Page 11 - Book Reviews

On Failing: Where the quiet complexities of failure take centre stage

Through an eclectic collection of essays spanning subjects from suicide to physiology, On Failing creates space for failure to exist-without forcing life lessons down anyone's throat

The SITA factor: Yechury's essays defend socialism as real choice

This posthumous volume distils Sitaram Yechury's lifelong case for socialism as a path to dignity and justice

The Undying Light: Gopalkrishna Gandhi's memoir on modern India's making

Gopalkrishna Gandhi's memoir offers an up close and personal view of the making of the modern nation-state, given his proximity to those who shaped the formative years of independent India

Farewell Karachi: Bhawana Somaaya's tribute to family and lost home

The author elaborates on her role and experiences as a film journalist - a career that she confesses happened purely by accident

'Strangers in the Land' traces Chinese workers' rise and expulsion in US

But you can't paint a complete picture of America without this story, and The New Yorker journalist Michael Luo tells it persuasively in this book, a granular account of Chinese migration to US

Ananda: The sacred, profane, and psychedelic journeys of cannabis

From the Himalayan hush of Himachal to the coastal dreams of Kerala, this book on cannabis journeys through India - each stop bringing a new strain, a new state of mind, and a new high

Nike's best foot forward: How Sonny Vaccaro changed the game forever

The movie Air ensured Sonny Vaccaro would forever be known for the Jordan-Nike signing, but his autobiography makes clear it didn't define him

Pratap: The 'conscience of India' and a chronicle of press freedom

The book chronicles the rise and fall of the Indian press over roughly a century. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers of journalism, politics, law and literature

Raisina Chronicles: A public square for global dialogue and debate

This collection of essays by world leaders offers rich insights into key priorities in specific geographies and across the world

Tales of influence, ambition: 3 books about tech, politics and big business

Germany's big businesses profited thanks to their collaboration, and after the war most executives escaped blame, keeping much of the plundered wealth even after millions died

The Feminisms of Our Mothers: How one woman's step sparked progress

This anthology successfully subverts the social dynamics of men and women in patriarchy, and centres women as the subjects of their exploration

Foreign policy in Amrit Kaal: 75 key events, limited fresh insight

Harsh Pant and Anant Singh Mann draw on 75 years of history to chart India's foreign policy course for the next 25

The true value of a book really lies in what the reader takes from it

If leaders read this book, reflect upon the contents, relate the lessons to their own experiences, and hold tight to their NI (natural intelligence), they increase their odds of success

Indian policing and the legacy of violence: A call for urgent reform

Has the dehumanisation of the police worsened their violence? Deana Heath and Jinee Lokaneeta explore this through political and sociological lenses, calling for urgent reform

Hayek's Bastards: Far Right's love-hate relationship with globalisation

The economic ideas that are predicated on such a worldview are inevitably ruthless and cutthroat

Anirudh Kanisetti's 'Lords of Earth and Sea' explores legacy of the Cholas

Beyond the lively empire-building narrative, Kanisetti offers a sobering portrait of medieval society built on slaves, the exploitation of women

Poonam Agarwal's book 'India Inked' decodes India's electoral practices

Poonam Agarwal offers an excellent account of the supposedly politics-agnostic electoral bonds for anyone wanting to understand how a part of India's election system works - and how it is undermined

How meritocracy manages to mask the rise of inherited wealth and privilege

Why meritocracy is insufficient to get rid of inequity

'Letters from Gaza' offers a ringside view of the human cost of endless war

Each piece of prose or poetry conjures images of a complete lack of normalcy in any form. But they are beautifully written, evocatively descriptive and emotionally rich

'Voice for the Voiceless' explores the Dalai Lama's Tibetan destiny

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, has written a book that demands to be read cover to cover - especially by those who feel let down by his perceived softness towards the Chinese government