people grow and mature, and religous debates or new ideas. This book has all that and more.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the interesting animal information and stories (esp interesting was how tigers are trained), but my favorite part of the book was either the story about why he changed his name or the story about how Pi got in trouble for practicing several religions at once.
A warning: if you don't like twists at the end of books that bring up new questions, this one may not be for you. The ending certainly doesn't tie everything up neatly. It leaves open for thought/debate what REALLY went on out in that life boat.
Where did the meercat skeletons in the boat come from?
ReplyDeletefrom the dead meerkats! hah!
ReplyDeleteReally good book I would recommend it to anybody. A friend told me about it and so I read it and it was so addicting (got in trouble in math class a few times for reading it while Mrs. Lara was teaching) But other than that I could not stop reading it until the end. Which by the way is a little perplexing.
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