Page 115 - Book Reviews

Democracy without democrats?

The book covers the broad sweep of Pakistan history post 1989, but it is an insider's account of the inner workings of the army for the three-and-a-half years from 1989 to 1992

What are the biggest problems facing us in the 21st century?

While Harari's previous best sellers, Sapiens and Homo Deus, covered the past and future respectively, his new book is all about the present

Review of Ruby Lal's 'Empress': A remarkable story of Nur Jahan's reign

Ruby Lal has created a remarkable portrait of an empress by locating her in the historical situation in which she found herself, writes Rudrangshu Mukherjee

Lahore: Syncretic past, troubled present

In recounting the more contemporary history of Lahore since Partition, Haroon Khalid also offers a sober commentary on the tortured politics of Pakistan

Humanising the refugee

The book has testimonies of young adults who had trouble completing their education in exile for lack of familiarity with the local medium of instruction

Follies of the wise men

A chapter on assorted kings and other leaders features a bizarre cast of characters

RSS, inside out

The BJP's abstention had substantially to do with the bitter memories of party leaders, who felt targeted in the erstwhile Janata Party due to its association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

What is identity?

Both books help explain so much more than Trump. #MeToo. White nationalism. Hindu nationalism. Black Lives Matter. Campus debates about privilege and appropriation. Syria. Islamism

Manu S Pillai's 'Rebel Sultans' review: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji

A fine history shifts the reader's attention from the Shivaji/Aurangzeb template towards the other interesting and just as important men who helped define that region, says Aakar Patel

Central Asia's cultural crossroads

Radhu describes how the Tibetan ruling elite in Lhasa was completely out of touch with the significant political changes taking place in both China and India

Priyanka Chopra: Work in progress

Her story does not end with the book

A powerlisters' guide to success

Since this book is based on conversations with Asia's successful entrepreneurs, the advice is relevant for Indian businessmen

The inequality enablers

It's now very clear that globalisation, technology and market liberalisation did not bring their promised benefits

The Death of Truth review: How fake US election news generated more readers

One would have expected more literary references and a historical interpretation of what led to the Trump phenomenon

CM who lives to fight another day

Naveen Patnaik has survived so long as chief minister because he knows which battles to fight and which ones to postpone for a later date

Tamil Nadu's politics of welfare

The question remains, though: Why did it work so well in Tamil Nadu and not in the northern states?

The fault lies not in our tech

Your Happiness Was Hacked is an interesting look into the way technology has overtaken our lives, but it takes its premise too far

Scams deconstructed

This book describes interesting cases of fraud, some of which you will marvel for their ingenuity. One is the long-firm fraud, writes Sanjay Kumar Singh

What role do teachers play in education?

More than 85 per cent of the nation's children attend public schools, yet decades of privatising have damaged public education

Indians, Indians everywhere

Chinmay Tumbe's book 'India Moving - A History of Migration', the Foreword to which is written by Arvind Subramanian, former Chief Economic Advisor, is a breeze to read