How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

Admittedly, I thought this book would contain more information about getting rich. It turned out to be a bittersweet account of a man's life.

His younger years made me reflect on what people I know who grew up in the Indian subcontinent must have gone through to get here.

I came away with a greater appreciation for this system we have in the West - as unfair as it may seem sometimes - it's nothing compared to the developing world.

I find life stories unsettling in their emptiness. "Is that all their life was?" This effect seems to be amplified when the narrative skips large chunks of time as it does in this book.

Even though my own life hasn't been particularly remarkable, I don't feel this way about it, so I hope something about the lived experience is hard to convey to a reader. I should probably try reading an extremely thorough biography to see if it also feels empty.

My least favorite part of the book was that at the beginning of each chapter the narrator breaks the fourth wall and discusses the merits of the book as a self-help book. I realized that this was where the author was showing off their literary chops, but I ended up nearly skimming these segments. Perhaps if I were more sophisticated or upon a second reading, I would enjoy them more.

This is the first book I've finished in a while. I finished it rather quickly and enjoyed it. It's short enough that it's worth sampling to see if it draws you in.