Saturday, January 14, 2012

A Personal Favorite

Has anyone read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel?
It's not a math book, it's about faith, man and G-d. (Pi is the protagonist's name). I found it to be very compelling. The book is almost all a mashal which is fun to read, telling the story of a boy and a tiger and their unexpected friendship. After reading it I debated the take-home message at the end of the book with friends and would love to hear what other people's thoughts are!

I also second The Chosen appearance on a couple of people's lists. It's a real classic, so very rich with themes for thinking Jews.

2 comments:

Rabbi Besser said...

A bunch of years ago my wife read Life of Pi, and gave me a plot summary which might ruin it for me. She kept saying it was fascinating and profound, I thought it sounded weird. Guess I should have listened to her.

Mrs. Samuels said...

It's not too late. I doubt what your wife told you could ruin it that much. It depends on how extensively she described the mashal/nimshal which is debate-able anyways.
Also, before that part, which is the bulk of the book, there is a very interesting analysis of religion in a straightforward way. I don't remember it well but I remember that it was interesting.

If you have free time this vacation, check it out.

Thanks for the picture!