How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (1st Edition) (2.3.2013)

I heard an interview with the author on NPR about this book and I ordered it up on Kindle. The second person narrative was awkward at first,but eventually this innovative approach began to work for me and I understood the book on a number of levels including its potential to comment on our current society and the values we share.

Hamid takes the worn out structure of the self- help genre and turns it into a love story on the death of a rags to riches entrepreneur in an emerging economy. The result is a masterful reminder that the best of us all deserve attention and dignity. A celebration of the time in our lives between when everything is possible and nothing is possible-- where Hamid says "creativity lives."

With the debut of his third novel, Hamid's writing continues to be clear and compelling.
An excellent allegory for the millions of misplaced dreams that wealth and status will provide the foundations for " the good life"; in South East Asia or any where else for that matter.

I think so. This brought back many memories of "Bright Lights, Big City" which was funny, clever, and revolutionary (writing in the second person singular?). But Mohsid Hamid's book is funnier, clever-er [sic] and more revolutionary in that he totally got -- at least to my mind -- life's total arc.

Cried at the end of it, and have gifted it to many, many friends. A startling achievement.

This book is very readable and captures the nature of life in Asia (from what I've seen of it). More important, the unusual 2nd person narrative manages to endear the unethical speaker to the reader. This is a "smart" book.

a penetrating and piercing view of a specific culture and time, yet also universal in many ways. a harsh and cynical view which reveals great tenderness and sympathy for people with . all their foibles.

Hamid's depiction of a destitute boy who becomes a wealthy supplier of water is engulfing. Not only does the book attract a readers eyes but his/her senses. The (western) reader is placed in an uncommon land were opportunity and death starkly coexist.

A great book for any adolescent or adult reader.

*Warning Suprise ending*

Moshin will NOT teach you how to get rich in this book. However this book is very good and got me hooked. One of those where you can put it down. Def, by this book UNLESS you actually want to learn how to make money in Asia.

We never really know who is telling this story. It could be person from the past or the present. Perhaps it is some sort of omniscient voice. Sometimes the observations aren't so wise. But the voice took me in right away.

Hamid's book is structured as a self help book addressing the unnamed protagonist working his way from grinding poverty to become filthy rich. The term filthy rich is not an accidental idiom; it encompasses all the actions that had been required to reach wealthy status for a man born with lack of estate, power, or pedigree. This narrator is the second character and his insight into the pain and regrets of the protagonist constitute the unknown fate and future of his efforts. This voice is wry and sometimes nostalgic. The narrator is a perverse Jiminy Cricket bearing the practical side of a conscience i n a world too poor to accomodate one.

Meanwhile, Hamid has managed to transform the now ritual story of the boy rising from the Indian slums to monetary success. He has escaped the hackneyed plot. In adding the narrator speaking in second person, he allows his characher to pause mentally from some of the "filthier" parts of his wealth while still pursuing whatever he needs to do. The point that Indian success depends on a totally different set of rules from some other countries is acknowledged, but in the end is slyly seen to be identical to the stories of any acquired wealth. Sometimes I longed to yell over the narrator and dissuade him from one course or another, but this is the fate of a book. To complete the quote in the title, each reader constructs his own book just as each sperm creates its own universe in its successful pursuit of the egg.

This book will pursue you and lie in wait for you in the crannies of wisdom dispersed with the plot. I wasn't attracted by the title, but read it due to the store editor picks, and I have to say that this was completely merited. It is another story pitched to your mind in its making of its own version of this book.

Evokes emotion. Elicits empathy. Beautifully written. Touching. Highly recommended.
Evokes emotion. Elicits empathy. Beautifully written. Touching. Highly recommended.
Evokes emotion. Elicits empathy. Beautifully written. Touching. Highly recommended.

Mohsin Hamid utilizes an unusual writing style. Using the construct of a 'self-help' book as the context, the third person voice reveals an interesting tale with a powerful ending. I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read.

Mohsin continues from where he started in "The case of Exploding Mangoes" i.e. he continues being a great story teller. The book flows beautifully across a life time. An easy read and higly reccomended.Very absorbing and a roller coaster ride.

Many people write, but few write well. Mohsin Hamid is one of those gifted writers who can tell a good story from start to finish. He has a talent for weaving whimsy in a tale that might otherwise be considered melancholy.

The book delivers the tale of a whole lifetime in almost minimalist chapters, which can be sparse at times yet also packs a punch. It gives a vivid insight into the rapid development of India since the mid 20th century, and the choices and traps this has opened for people. The choice of an ironic 'self help' book formula is a great choice of narrative structure.

Many people write, but few write well. Mohsin Hamid is one of those gifted writers who can tell a good story from start to finish. He has a talent for weaving whimsy in a tale that might otherwise be considered melancholy.

The book delivers the tale of a whole lifetime in almost minimalist chapters, which can be sparse at times yet also packs a punch. It gives a vivid insight into the rapid development of India since the mid 20th century, and the choices and traps this has opened for people. The choice of an ironic 'self help' book formula is a great choice of narrative structure.

I found this hysterically funny although there were some in my bookclub who though it was depressing. I came originally from SE Asia so I understand the poverty Mohsin Hamid was talking about and the desperation to rise above the poverty. However, although the book depicts the dire poverty so many in India and Pakistan live in, I thought that Mr. Hamid was able to also bring humor and sarcasm into this book without making the protagonist into people you despise or feel sorry for. In the end, this was basically a book of satire with a large dose of self deprecating humor.

The life of the protagonist 'you' in what seems to be Pakistan forms the base of this novel. Through the various stages of his (you) life the author explains the modus operandi of getting rich in Asia. You, the reader begin to empathize with you the protagonist even though he is corrupt, distant and unromantic. Overall quick and enjoyable read.

Evoking an anonymous protagonist's slitherings through the under-belly of our global capitalistic kleptocracy, Mohsin takes us in hand and shows us the dehumanizing choices we make chasing money/power. That he can do it with a wide sense of irony, pathos and verve, makes his story riveting and a compulsive read. The last time I read a book who's characters made me weep and love, as if they were my best friends, yet whose names were not revealed, was Ayi Kwei Armah's "The Beautiful ones are not yet Born".
This is a wonderful, frightening and vivid story that no movie could imitate or express in its spluttering for a humanity that we all take for granted but which is being peeled from our souls daily.

Very compelling and originally written. I enjoyed reading it and find it fascinating to read about the life of all those people who live in the lower echelon of society in places like India, yet who have so much courage,intelligence and energy to rise out of their station in life.

Phenomenal book! Brilliant writing. Our book group had a rich discussion covering content, style, characters and points of view and unanimously decided to read his The Reluctant Fundamentalist as our March choice.

I liked this because I felt like the main character was talking directly to me about his life. It was a fast read but you were still transported to his world. I would recommend this to people looking for an interesting story about another culture.

The humor along with the novel approach to how the story is delivered made "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia" an exciting and satisfying read for me.

The writing style of the book is unique in that it dedicates each chapter to a step toward getting rich. It makes use of the second person when addressing the main character, thus, the main character is only know as “you” to us readers. In fact, all characters remain nameless and are simply identified in relation to the main character (your mother, your father, the pretty girl).

The story is narrated by providing facts about the main character’s life and adding emotional commentary to provide context. The narrative is quick, smart and funny. For example, when describing the relationship between the mother and grandmother in the first chapter, Hamid writes, “Your mother and grandmother play a waiting game. The older woman waits for the younger woman to age, the younger woman waits for the older woman to die. It is a game both will inevitably win.” Hamid continues by describing the mother in the following way
: "In an all-female society your mother would likely rise to be queen, a bloody staff in her hand and crushed skulls beneath her feet.” That description made me laugh and, of course, allowed me to get a good sense of the mother’s personality.

What was also interesting to me was that the storytelling provides a humorous (yet sad) mental picture of the societal barriers such as the failure of basic services (clean water, sewage, roads, etc) and the corruption of the civil servants in country where the main character lives.

I’ve not read any of Hamid’s writing before; therefore, I am unsure if this book is typical of his writing style. Regardless, I found the approach of the narrative interesting and the story completely absorbing.