Page 2 - Book Reviews
Vasili Mitrokhin, the lowly clerk who tried to bring down the mighty KGB
Vasili Mitrokhin's lonely defiance inside the KGB reveals how a rotting security state hastened the Soviet collapse - and how its ghosts still haunt Russia today
 "Vasili Mitrokhin, the lowly clerk who tried to bring down the mighty KGB")
The Outsider: Vir Das, laughter and an Indian voice on the world stage
A sharp, funny and deeply personal memoir, The Outsider traces how Vir Das's life across continents shaped the voice of India's most global stand-up comic
 "The Outsider: Vir Das, laughter and an Indian voice on the world stage")
The Edge of the Empire: Edward Wong's book on journeys in Chinese imperium
The personal story of a father and son provides insights into Chinese society, politics, and geopolitics, showing how the impulse to control and expand the Chinese empire is stronger than ever today
 "The Edge of the Empire: Edward Wong's book on journeys in Chinese imperium")
The Great Revival: A book that captures the CG Power turnaround story
How an out-of-the-box approach helped the company come back from bankruptcy
 "The Great Revival: A book that captures the CG Power turnaround story")
Surviving Climate Anxiety: A manifesto for flourishing in climate change
Guilt-driven environmentalism that favours moral absolutism and blames individuals for inaction on climate issues is the wrong approach to climate action
 "Surviving Climate Anxiety: A manifesto for flourishing in climate change")
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Destructive potential of sentient AI
AI is still not intelligent in the human sense, but fears of a superintelligent threat to humanity are not misplaced
 "If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Destructive potential of sentient AI")
American Reich explores the culture of hate in US' far-right groups
Eric Lichtblau's American Reich traces the murder of Blaze Bernstein to the wider, chilling rise of neo-Nazi violence and white supremacy in contemporary America
 "American Reich explores the culture of hate in US' far-right groups")
The living mountains: Anuradha Roy's intimate portrait of life in the hills
Anuradha Roy's Called by the Hills is a luminous, reflective memoir of building a life in the Himalayas-where gardens, memories and ecology quietly intertwine
 "The living mountains: Anuradha Roy's intimate portrait of life in the hills")
Economica: How women shaped the economy long before history sidelined them
The book is interested in not just the stories of the women who amassed immense wealth and wielded great power, but those whose quiet labour laid the building blocks of history
 "Economica: How women shaped the economy long before history sidelined them")
Revolting: How Terry Deary retells history through revolt and irony
By revisiting lesser-known rebellions and forgotten episodes, Revolting takes readers on a tour of the world
 "Revolting: How Terry Deary retells history through revolt and irony")
Click Here: A timely reminder that marketing fundamentals are not outdated
In the ever-changing digital world, Click Here offers a refresher course that should be again and again to stay up to speed on the subject
 "Click Here: A timely reminder that marketing fundamentals are not outdated")
Mumbai: Between opportunity and despair
Sidharth Bhatia's excellently researched work throws light on several less-known aspects of Mumbai and brings to life the stories of numerous humble residents who are rarely heard or taken note of
 "Mumbai: Between opportunity and despair")
What histories of Islamic-world slavery get right, and what they miss
A probing review of Captives and Companions reveals how slavery's long legacy in the Middle East shapes language, race, and memory - and how history itself becomes contested terrain
 "What histories of Islamic-world slavery get right, and what they miss")
The Railways as social contract: What Amitava Kumar's book reveals
Slim, at just 130 pages, the book might be a bit of a disappointment for readers looking for an in-depth account of the history and socio-economic aspects of the Indian Railways
 "The Railways as social contract: What Amitava Kumar's book reveals")
Camus in his own words: Discipline, doubt, and the limits of intimacy
Camus's notebooks, which run from 1935 to 1959 contain almost nothing about his friends or his family, his experiences during wartime or much about his personal life
 "Camus in his own words: Discipline, doubt, and the limits of intimacy")
The Battle of Narnaul: Re-examining the 1857 rebellion and selective memory
The book is an invitation to rediscover a moment of defiance and to shed light on forgotten heroes whose sacrifice deserves recognition
 "The Battle of Narnaul: Re-examining the 1857 rebellion and selective memory")
Urjit Patel's new book uncovers Western sanctions and their discontents
The author's analysis highlights another factor, namely, overestimating benefits and understating or ignoring the welfare costs of sanctions, including to third parties
 "Urjit Patel's new book uncovers Western sanctions and their discontents")
The Great Indian Brain Rot: How platform capitalism is reshaping thinking
A central insight of the book lies in its sustained attention to influence as a social and economic form
 "The Great Indian Brain Rot: How platform capitalism is reshaping thinking")
Unseen captures the behind-the-scenes evolution of Zomato's Deepinder Goyal
The book not only tells of many such awe-inspiring moments in the life of a startup, it also captures the unpredictability, risk and adventure through it all
 "Unseen captures the behind-the-scenes evolution of Zomato's Deepinder Goyal")
Ghost-Eye: Amitav Ghosh's book on rebirth, regeneration and cycles of life
We are lucky that Ghosh continues to tell stories that are profound, layered and meaningful
 "Ghost-Eye: Amitav Ghosh's book on rebirth, regeneration and cycles of life")