Page 9 - Book Reviews

Caroline Fraser uncovers a second, darker perp behind US serial killings

Studies are beginning to link childhood lead exposure with aggression, psychopathy and crime. Fascinatingly, all the serial killers in Murderland lived near areas with high lead levels in the air

Phil Craig tracks Allied powers' duplicitous endgame in Asian colonies

Operation Semut typified the Allied betrayal of Atlantic Charter ideals. It's a pity Mr Craig overlooks similar betrayals of the Nagas and others who served the British in the India-Burma theatre

Dalio's debt playbook: What Japan got wrong, and India may be getting right

In 'How Countries Go Broke', the billionaire investor offers a sweeping view of macro cycles and fiscal choices - arguing for 'beautiful deleveraging' as the best path through rising global risk

An early autopsy of capitalism: La Berge dissects the office machine

Set in the years just before the turn of the millennium, it recounts the time La Berge, now a writer and English professor, spent in the corporate world, helping a Fortune 500 company prepare for Y2K

Women see reversal of China's one-child policy as more state pressure

Instead of viewing it as encouragement to have more children, women see the modification in China's one-child policy as government pressure to reverse the declining birth rate

Iran's grieving mothers' ties have been a political force to reckon with

An interesting aspect of the rebellion in Iran is the power of mourning mothers. Since the 1980s, kinship among grieving mothers has been a driver of political engagement

A K Bhattacharya's third book on India's FMs captures the post-reform era

Typically, by the third sequel, authors tend to lose energy, but not A K Bhattacharya. He enjoys reporting the joys and pains of India's finance ministers too much

The New Age of Sexism: Laura Bates' latest book exposes online misogyny

Feminist activist Laura Bates turns her investigative lens on the insidious spread of online misogyny - now assuming new virtual avatars, yet still rooted in age-old patriarchal violence

Submersed: Going deep into the secret world of DIY submarine builders

Frank, an accomplished author of narrative nonfiction, uses his terror as inspiration for this exploration of personal submersibles and the eccentrics that make, descend and sometimes die in them

Proto: Laura Spinney's new book explores the journey of global PIE

Beyond the hypotheses of origin and its subsequent demise and immortalisation, there is a huge world of learning for anyone looking to understand the evolution of languages and even, humankind

New book revives R D Karve's work on sex education, women's rights

In the foreword, author, journalist and former Rajya Sabha member Kumar Ketkar describes Karve as "a maverick, a rebel and a social revolutionary born ahead of his time."

A S Dulat's new book explores betrayal, belief and Farooq's Kashmir

He never considered independence for Kashmir, but Delhi still failed to trust him fully

Marketing Mixology: Ambi Parameswaran's book on the ideal cocktail

For those new to marketing or coming from a non-marketing background, Marketing Mixology offers a good introduction to the subject

Hubris Maximus: Pride, prejudices, and the nine lives of Elon Musk

How Elon Musk continues to emerge unscathed despite his most outrageous tweets and pronouncements

John Hancock: America's unsung founding father and revolutionary mark

It is unlikely Hancock will be restored to the top tier of the founders, but remembering him better could reap dividends

A Stranger in Three Worlds: Tracing Aubrey Menen's search for identity

With biting wit, Menen maps the universality of exclusion

William Buckley Jr: The American right-wing's original influencer

As the Trump era dawned, many felt Buckley would have stopped it. He had kept out the crazies, the conspiracy theorists, the antisemites-and perhaps even created the respectable right

Hooked on plastic: A timely probe into the brands and greenwashing

The book ends with a useful section titled FAQs, where the author addresses basic but important questions that many do not have reliable answers to

India and Taiwan: Charles Li's book offers key insights on bilateral ties

By giving up diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognising PRC, India has voluntarily limited its negotiating space with China

Shashi Tharoor's book offers a partisan polemic on the Constitution

Tharoor's book glosses over how some senior Congress leaders in the 1940s and 1950s were uneasy with Hinduism not getting what they felt was due recognition in the Constitution