The book, Slumdog Millionaire, written by Vikas Swarup was previously published as Q and A. With the success of the movie, the book was re-published under the title that was used for the movie. The book is about an Indian boy who has grown up on the streets of India. This boy goes on to a quiz show where, to the astonishment of most everyone around him, he is able to answer the questions correctly based on his life experiences.
We find Ram in jail because he has been arrested for cheating on the game show. It is assumed that he cheated because how could a boy from the streets possibly know anything. Ram states that as children growing up on the streets that “œthe brain is not something we are permitted to use.” Ram is saved from torture by his lawyer to whom he then spends the rest of the book explaining how he knew all of the answers to the questions.