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Jason Greco

Mrs. Baditoi

(H) English 9

20 April 2017

Life of Pi Persuasive Book Review

Try to picture that you just lost your entire family on a sinking ship called the Tsimtsum

and have become stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But, you find

yourself in the company of an orangutan, a zebra, a spotted hyena, and a 450 pound Bengal tiger.

All of these animals feel just as scared and hungry as you. As you may already know, many see

the Bengal Tiger as one of the most dangerous and territorial animals in the world (National

Geographic). Sixteen year old Piscine Molitor Patel found himself in these exact circumstances

when traveling from India to Canada with his family.

Although this novel mainly discusses Pis experiences on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean,

it also follows Pi through his early life and explore his beliefs as a young man. Pi grows up as

the son of a zookeeper where he learns to understand the ways of many animals. He also

simultaneously becomes a devout Hindu, Christian, and Muslim. One challenge that Pi has to

deal with as well is his name. Many classmates criticize and make fun of his name constantly at

school. All of these things help build his character before his journey even begins.

Following the shipwreck, Pi has food on the lifeboat to last him about 93 days and

enough water to last about 124 days. He ends up being at sea for 227 days. Many

inconveniences similar to this plague Pi throughout his journey. Although he finds himself in

difficult circumstances, he still has faith and courage on his side. Pis tragedy forces him to

challenge some of his beliefs and forces him to do what he has to do to survive. A special aspect
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of this novel is that the author allows us to not only follow Pis actions, but his thought process

from the collection of vital resources to his interactions with a fierce bengal tiger, named Richard

Parker.

This novel is definitely very special because of its touching story of survival against all

odds, as well as many spectacular reviews, awards such as the Booker Award in 2002

(Bookweb), and the 22 weeks it spent on the New York Times Bestseller List (New York Times).

Also, the author beautifully describes this adventure so you can get a perfect picture of what Pi is

experiencing. But, one thing truly makes this novel unique. At the end of the novel, the author

has you question everything you just read and choose between two versions of what happened to

Pi after his ship sank. The story is ultimately determined by how the reader interprets the novel.

Nobody knows what really happened to Piscine Molitor Patel when the Tsimtsum sank. For this

reason, I strongly suggest that you read this story and decide for yourself.

Works Cited
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"Life of Pi Wins 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction." American Booksellers Association. N.p.,

31 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Martel, Yann, E. L. James, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Matthew Quick, Nicholas

Sparks, Paula McLain, Max Brook Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Photo Ark. "Bengal Tiger." National Geographic. N.p., 23 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

s, Isaac Marion, Vanessa Diffenbaugh, P. D. James, Maya Banks, Gillian Flynn, Jonathan Cahn,

Susan Mallery, Andrea Camilleri, and Sylvia Day. "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best

Sellers - March 17, 2013." The New York Times. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 30 Apr.

2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2013/03/17/trade-fiction-paperback/?

_r=0>.