Page 32 - Book Reviews

New book on FMs reveals complex yet interesting times of 1977-98

The period covers the first demonetisation, first attempts in tax reforms, balance of payments crisis

A naturalist's discovery of India

Alter does quite a remarkable exploration in book. He demonstrates the massive entwined entanglement between history of India, of its people, customs, rituals, geography and geology with environment

The white man's burden on global tourism

Shahnaz Habib's book delves into fundamental questions: Why travel? Where to travel to? And what to see once we're there? In the process infusing a philosophical edge into the concept of travel

Seismic matters

The Rumbling Earth demystifies the science behind earthquakes, allowing readers to grasp this phenomenon in all its variety

A twisted road to justice

Anthropologist Deepa Das Acevedo's book explores the complex interplay of tradition, law, and societal norms in the fight over women's entry to Kerala's Sabarimala temple

Deconstructing India's national security system

Milan Vaishnav's book is a treatise on India's national security apparatus, highlighting the challenges and the positive role it plays against difficult odds

USA Inc: Woke vs greed

The author examines modern business realities through three new business books

Love and loss in Palestine

Nathan Thrall's book exemplifies the opposing views of the Israel-Hamas war, representing one end and acknowledging Palestinian resilience in the face of unrelenting tragedy

Diplomacy from the outside in

JNU professor S D Muni's memoir is an interesting study in how an academic can walk the corridors of power too

The Indian mosaic

The essays in this collection interrogate what it means to be "Indian" and how these identities often involve a level of paradoxical disconnect between formal mandates and actual practices

India's clandestine love affair with crypto

Journalist Mitali Mukherjee's book delves into the connected worlds of cryptocurrency, cybercrime, and the Dark Web, laying out the state-of-the-art in this realm of skulduggery

Can a 1970s idea save democracy today?

Chandler deserves credit for refusing to relegate his book to the airy realm of wistful abstraction

India's unhealthy truths

Our healthcare is marred by poor infrastructure, negligence, and pharma-doctor collusion. Sumanth C Raman's book exposes all this and more, questioning why it doesn't evoke as much anger in Indians

BITs in pieces

As bilateral investment treaties' dispute settlement mechanisms become controversial and face backlash, Prabhash Ranjan's book serves as a compass for navigating these turbulent waters

Making family businesses last

Through 12 case studies and plenty of anecdotes and nuggets of wisdom strewn throughout, Beyond Three Generations is a book that every founder seeking longevity for their business must read

A turbulent political life

Journalist Pallavi Rebbapragada's book attempts to introduce Odiyas and non-Odiyas alike to the complexities of the state's politics through the fascinating life of its chief minister Nandini Satpathy

Behind bars with Palestinians

My Brother, My Land is a memoir of discontinuities, interruptions and confinements. Nasser Abu Srour's memoir, The Tale of a Wall, echoes the story of Iyad in disquieting fashion.

Manoj Bajpayee: A not-so-definitive biography

Manoj Bajpayee, The Definitive Biography has been translated in English by journalist Rachit Vats from Pandey's original Hindi book titled Kuch Paane Ki Zid

The art of constructive negotiation

Management school teacher Prakash Chugani's book is designed to help you shed the belief that some people are born to be successful negotiators

Dr Subbarao's book of revelations

The former RBI governor's second book is a delightful read, filled with riveting anecdotes that shed light on the doubts and dilemmas faced by a civil servant with a clear sense of right and wrong