Author: Yann Martel
Publisher: Mariner Books
Copyright: 2001
ISBN: 9780156027328
Reading Level: Adult
Interest Age: Grade 9 and up
Genre: Adventure/Thrillers--Survival Stories
Reader’s Annotation: Pi Patel survives 227 days at sea with a tiger in his lifeboat.
Plot Summary
Pi Patel had a happy childhood except for the small matter of his name. He grew up in Pondicherry, India, helping his parents and brother run the family zoo. He began life a devout Hindu and later became a devout Muslim and Christian, too. But his full name, Piscine Molitor Patel (after a swimming pool in Paris) earned him the nickname “Pissing Patel,” making his school life difficult.
At 16 Pi and his family set out for Canada, taking a few of their animals on the boat with them. A storm comes up only a few days out and the boats sinks, drowning everyone but Pi, an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. They all share the lifeboat for a few tense days. First the hyena eats the zebra (bit by bit) and the orangutan, then Richard Parker eats the hyena. Once the boy and the tiger are alone in the lifeboat, Pi decides that he would rather have Richard Parker than no company at all. So instead of trying to kill him, Pi trains the tiger to believe that he, Pi, is the alpha animal. When the lifeboat’s supplies run out, Pi uses the water desalination kits and learns to fish with the limited equipment he has. He and Richard Parker survive for months amid sharks, rain, and blistering sun, ever hoping for a sight of land.
Critical Evaluation
Pi’s voice has a distinctive blend of melodrama, pedantry, and humor. His first words to the reader are, “My suffering left me sad and gloomy.” Describing his academic career in Canada, he says, “I got every possible student award from the Department of Zoology. If I got none from the Department of Religious Studies, it is simply because there are no student awards in this department (the rewards of religious study are not in mortal hands, we all know that).” He recommends his training program for Richard Parker as a good way to deal with "major lifeboat pests."
The book is divided into three sections, the middle one comprising the bulk of the story—the lifeboat journey. This is ingeniously told. The details of how Pi managed to survive render the outrage premise almost plausible. The first and third sections describe Pi’s childhood (his naming, teasing, zoo experience, and various religious conversions) and the aftermath of his arrival in Mexico, respectively. Both feel a bit superfluous and go on too long. There is also a frame for Pi’s story—the “author’s notes”—that seem rather self-indulgent to me and don’t add much.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Booktalking Ideas: Describe how Pi trains Richard Parker.
Challenge Issues: Some gore
In the defense file, I will include my library's selection policy, ALA's Library Bill of Rights, ALA's guidelines on free access to libraries for minors (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/freeaccesslibraries.cfm), and ALA's strategies and tips for dealing with challenges to library materials (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips/index.cfm). I will also include my library's reconsideration form, in case challenges to this book cannot be defused with "tea and sympathy." I'll include glowing reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and The New Yorker.
About the Author
The award-winning author of four books, the most recent of which is What Is Stephen Harper Reading?, Yann Martel is one of this country's most interesting and surprising writers. Born in Spain in 1963, Yann grew up in various places as the son of diplomats. His parents now live in Montreal, where Yann visits regularly.
He won the Journey Prize for the title story in The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. Life of Pi was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. It was the winner of the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction as well as the Man Booker Prize. Yann lives with writer Alice Kuipers and their son, Theo, in Saskatoon.
http://www.randomhouse.ca/newface/martel.php#about
Why is this title included?
Cart identifies Life of Pi as an adult book that is a crossover hit with teens. It's also received great critical acclaim, including winning the Man Booker Prize.