The Life of Pi Yann Martel

Review by Niko C. *****

    Pi Patel is a god loving boy, as well as the son of a zookeeper. He has a love for the stories and practices of not only his native religion Hinduism, but of Christianity and Islam as well. When he was sixteen, he his family and all of their animals emigrate to North America on a Japanese cargo boat, but the ship sinks. As the boat is going down Pi quickly finds a lifeboat and jumps in, joining the hyena, orangutan, wounded zebra and Bengal Tiger who are already in the boat. Can Pi make it to land safely? And what about the animals?

    This book is about the hardships Pi faces during his long voyage and how he survives with the animals through many straining ordeals, like landing on an island with carnivorous plants, and simply getting food and water for himself and his companions. It mostly all takes place in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on a medium sized lifeboat with few supplies. I liked this book because it was very interesting to read about all the ways he survives and gets what he needs to survive for himself and his crewmates, and how he comes up with all these ways to keep himself and his crewmates alive.

   This book makes me think about how important it is to be healthy, smart and creative so you will last longer if you for example, were trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a bunch of animals. It reminds me of all the amazing feats people go through to stay alive in the craziest situations, like the man who had to saw his own arm off with a pocket knife, and how thankful I am that I haven't had to go through the same thing. (So far at least.)