Page 14 - Book Reviews

Lt General Nanavatty's biography explores evolution of soldiering in India

Lt General Rostum "Rusty" Nanavatty's biography paints a well-rounded portrait of an exemplary soldier and how soldiering has evolved amid India's security challenges

Lōal Kashmir: Stories of love and longing in a conflict-ridden land

Lack of connectivity and communication breakdown is not a novel occurrence in the Kashmir Valley

Michael Sheridan's book explores the Xi enigma and China's power dynamics

It is hard to shake the feeling that the book fails at multiple levels, principally because of the author's biases

The Conscience of the Party: A definitive biography of Hu Yaobang

The book documents Hu's more accommodating policies towards ethnic minorities, who had suffered greatly during the Cultural Revolution

All or Nothing: Wolff's book offers a rapid-fire take on Trump's return

The book is undeniably gripping - a veritable harvest of slime, sycophancy and sleaze that tells the story of Trump 2.0, an aggrieved pugilist waging a "life or death" campaign

'The Search for India's Rarest Birds' showcases India's rich bird diversity

The Search for India's Rarest Birds is an extremely interesting read for anyone who wants to know more about birds

A crusader on the high road: Sunitha Krishnan's book exposes trafficking

I Am What I Am is not merely a linear recounting of a life in service. In parts, it reads like an action-packed thriller

Devina Mehra challenges investment myths with data-driven insights

In this book, Ms Mehra strongly advocates global diversification to counter single-market, single-currency risk

The legacy of Gauri Lankesh: A closer look through Rollo Romig's book

Using Gauri's murder as starting point, book discusses rising intolerance especially in terms of young men (and women) getting radicalised to hate without being open to understanding each other

Natural allies in the Global South: A deep dive into India-Indonesia ties

Unlike the colonial endeavours of European powers, Indian influence in Indonesia was characterised by cultural and regional integration rather than political domination

Jeffrey Toobin's book explores the dubious history of presidential pardons

In some ways, Toobin's book is impeccably timed. In December, President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to

Bollywood's versatile genius: Karma's Child captures Subhash Ghai's journey

Between 1976 and 1999, Ghai made 15 films, 11 of which were blockbusters, and one of which (Karz) attained cult status

Truths about Savarkar: Arun Shourie's book is not a biography or analysis

In an early chapter of his book, indicatively titled "History is Made-Up", veteran editor and writer, Arun Shourie scrutinises an old speech/poetic recitation of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

India's green startups: A promising selection, but a patchy narrative

One question the authors ask every startup founder in the book is: Imagine your startup as a character from Indian mythology. Who would it be and why?

Amitava Kumar's The Green Book: A professor's ways of seeing the world

People who aspire to write their own book someday might want to take a cue from Dr Kumar's writerly routine

Close encounters in Israel-Palestine: Original Sin traces history, conflict

The book is structured around the pivotal events of October 7, 2023-the Hamas attack that reshaped regional discourse-and is divided into seven chapters

AI and the human soul: What new books reveal about us and our purpose

Could AI ever function as a spirit ambulance, shuttling us through the uncanny valleys that keep us, as Shantideva knew, from accepting others?

The Raj below the salt: Devasis Chattopadhyay's book brings history alive

A society's history isn't just about kings and conquerors - it's the people who shape the story

Aam Aadmi Party's journey from idealism to power: A first-hand account

The book explains that around 2011, Mr Gandhi became a part of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and a member of its 24-person "core committee"

Bill Gates says 'having fun together' with 'serious girlfriend' Paula Hurd

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates talked candidly about his relationship with girlfriend Paula Hurd. He has expressed happiness remembering their memorable moments together