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Imprisoned in India: Corruption and Extortion in the World's Largest Democracy
James Tooley has been described as a 21st-century Indiana Jones, travelling to remote parts of the developing world to track something that many regarded as private schools serving the poor. It was in the Indian city of Hyderabad that Tooley first discovered these schools, and wrote about them in his award-winning book The Beautiful Tree , which also documented state corruption and the attempts to shut the schools down. But the state was to exact upon returning to Hyderabad, Tooley was unjustly arrested and thrown into prison. Conditions in the prison were dire, and the jailers typically cruel and violent, but the other prisoners were extraordinarily kind. Chillingly, many had been in prison for years, never charged with anything, often victims of police corruption, too poor to go to court and secure bail. Imprisoned in India tells the story of Tooley's incarceration and subsequent battles with maddeningly corrupt Indian bureaucracy, which made him realise how fundamental the rule of law is to the workings of a good society. It's something we take for granted, but without which all human flourishing is threatened, especially for the poor. Tooley discovered, too, how the human spirit, even amongst those wrongfully imprisoned, can soar above the brutality and tyranny of those in power.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 3, 2017
James Tooley brings us to 21st century India where corruption is something "common". He tells his story in a really compelling way and really brings us to where he was, what he saw and what he experienced. It helps see how this kind of corruption is heavily damaging people's lives and how nobody seems to care, to them it's something along the words of normal which is why these extortions keep happening. We see real examples of people's experiences with extortion corruption and why to some, it's necessary to be able to survive, people rely on extorting others to have money. Over all this is not just inspiring but also eye opening.
August 16, 2023
11/10.
This book surpassed all the expectations I had from the likes of it.
The whole story is set around the tragic incident of the author being falsely accused in a case and put into prison, only to extort money from him. The book takes you through the entire journey of the author to free himself from the trap that is set by certain Mrs Mantra of the CID.
But it is more than just a battle for freedom. It gives you an insight into the dismal reality of the law and order situation in India, especially for the poor and the downtrodden. It walks you through the dark alleys of corruption that you most probably know exist, as an Indian, but refuse to acknowledge it's existence unless it has it's tentacles deep inside your skin and start poisoning you or the people you hold dear.
But it does not just end there. The author has a big heart, as you will learn as you read the book, and even bigger soul to go beyond his personal despair and try to make sense of what's happening without incessantly turning bitter.
This book gave me a lot of "reality shocks" about the things I thought I knew how existed.
In the prison especially, you would expect the prisoners to be wild characters, their hands tainted in blood or violence or fraud or whatever inhumane quality you can come up with. But I was surprised to see how 'humane' they were. Friendly, compassionate and lively is the last thing I had expected a prisoner to be. But surprisingly they felt more 'human' than the supposed upholders of the law.
It was heartbreaking to know that around 2.5 lakh prisoners are undertrials - meaning no case has been filed against them - but they are still kept in prison for weeks or months or even years. There are a lot of things in the book that will break your heart but the author never let's you go down the spiral of hopeless despair. He will always come up with something to make you believe that maybe it's not the end afterall. Maybe there's meaning to whatever's going on, even if it seems rubbish on the surface. I can shower so much of praise for the work of art this book and Tooley's abysmal journey - both in the physical realm and the spiritual realm in his head - is, but I will fall short of words. So I will end here and very much recommend everyone to read this book.
This book surpassed all the expectations I had from the likes of it.
The whole story is set around the tragic incident of the author being falsely accused in a case and put into prison, only to extort money from him. The book takes you through the entire journey of the author to free himself from the trap that is set by certain Mrs Mantra of the CID.
But it is more than just a battle for freedom. It gives you an insight into the dismal reality of the law and order situation in India, especially for the poor and the downtrodden. It walks you through the dark alleys of corruption that you most probably know exist, as an Indian, but refuse to acknowledge it's existence unless it has it's tentacles deep inside your skin and start poisoning you or the people you hold dear.
But it does not just end there. The author has a big heart, as you will learn as you read the book, and even bigger soul to go beyond his personal despair and try to make sense of what's happening without incessantly turning bitter.
This book gave me a lot of "reality shocks" about the things I thought I knew how existed.
In the prison especially, you would expect the prisoners to be wild characters, their hands tainted in blood or violence or fraud or whatever inhumane quality you can come up with. But I was surprised to see how 'humane' they were. Friendly, compassionate and lively is the last thing I had expected a prisoner to be. But surprisingly they felt more 'human' than the supposed upholders of the law.
It was heartbreaking to know that around 2.5 lakh prisoners are undertrials - meaning no case has been filed against them - but they are still kept in prison for weeks or months or even years. There are a lot of things in the book that will break your heart but the author never let's you go down the spiral of hopeless despair. He will always come up with something to make you believe that maybe it's not the end afterall. Maybe there's meaning to whatever's going on, even if it seems rubbish on the surface. I can shower so much of praise for the work of art this book and Tooley's abysmal journey - both in the physical realm and the spiritual realm in his head - is, but I will fall short of words. So I will end here and very much recommend everyone to read this book.
February 11, 2018
I read Professor James Tooley's previous book, The Beautiful Tree, which uncovers the education revolution taking place in emerging markets through low-cost private schools.
In the eight years since its publication, the ideas James presented have become widely accepted, and the book has become the "Bible" of low-cost private education, followed by many education entrepreneurs all over the world.
James himself started a number of projects to help poor children obtain a better education. Within the context of one his great initiatives in India, he got unjustly sent to prison and subsequently kept captive for months by police officers that were looking for bribes. How can that possibly happen in the world’s largest democracy?
Imprisoned in India is a heartbreaking chronicle of the immense human suffering that an indifferent and bureaucratic system, coupled with corrupt enforcement, is causing on thousands of people. The book analyzes the origins of this gigantic injustice and hopefully will help create awareness on this issue that needs to be resolved.
This book is an eye-opener… I read it while traveling in India, and once I started it I couldn’t put it down until the last page. After finishing it, I felt very vulnerable: if a prestigious professor doing great work for poor children can be blackmailed in such an arbitrary way, nobody is safe!
In the eight years since its publication, the ideas James presented have become widely accepted, and the book has become the "Bible" of low-cost private education, followed by many education entrepreneurs all over the world.
James himself started a number of projects to help poor children obtain a better education. Within the context of one his great initiatives in India, he got unjustly sent to prison and subsequently kept captive for months by police officers that were looking for bribes. How can that possibly happen in the world’s largest democracy?
Imprisoned in India is a heartbreaking chronicle of the immense human suffering that an indifferent and bureaucratic system, coupled with corrupt enforcement, is causing on thousands of people. The book analyzes the origins of this gigantic injustice and hopefully will help create awareness on this issue that needs to be resolved.
This book is an eye-opener… I read it while traveling in India, and once I started it I couldn’t put it down until the last page. After finishing it, I felt very vulnerable: if a prestigious professor doing great work for poor children can be blackmailed in such an arbitrary way, nobody is safe!
November 3, 2025
- amazing read, learned a lot about our Indian Justice system and how it fails the rule of law and more importantly tons of innocent citizens.
- the author has a very clear, direct, and consistent chronological style of writing making it easy for the reader to follow along the events of the memoir and also to deeply connect with the emotions of the author.
- super captivating read, finished it in a day, got me out of my reading slump.
- interludes give great insight into the situation of the justice system and is an essay version of the experience of the author.
- must read, very insightful, and thought provoking
- the author has a very clear, direct, and consistent chronological style of writing making it easy for the reader to follow along the events of the memoir and also to deeply connect with the emotions of the author.
- super captivating read, finished it in a day, got me out of my reading slump.
- interludes give great insight into the situation of the justice system and is an essay version of the experience of the author.
- must read, very insightful, and thought provoking
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews