Page 8 - Book Reviews
Rocket Dreams: Those magnificent billionaires and their flying machines
According to the journalist Christian Davenport's latest dispatch from the high-tech space race, Rocket Dreams, Bezos also posed a question: "How would we go about this if NASA did not exist?"
 "Rocket Dreams: Those magnificent billionaires and their flying machines")
Decluttering, Indian style: Bhawana Pingali revives forgotten rituals
The book spotlights forgotten practices that reveal how Indian homes once embodied sustainability and balance. Mustard seed pillows that ease the body and offer better sleep for infants and adults
 "Decluttering, Indian style: Bhawana Pingali revives forgotten rituals")
Being an Oak shows the hidden life and lessons of a 240-year-old tree
Through the life of Quercus the acorn and his woodland kin, Being an Oak reveals nature's quiet power to change, adapt, and heal when left alone
 "Being an Oak shows the hidden life and lessons of a 240-year-old tree")
Believer's Dilemma: A leader's struggle with power and self-doubt
A new biography unravels Atal Bihari Vajpayee's complex persona, tracing his political journey, inner conflicts, and role in shaping modern Indian politics
 "Believer's Dilemma: A leader's struggle with power and self-doubt")
Trial by Water: Assessing the paradoxical legacy of Indus Waters Treaty
Uttam Kumar Sinha's book Trial by Water: Indus Basin and India-Pakistan Relations would be useful to anyone who is keen to understand India's official stance through a historical framework
 "Trial by Water: Assessing the paradoxical legacy of Indus Waters Treaty")
Victoria Woodhull: A tale of America's first female presidential candidate
Victoria Woodhull's improbable life - from clairvoyant to Wall Street broker to presidential candidate - is retold in Eden Collinsworth's witty new biography
 "Victoria Woodhull: A tale of America's first female presidential candidate")
Devbhasha: G N Devy's book tells the phenomenal story of Sanskrit's rise
Devy's book also examines Sanskrit's flaws, such as the phenomenon of Sanskritisation
 "Devbhasha: G N Devy's book tells the phenomenal story of Sanskrit's rise")
The Evin Prison Bakers Club: Prison memoir details hard-baked resistance
The book blends memoir, recipes, and resistance, portraying Iranian women prisoners who turn baking into an act of defiance and solidarity
 "The Evin Prison Bakers Club: Prison memoir details hard-baked resistance")
From broom to bust: New book traces AAP's rise, drift, and undoing
In just 13 years, Delhi's own party soared and stumbled. Sayantan Ghosh's book examines what it must do to rise again as it grapples with existential questions
 "From broom to bust: New book traces AAP's rise, drift, and undoing")
The Red Bull story: Book reveals private man behind the successful brand
The creator of the Red Bull empire had a strong aversion to media attention, and even his death would not change that
 "The Red Bull story: Book reveals private man behind the successful brand")
The Wisdom of Plagues: Book traces lessons not learned from pandemics
Covid-19 was the saddest pandemic NYT reporter Donald G McNeil ever covered. Now he shows how outbreaks like AIDS and Ebola foreshadowed the next in patterns, responses, and impact
 "The Wisdom of Plagues: Book traces lessons not learned from pandemics")
The Story of CO2: The story of human civilisation is a story of energy
Peter Brannen's sweeping book argues CO₂ is the hidden force behind evolution, civilisation, fossil fuels, and today's climate crisis - the story of everything
 "The Story of CO2: The story of human civilisation is a story of energy")
Valmik Thapar's final book distils half a century of tiger conservation
Valmik Thapar's final book celebrates India's tiger legacy, blending conservation insights, Ranthambore tales, and lyrical portraits of the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger
 "Valmik Thapar's final book distils half a century of tiger conservation")
The Call of Music: Recording journeys of resilience for the sake of art
In her latest book, reputed Hindustani classical vocalist Priya Purushothaman traces the experiences of eight singular voices in Hindustani classical music that have deeply inspired her
 "The Call of Music: Recording journeys of resilience for the sake of art")
India's Act East policy needs deeper economic integration with Asean
India's Act East policy needs fresh momentum through deeper economic integration with Asean
 "India's Act East policy needs deeper economic integration with Asean")
The Hindi heartland: Indian history at the turbulent core of change
Regaling with stories, the Hindi heartland takes us through history, unraveling not only wars and invasions but also the beliefs of victors across eras, showing how we arrived where we are today
 "The Hindi heartland: Indian history at the turbulent core of change")
Sanjaya Baru's new book tracks the journey of the 'Non-Returning Indian'
How a seven-fold growth in nominal gross domestic product will change migration patterns
 "Sanjaya Baru's new book tracks the journey of the 'Non-Returning Indian'")
STRONG ROOTS: Chef Olia Hercules' Ukraine memoir by way of her family tree
Strong Roots is its own kind of dam, against the rushing anguish of war and generational trauma
 "STRONG ROOTS: Chef Olia Hercules' Ukraine memoir by way of her family tree")
'Mango: A Global History' explores the global appeal of 'bathroom fruit'
Often called a 'full-body experience' to eat, this book on the mango's history can be enjoyed just as much by those raised on fresh fruit as by those who first tasted it in preserved form
 "'Mango: A Global History' explores the global appeal of 'bathroom fruit'")
Sandeep Das's book argues for going beyond strategy to implementation
A good strategy always calls for friction - it is never a straight line
 "Sandeep Das's book argues for going beyond strategy to implementation")