Stories of rottenness and corruption are always the best stories, aren’t they ? - Balram Halwai

This is a good book .

I suggest to readers to keep an open mind and put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist. He comes from a 3rd world country where corruption and poverty is the way of life ....and it’s not the same country (USA) we all live in or been privileged to live in .

If you’re looking for a simple and motivating novel with an amenable protagonist, Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger is not for you. If probing into the intricacies of social classes in India is considered simple and motivating, and an egoistic murderer with a complex and rotten backstory is deemed amenable by your standards then, in that case, you’ll find The White Tiger to be the perfect novel. The novel follows an epistolary format where Balram Halwai, the narrator, addresses a series of letters to the Premier of China, Mr. Jiabao, over the course of seven nights upon hearing about the Premier's approaching arrival in Bangalore, India. Balram went by many names: Munna, Balram, The White Tiger, and another name which he adopted for the remainder of his life. But these were not just names—no, they were different stages of Balram’s life as he fought his way from the Darkness to the Light. Through the eyes of a poor boy, a rickshaw-puller’s son, a former human spider, a personal driver, a successful entrepreneur: Balram Halwai, the realities of corruption and the disparities in social classes in India are shown brazenly and in the most flagrant way. I rate this novel 3/5 stars and due to offensive and mature language, recommend it to readers ages 15+ @ilovefood of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

The White Tiger is a great book exploring the ideas of social classes in India. Establishing an unreliable protagonist (Balram) from the start, this book makes you question every move that the character makes, as the text is written by the protagonist as letters to the Premier Wen Jiabao.
- A main feature is to enlighten the audience on the corruptness throughout the rich class, considering the protagonist Balram has grown up in the Darkness (the poor class of India), making his way to the top as an entrepreneur.
- An enjoyable read, if you are a person that doesn't mind a slow pace plot.

Reading this book more than once does give better insight into the depth that Adiga is trying to portray.
I would recommend giving this book a go, its quite interesting!!

Quite original

Great book. I loved it.

When my mother first went to India she asked what I wanted as a souvenir. I requested “books by South Indian writers” and if they were ones I’d have trouble finding in Canada all the better. Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger won the Booker in 2008, so it’s not like it’d be especially difficult for me to find here, but I hadn’t read it before this week. Well done, Mom.

The White Tiger is about a country boy named Balram from The Darkness, interior India’s villages. He’s pulled out of school as a child and eventually becomes the driver for a landlord’s son. That job takes him to Delhi where he formulates his ideas of servanthood and the terrible nature of it. Balram is telling this story in the form of reminiscent letters to Wen Jiabao (now former-) leader of China. Now that Balram is a successful entrepreneur he is teaching the communist leader how India really works.

There is a lot of cheating and other dishonesty throughout. It’s a very entertaining read and its struggle against the chicken coop of a democracy that lets votes be bought and sold is effective and maddening. There are two scenes that particularly stand out to me. In both of them Balram is a bystander as someone “goes mad” and tries to behave as if you could take what people say at face value. In one instance a man tries to enter a shopping mall. In another a man tries to vote on election day. Both are futile exercises for the poor man.

I wouldn't rely on this book as an entirely accurate depiction of modern India, but it is a pretty good story.

Great writing that connects dark humor, with characters challenged by class conflicts in India.

This story says a lot about social standing and expectations and restrictions.
For all his faults (and actions), Balram is a man of principle and fairness. He believes in treating people as people and, although there is always a social pecking order, he believes in sincerity and honor in those positions.
I found the book incredibly interesting and, in a lot of ways, horrifying. It says a lot about caste, position, hopelessness and what these things may drive a person to do in the name of survival.

Written in a dark and humorous tone, but didn't really capture me. I was only mildly curious to read how things turned out for the main character.

Particularly fun on audiobook. Very clever and poignant