Page 86 - Book Reviews
The flawed and the unforgettable
Perhaps the book that has disturbed me the most among the lot that I've read during the pandemic-induced lockdown has been Tara Westover's memoir Educated
Order in the time of disorder
Ms Kondo quotes studies that prove that messy workplaces are bad for health as well as business
 "Order in the time of disorder")
Migration, survival and politics
There is a biological imperative to move when the environment turns hostile
 "Migration, survival and politics")
Coping with uncertainty
Although the world is grappling with numerous uncertainties, here's one worth pondering
 "Coping with uncertainty")
'Write a paper, see the world'
Mr Lodges' satire on modern-day campus life is far removed from the popular vision of academia as a world of cerebral heavy-weights locked in their ivory towers in a single-minded pursuit of knowledge
The culture of gender violence
Ms Kaushal's journey into the homes of these men reveals disturbing realities and, ironically, ends up humanising them
 "The culture of gender violence")
Hiroshima: Fallout and cover up
Fallout is a book of serious intent
 "Hiroshima: Fallout and cover up")
The spy who loved humanity
A new biography of Klaus Fuchs, the celebrated physicist who passed nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, forces readers to rethink their idea of what constitutes treason
 "The spy who loved humanity")
Unconditional surrender, red scare: Why US dropped atomic bombs on Japan
With the Red Army suddenly deep into Manchuria, Japanese leaders were weighing evaporating options when the second bomb incinerated Nagasaki
 "Unconditional surrender, red scare: Why US dropped atomic bombs on Japan")
The eye of the beholder
In a pandemic-stricken world that heightens the awareness of impermanence and uncertainty, love might be one of the few remaining frameworks to make meaning and find purpose
 "The eye of the beholder")
Jinnah's tragedy
The discussion of Kashmir in the book is, however, very brief and almost cryptic notwithstanding that Jinnah was at the helm of affairs in Pakistan for a significant part of the first Kashmir War
 "Jinnah's tragedy")
Dealing with the Trilemma
The basic argument that Mr Patel has been making has its roots in the discourse on banking reform and reducing dominant state ownership and control over the banks
 "Dealing with the Trilemma")
Why Donald Trump won
Two new books, The System and Break 'Em Up are among the latest examples of an evolving set of explanations that try to make sense of the 2016 results
 "Why Donald Trump won")
Booker Prize: Refreshingly diverse longlist with plenty of new writers
Like all other creative industries, publishing has been hit hard by the worldwide pandemic
 "Booker Prize: Refreshingly diverse longlist with plenty of new writers")
Too much misinformation
Bad News is a meticulously-researched discourse on the state of the news, and the psychological impulses that determine how we consume it
 "Too much misinformation")
Indian-origin author Avni Doshi's Burnt Sugar in 2020 Booker Prize longlist
Avni Doshi's "Burnt Sugar" and two titles from Bloomsbury - "Apeirogon" by Colum McCann and "Such a Fun Age" - by Kiley Reid are among the 13 books in the 50,000 pounds Booker Prize 2020 longlist
Nikah Halala: A proxy scandal
The book is an attempt 'to take the lid off this legalized form of prostitution, encouraged under the garb of faith by men of religion'
 "Nikah Halala: A proxy scandal")
Persuading without coercion
Instead of pressing harder on the accelerator, Mr Berger advises removing the parking brake and wheel chocks
 "Persuading without coercion")
Enablers of authoritarianism
A recurring problem in this book is that most of the clercs refuse to talk to Ms Applebaum, leaving her dependent on the public record and the wisdom of mutual acquaintances
 "Enablers of authoritarianism")
Mahabharata deconstructed
Stripping the epic of much embellishment through its careful reading, Dr Karve comes to the conclusion that, above all, it is a story of stoic people, not superhuman beings