Page 156 - Book Reviews
The Republicans in interesting times
Both authors conclude their books with suggestions on how to fix the right
Gregory David Roberts's new book remains in Shantaram's shadow
Despite the familiar intricate plot-lines and colourful characters, this long-awaited sequel fails to live up to its predecessor
 "Gregory David Roberts's new book remains in Shantaram's shadow")
The better half of women's empowerment
Mr Dutta writes about the agents of social change - mothers, teachers, non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers - who have helped fan the ambitions of their daughters and pupils
China and Pakistan 'axistential' issues
Andrew Small's book aims to provide "a starting point for thinking through the most important issues at stake" to understand the underpinnings of this relationship
Manipur, in the heart of darkness
Author weaves a rich tapestry of state, stitching together its historical, political, security, economic and cultural threads, bringing it to life with stories of the numerous victims of that unending
Dark money behind the radical Right
Dark Money is a persuasive, timely and necessary story of the Koch brothers' empire
Modern Turkey from death throes to rebirth
This military history traces Great Power machinations after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire but provides an inadequate link to the current crisis in West Asia
 "Modern Turkey from death throes to rebirth")
Capitalism and the rise of xenophobia
"Old xenophobia is monstrous, spectacular, and quickly identifiable. New xenophobia is less visible… [It] operates with varieties of 'push-in' violence"
Misogyny as a religion
Indoctrination has been and remains the most formidable weapon of all times, the horror of which we are witnessing today in the rise of the Islamic State
Sound of silence, echoes of protest at Lekhana in Bengaluru
Bengaluru-based literature weekend Lekhana looked at art of writing and positon of the artist in the world
 "Sound of silence, echoes of protest at Lekhana in Bengaluru")
Yesterday's professions
Overall, The Lost Generation: Chronicling India's Dying Professions is an off-beat book that is pleasing in the diverse sights, sounds and ideas that it manages to capture
The art of the con
The Confidence Game belongs to the genre popularised by Malcolm Gladwell: Social psychology designed for mass consumption
Life after death
Much like Atul Gawande's Being Mortal, Paul Kalanithi has the power to influence the lives of people through his book, even after his death
 "Life after death")
The world of books in 2016
The author predicts how the world of books will change dramatically in 2016
 "The world of books in 2016")
Rusty grows up
Ruskin Bond's latest book reminds children and adults once again of the simpler pleasures of life
Cricket's 'wise old king'
The book includes essays from a variety of Wisden publications, as well as extracts from the Almanack and reports of Benaud's 63 Test matches
Jack Ma: The authorised version
From various profiles, we know Mr Ma is charismatic, maverick and unconventional - he is known as "Crazy Jack" for his purported iconoclasm
Family businesses: homilies vs home truths
Management guru Ram Charan raises hopes further by writing on the cover of the book that it takes you "behind closed doors of what actually happens in family businesses."
State of Grace
An imaginative fictional recreation of the last years of W G Grace presents a warm, human portrait of the man who was behind cricket's first superstar
 "State of Grace")