Page 48 - Book Reviews

The competition for 'virality'

According to Ben Smith in his engrossing book, Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral, the team at BuzzFeed noticed something that changed media forev -

A case study in labour vs management

Anjali Deshpande and Nandita Haksar's book examines the 2012 violence at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant and offers a rare worker's perspective on labour management practices in India

A Silicon Valley flameout

Wonder Boy, written by the journalists Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans, tells it from start to finish. It is a gripping, uncomfortable read

Making sense of the British Raj and its long shadow in Amrit Kaal

This week in BS also looked at two books that deal with the post-Independence India and the Congress

Reinterpreting the Santal rebellion

Australian historian Peter Stanley in his book sheds light on the Santal rebellion, an uprising against oppressive zamindars in 1855 that has been largely overlooked by historians

Interrogating Nehruvian ideals of India

Taylor Sherman's book challenges the widely held belief that Nehru was solely responsible for shaping India's history and argues his guiding principles were nothing more than myths

A devotee in the backroom

For those who closely follow recent Indian politics, this book is important - as much for what it says as it is for what it doesn't say

A novice from the court of St James

"Courting India" details the early stage of the British-India encounter, with a vivid account of the mission from the court of James I, offering insights into the complexities of trade in that era

Hunting for the real Shakespeare

Durkee frames Stalking Shakespeare (his first book of nonfiction after two novels) in the guise of a whacked-out misery memoir

The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments

This past week there was also a review of a book on the Big Bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala

Beyond the LGBTQIA+ stereotypes

Despite the wry and self-deprecating humour, the family drama that unfolds in this book is far from amusing

A Xi Jinping primer

Professor Kerry Brown's book attempts to provide insights into the personal and political growth of the Chinese leader, and his mission to make China a great power again

Bold and cheeky truths

'Don't Forward That Text!' offers a fascinating and humorous takedown of the misinformation on WhatsApp and beyond, but with limitations

Rocky's road to investing

Authors Neil Borate, Aprajita Sharma, and Aditya Kondawar's book is a simplistic take on India's most successful investor, whose Midas touch lay in an unfettered belief in India's growth potential

Religious sense and sensibilities

Besides introduction and conclusion, book has four chapters, Each chapter meticulously tracks past debates and political developments and often they are reinterpreted with the benefit of hindsight

SCOTUS and the Trump effect

A quiet urgency ripples through this informative, briskly paced and gracefully written book

India's moment in the sun, financial sector scams and migratory humans

Among the reviews this week was a book on the history of the sedition law, a timely look at an archaic institution that has lived past its use-by date

The Tata battle for legacy

Peter Casey has presented the dispute between Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry from the group patriarch's point of view

A scam primer

"The Great Bank Robbery" is a compilation of scandals that have occurred in the financial world, making it a good resource for someone who is not familiar with technical terms and scams in India

India's G20 opportunities

V Srinivas's book puts the spotlight on India's priorities and challenges, as it steers the G20 presidency