Slumdog Millionaire - Book Review

‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Written by Vikas Swarup                                                                      Luna Kim

 In this book ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Ram Mohammad Thomas tells the story of his life and all its ups and downs. He's just eighteen, and yet he has experienced one of a roller-coaster rides of his life. In many ways, these book tells the readers about problems, solutions and opportunities in your life.

 The author of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is Vikas Swarup. Vikas Swarup was born in Allahabad in India. After finishing high school and college, he started learning about psychology, history and philosophy. In August 20009, he became Consul General of India in Osaka, Japan. His first book was Slumdog Millionaire. It took him 2 months and it is made into 42 different languages and made into a film.

  He participated in an Indian TV quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion?  Despite being an uneducated waiter, became the first contestant to answer all twelve questions correctly and take the prize. At the beginning of the book,  he is arrested for ‘cheating in the quiz show’, the television producers charging that he must have cheated and that they shouldn't have to pay up. Tortured by the police, he gets a reprieve when a lawyer is willing to at least listen to his side of the story, demanding to hear the full story of how Ram could have answered all these questions. By telling episodes from his life, the readers know how he came to know the answers to these particular questions.

 Most part of this book is surprising the readers. It has a lot twists between each chapter. For example, the spectacular murder-suicide of the priest who had raised him as a young child.  It has a lot of misery, evil, heartbreak,  and reversals of fortune. Ram isn't merely orphaned once, but several times. He has to take care and earn money by himself from an early age, and every time he seems to have found a place where he is safe.

 My favorite character is Ram Mohmmad Thomas. Ram Mohammad Thomas is an Indian, poor citizen, who works as a waiter and gets arrested for being suspected on cheating at a quiz show. Even though he has a dramatic negative events in his life, he has the ability to make decisions fast and cleverly. For example, when Ram Mohmmad needed small hint for his quiz, he called the English teacher. Before the scene of this quiz show, Ram Mohmmad had gave the English teacher 40000 rupees for free to save English teacher’s precious son.

 My favorite part of the book is when Nita’s father is offering more and more money for Nita’s surgery fee. Nita is a girl who Ram wants to marry, but Nita is already engaged.  But when Nita said to the engaged man that she has a boyfriend, the man hits Nita very strong and painful that Nita needs a surgery. I like this scene because it is related to the reality. Sometimes when someone got hurt, his or her parents’ will blame the person who did not hurt their child.

 My least favorite part of the book is when the author describes how Ram gets punished by having people suspicious in the quiz show. The author had described the cruel and evil action of the inspector. In the book it says: ‘There is pain coming from every part of my body. I am hanging from a wooden beam in a large room. My hands are tied to the beam with rope and my feet are a meter above the floor. Inspector Godbole has been hitting me for more than an hour. Earlier, he pushed my head into some water and held it there. I nearly drowned.’ The author used 1st person to make it sound more realistic to the readers, and the author described the actions of inspector by using 1st person.