Page 37 - Book Reviews

The dynastic war that saved IBM

Watson Sr, "the old man," was a type familiar to our times: The tech titan who runs a large company as an extension of himself

Preparing for 2024

Journalist Minhaz Merchant's book is a panoramic and sympathetic view of Narendra Modi's rise with some added nuggets of advice

Nano tales from an Indian prison

Sudha Bharadwaj's book offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the lives of prisoners in a colonial-era prison in Pune, leaving readers to ponder why some of them are languishing behind bars

Updating the tax haven debate

In a comprehensive analysis of black money, R Vaidyanathan's book explores the intricacies of its generation, the impact of tax havens, and the role of global initiatives

Investing lessons from evolutionary biology

Investors should emulate animals and make each investment choice as if their lives depended on it, argues a new book

How the world once handled war crimes

Professor Gary J Bass delves into the forgotten history of the Tokyo trial after World War II, exploring the complex dynamics of justice, politics, and international law in the aftermath of conflict

Northeast India's integration question

It is more of an administrative construct than a historical region with a shared past, given its mindboggling diversity in cultures, languages and ethnicities

Anne Frank: A betrayal theory

The Last Secret of the Secret Annex sheds light on a complex historical mystery

Betting on a high-stakes life

William Walter, who rose from a tumultuous past of poverty, addiction and gambling to become a multi-millionaire, could, at best, be a statistical anomaly

PEs as villains

While private equity bosses may have negatively impacted numerous companies and lives, is a black-and-white portrayal with no shades of grey justified?

Bankman-Fried: From crypto hero to zero

The profusion of exclamation points is a tipoff that Lewis is at least somewhat aware how dumb such optimism looks in retrospect - especially now that Bankman-Fried's trial on fraud charges has begun

A 'search' for Ashoka

Olivelle has written a thought-provoking book. He has scrupulously avoided the hagiographic sources about Ashoka because he feels they contain too many uncertainties

The Constitution: An imperfect charter

Colonial or otherwise, our Constitution requires more than just tinkering to align it with ground reality

A practitioner's guide to elections

Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi is honest and unreservedly generous in his book, which does not shy away from identifying the biggest threat to free and fair elections India

How China moulds the world

It is shaping a world order where its core interests and its ideas of human rights gain widespread accepted

An insider's tell-all tales

In his revealing memoir, former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg offers a glimpse into what goes on behind closed-door meetings and in the corridors of power

Pioneering the data broker industry

Asher had an abusive childhood, treated women in his life poorly, was prone to dark moods and explosive management, and had a highly gifted technical mind

Nature's art of living

A former business journalist discovers the art of happiness in the natural world

The historical fibre of silk

Aarathi Prasad's book unspools the intricate threads of silk's story, tracing its journey from silkworms and spider silk to emperors' wardrobes

Why policies fail

Policymaking is not an easy job, and State Capability in India sheds light on the complexities of this task