Price: $3.99 (on sale at the used bookstore!)
Date finished: July 25, 2013
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: Ram Mohammed Thomas, a poor, uneducated, orphan boy who works as a waiter is arrested after winning India's biggest quiz show, "Who Will Win a Billion?" The producers claim he cheated, because how could an uneducated kid who never attended school possibly have won? He is saved from his jail cell by his lawyer (who read about him in the paper). Over the course of one evening, he shares with her the stories of his life which explain how he knew the answers to all of the questions.
My Thoughts:
I have not seen the movie that was based off of this book, and I am glad. I generally like to read the book first (the book is usually better). I read this book quickly, in just over a week. I was surprised at how much I liked it.
I was hooked right from the start. The main character, Ram, is interesting and made me want to get to know him better from the moment I met him. He meets interesting people and has a unique perspective on life. At one point he is earning decent money, but rather than saving it as he did during a previous time when we was making an even better living (and then losing it all), he shares it with those around him who he feels needs it more.
I enjoyed the format of the book as well. A series of stories, not necessarily in chronological order, telling us how he knew the answers to all the quiz show questions as well as the story of his life.
I suppose now I have to see the movie in order to compare them!
