Page 13 - Book Reviews
Lo Bir Sendra: Jaipal Singh's memoir speaks of an Adivasi in two worlds
If the text sometimes feels disjointed, it is, perhaps, because Singh was not writing for publication but to remember
 "Lo Bir Sendra: Jaipal Singh's memoir speaks of an Adivasi in two worlds")
The peacemaker the world forgot: U Thant's UN and the Cold War's edge
How a self-effacing, self-taught school headmaster from a small Burmese village became one of the most influential figures at the UN in the 1960s
 "The peacemaker the world forgot: U Thant's UN and the Cold War's edge")
Retain the Human Edge in an AI Age: Master the art of learning to learn
How mastering the art of learning to learn will determine your success in the AI age
 "Retain the Human Edge in an AI Age: Master the art of learning to learn")
How ordinary Indians shaped the making of the Constitution
The book under review is a most refreshing departure from this pattern. It discusses how people at large participated in what it correctly calls the assembling of the Constitution
 "How ordinary Indians shaped the making of the Constitution")
Devils' Advocates: Is American foreign policy genuinely for sale?
Vogel traces the alarm over foreign lobbying to a well-known scandal from the 1930s in which some of America's top public relations men were charged
 "Devils' Advocates: Is American foreign policy genuinely for sale?")
On the Brink of Belief: A book on gender, religion, and the margins
A new anthology brings together 24 queer and trans writers from South Asia exploring faith, identity, and belonging under the editorship of poet Kazim Ali
 "On the Brink of Belief: A book on gender, religion, and the margins")
Mother Mary Comes To Me: The book goes beyond the mother-daughter sob story
Ms Roy's radical and radiant life is the subject of the book but the messaging around it has flattened a complex narrative into a sob story of a daughter wronged by her mother
 "Mother Mary Comes To Me: The book goes beyond the mother-daughter sob story")
Wall Street's original sin: Sorkin revisits the greed and glamour of 1929
Over the course of more than 400 pages, tha author narrates a fable of greed, corruption and incompetence to shock the conscience
 "Wall Street's original sin: Sorkin revisits the greed and glamour of 1929")
On the Margins of Protection: How refugee rights are being redefined
With right-wing populism on the rise, refugee protection is seen as a problem. This book examines how protection works across contexts, shaped by history and geopolitics
 "On the Margins of Protection: How refugee rights are being redefined")
The Dravidian Pathway: Book traces evolution of Tamil identity and politics
This deeply researched book seeks to answer these questions, unravelling methodological challenges and dissecting the various components that go into the making of identity
 "The Dravidian Pathway: Book traces evolution of Tamil identity and politics")
Splendid Liberators: How America replaced Spain as the world's great power
Joe Jackson's Splendid Liberators unpacks the brutal realities and far-reaching impact of the Spanish-American War, challenging the myth of a "splendid little war"
 "Splendid Liberators: How America replaced Spain as the world's great power")
Moonlight Express: Rediscovering the lost romance and rhythm of slow travel
In the process, she draws the reader into not just the train and the intricacies of its sleeper class, but also the people, the character of cities it passes, and of course the surrounding countryside
 "Moonlight Express: Rediscovering the lost romance and rhythm of slow travel")
Fly, Wild Swans: A memoir of China's ideological paralysis under Mao
In many ways, the book is Ms Jung's tribute and love letter to her mother, her "guardian angel"
 "Fly, Wild Swans: A memoir of China's ideological paralysis under Mao")
Tea party with a different flavour: Asian youth rebel against autocracies
How the type of tea preferred in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Burma, in contrast to the tea common in China, built a notional connection among students and youth in popular uprisings in the region
 "Tea party with a different flavour: Asian youth rebel against autocracies")
The Last Bench: A story that moves readers to question caste norms
This book doesn't call for action to abolish the caste system - yet it leaves the reader wanting to do away with it
 "The Last Bench: A story that moves readers to question caste norms")
Winning with AI: It's not AI, but users of AI, who'll take your job
The authors' calm and confident approach makes AI seem less monstrous than it is made out to be
 "Winning with AI: It's not AI, but users of AI, who'll take your job")
38 Londres Street: The case of Augusto Pinochet and the art of impunity
Impunity is the central theme of 38 Londres Street, a marvellous and absorbing new book by the British-French lawyer and author Philippe Sands
 "38 Londres Street: The case of Augusto Pinochet and the art of impunity")
Unsilenced: Book explains the social realities of an Indian prison
Seema Azad has been a known name in the human rights circle for a long time
 "Unsilenced: Book explains the social realities of an Indian prison")
ITEC at 60: Book revives forgotten chapter in India's global outreach
The Trumpian tariff and H1B visa dystopia would have looked less so from India's point of view if these initiatives were sustained, it now seems
 "ITEC at 60: Book revives forgotten chapter in India's global outreach")
Ghost Nation: By ignoring Taiwan, the world is eroding its own morality
Chris Horton's Ghost Nation chooses a different premise. The book assumes, correctly, that we live in a world where moral arguments have been rendered impotent
 "Ghost Nation: By ignoring Taiwan, the world is eroding its own morality")