Page 53 - Book Reviews
Weak spots in the Chinese miracle
Frank Dikotter's new book puts the spotlight on the many vulnerabilities that bedevil China and could lead to an unravelling of its increasingly debt-fuelled economy
 "Weak spots in the Chinese miracle")
Russian evolution
Western countries may have provided too little support for post-Soviet reform, but they hardly isolated Russia, as Figes claims
 "Russian evolution")
The voyage that never ends
Bengali novelist Samaresh Bose's quest for the 'celestial blinkers' that blind millions has contemporary resonance
 "The voyage that never ends")
Fountain pens and national ambitions: The forgotten story of India Ink
From the names of pen manufacturers to the minute differences in their makes -Inked in India is a marvellous journey for both the connoisseur and the uninitiated
 "Fountain pens and national ambitions: The forgotten story of India Ink")
Period pieces: A world where you can't talk about menstruation
Human rights lawyer and writer Farah Ahamed's book is a profound exploration of this topic
 "Period pieces: A world where you can't talk about menstruation")
Leopards in their labyrinths
Crooked Cats is a fascinating, and occasionally entertaining, micro-study of all aspects of the big-cat-human encounter
 "Leopards in their labyrinths")
The rise and rise of passive investing
With the passive investment revolution upon us, Robin Wigglesworth's book offers a useful guide
 "The rise and rise of passive investing")
Inside Trump's 'cartoonishly chaotic' presidency
The backbiting led to constant personnel turnover, a dreary parade of firings, resignations and defenestrations
 "Inside Trump's 'cartoonishly chaotic' presidency")
Crossing the LGBTQIA+ bar
Maya Sharma attempts to capture narratives of the Queer experience beyond the big city setting
 "Crossing the LGBTQIA+ bar")
India's roller-coaster ride to growth
Professor Balakrishnan dwells on key events and indicators rather than drawing up an extensive listing of milestones and data
 "India's roller-coaster ride to growth")
Tencent: Rise and hubris
Lulu Yilun Chen's book takes a detailed look at the Chinese digital giant's birth, its rise, and market battles
 "Tencent: Rise and hubris")
A pracharak's take on Partition
Ram Madhav's book offers some healing, reconciliation and closure on the events leading up to Independence
 "A pracharak's take on Partition")
Insiders in the development story
Anchoring Change celebrates the grassroots interventions over 75 years but it could have had a more diverse set of organisations and initiatives
 "Insiders in the development story")
The power of populism
The book's title refers to a 'middle out' philosophy in which the govt creates a more democratic economy by focusing on ways to enlarge the middle and working classes at the expense of the wealthy
 "The power of populism")
India's China war: The next generation
Pravin Sawhney's book set in 2024 presents an entirely credible account of a robotic assault on India
 "India's China war: The next generation")
How the car created the modern world
It didn't merely influence the modern world - it created it
 "How the car created the modern world")
Memsahibs in the Raj
Ipshita Nath's book captures the hermetically sealed nature of the memsahibs' world from the country in which they lived
 "Memsahibs in the Raj")
The science of the Nudge
The lesson of Fisher's book is surely that we don't need more celestial inspirations for ambitious projects of human transformation
 "The science of the Nudge")
The unsung victims of 1857
Rana Safvi offers an evocative translation of an account that recalled how Mughal royals, especially women, suffered after the exile of Bahadur Shah Zafar
 "The unsung victims of 1857")
Netaji, all too human
Remarkable stories about the life and work of Subhas Chandra Bose and India's late-colonial history fill the pages of Krishna Bose's book
 "Netaji, all too human")