Page 47 - Book Reviews

Puncturing the world map

This narrative, how­ever, overlooks the forces that were at play already when these nations emer­ged and that would 50 years later end up draw­ing hard limits on what states could do

Power and diplomacy: An insider's eye view

This is a most readable book by a discerning eyewitness but also a key participant at "centres of power"

Indo-Pak: The more things change…

With a foreword by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the book begins by stating the nuances in the evolution of Pakistan as a military state

9/11, crime & punishment

Caught napping on 9/11 - in part because of a turf war with the FBI - the CIA was eager to get ahead of the game and gather intelligence on a rumoured second wave of attacks

Maulana Azad: Proud Indian, proud Muslim

Azad, according to Dr Habib, was not comfortable in the presence of a crowd. He sought the solitude that is conducive to scholarship

Hong Kong beyond the divides

Fortune's Bazaar shows that cities are constructed not from zero-sum games and political theory, but from generations of human interactions that defy us-and-them formulas

Film studies for your first show

Overall, however, this is one of those few texts which - despite the occasional knots of jargon-heavy writing and the text's volume - can be picked up for a bedside read or a casual metro ride

Smashing the glass ceiling from the corner office

Asia has its share of successful women leaders, and the qualities they bring to the table aren't that different from those of men in leadership positions

India as restrained elephant

A balanced narrative presents alternative points of view via 708 references - or nearly three per page

Governing RBI

A book based on secondary research by definition relies on published and public sources

The capitalist generation's space race

Vance's story is set in motion by the exile of Gen S Pete Worden, an astrophysicist and top military science official, to the backwater of NASA's Silicon Valley operations

The dissident lens

A historian offers an immersive experience in tracing the history of protest at FTII, Pune

Bridging the HRD gap in reforms

Former IAS officer Sanjay Kaul's book sheds light on the crucial missing link in India's reform agenda and the challenge of achieving inclusive growth and gender equity

Nipah, Covid and a teacher's learning curve

Former Kerala health minister K K Shailaja's book is indescribably heart-warming , highlighting her empathy and tireless-efforts in fighting the Nipah outbreak in the state

Code red in the global supply chain

Siddharth Kara's thought-provoking book exposes the exploitation inherent in the extraction of cobalt, a mineral crucial to modern technology, and the injustices faced by the people of Congo

Management and chutzpah

Turnaround manager Veer Sagar's book chronicling his journey as an entrepreneur and executive serves a purpose beyond recall and nostalgia, offering valuable insights and lessons to the reader

Empire, ego and hot air

At the centre of Gwynne's narrative is a brisk, tightly focused account of R101's first and final voyage, which keeps the pages turning even as he zooms out to tell a larger story of airships

The voice of labour repressed and management during the pandemic

This week in BS also looked at a book about a group of individuals who are on a mission to fight ransomware

US Inc and the pandemic challenge

Award-winning Journalist Liz Hoffman's book explores how major US corporate leaders coped with the pandemic, offering a valuable glimpse into the character of the CEOs and their working styles

White hats versus black hats

A group of self-taught and eccentric individuals are on a mission to decrypt malicious software used by criminals who hold data hostage for ransom. Ransomware Hunting tells their gripping account