Page 13 - Book Reviews
This American Woman: Aunti Zarna takes the mic and the spotlight
As one sifts through pages of this breezy memoir full of interesting anecdotes and life lessons, two subliminally influential experiences that helped shape Garg's life before her marriage can be noted
 "This American Woman: Aunti Zarna takes the mic and the spotlight")
Deepali Gupta traces the India story through its mobile telephony tales
To understand today's telecom business, one must trace the evolution of the entrepreneurs who shaped it
 "Deepali Gupta traces the India story through its mobile telephony tales")
Sanjeev Chopra's book details Shastri's many contributions to nation, party
The 1965 war, Pakistan's second attempt to seize Kashmir, ended in Tashkent with Lal Bahadur Shastri returning the Haji Pir Pass - a gesture that disappointed even his family
 "Sanjeev Chopra's book details Shastri's many contributions to nation, party")
'Shamans of the Himalayas' captures valley life in words and images
Having personally lived in Manali briefly during my childhood, vivid descriptions of the valley and its people particularly spoke to me
 "'Shamans of the Himalayas' captures valley life in words and images")
The Storypreneur's Playbook: Journeys to an emerging startup destination
A more serious issue with the book is the sheer lack of women's voices. Of the 15 entrepreneurs in this book, only two-Ms Souza and Ms Saxena-are women
 "The Storypreneur's Playbook: Journeys to an emerging startup destination")
Apple used China to make a profit; what China got in return is scarier
This is not just a story of China making Apple, but of Apple making China
 "Apple used China to make a profit; what China got in return is scarier")
The Great Epinal Escape: Bowman's book is a long-overdue tale worth telling
With its rare photographs, The Great Epinal Escape is an important record of the lives of the Indian Army in combat and captivity in major theatres of war in the west
 "The Great Epinal Escape: Bowman's book is a long-overdue tale worth telling")
The Lost Heer: Harleen Singh gives the long-ignored women of Punjab a voice
To Singh's credit is his depth of research-an achievement made all the more remarkable given the paucity of archival material
 "The Lost Heer: Harleen Singh gives the long-ignored women of Punjab a voice")
Beyond the aid recipient: India's strategic shift in its Africa engagement
All the essays focus attention on two compelling trends - development for Africa and development by Africa
 "Beyond the aid recipient: India's strategic shift in its Africa engagement")
High Altitude Heroines: Women's travelogues from British India revived
A collection of essays brings together enchanting travelogues by women from early 20th-century British India
 "High Altitude Heroines: Women's travelogues from British India revived")
PMO: Himanshu Roy's book traces evolution of prime-ministerial governance
The book has an excellent section on how the offices of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet secretariat have evolved in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia
 "PMO: Himanshu Roy's book traces evolution of prime-ministerial governance")
Empty Vessel: The story of globalisation told through one big barge
This elegant and enlightening book is an impressive feat, given that its main character is, as Kumekawa admits, stubbornly uncharismatic: "a dumb pontoon without voice, personality or drive"
 "Empty Vessel: The story of globalisation told through one big barge")
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
 "On Failing: Where the quiet complexities of failure take centre stage")
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 SITA factor: Yechury's essays defend socialism as real choice")
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
 "The Undying Light: Gopalkrishna Gandhi's memoir on modern India's making")
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
 "Farewell Karachi: Bhawana Somaaya's tribute to family and lost home")
'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
 "'Strangers in the Land' traces Chinese workers' rise and expulsion in 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
 "Ananda: The sacred, profane, and psychedelic journeys of cannabis")
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
 "Nike's best foot forward: How Sonny Vaccaro changed the game forever")
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
 "Pratap: The 'conscience of India' and a chronicle of press freedom")