Book Reviews
The Railways as social contract: What Amitava Kumar's book reveals
Slim, at just 130 pages, the book might be a bit of a disappointment for readers looking for an in-depth account of the history and socio-economic aspects of the Indian Railways
 "The Railways as social contract: What Amitava Kumar's book reveals")
Camus in his own words: Discipline, doubt, and the limits of intimacy
Camus's notebooks, which run from 1935 to 1959 contain almost nothing about his friends or his family, his experiences during wartime or much about his personal life
 "Camus in his own words: Discipline, doubt, and the limits of intimacy")
The Battle of Narnaul: Re-examining the 1857 rebellion and selective memory
The book is an invitation to rediscover a moment of defiance and to shed light on forgotten heroes whose sacrifice deserves recognition
 "The Battle of Narnaul: Re-examining the 1857 rebellion and selective memory")
Urjit Patel's new book uncovers Western sanctions and their discontents
The author's analysis highlights another factor, namely, overestimating benefits and understating or ignoring the welfare costs of sanctions, including to third parties
 "Urjit Patel's new book uncovers Western sanctions and their discontents")
The Great Indian Brain Rot: How platform capitalism is reshaping thinking
A central insight of the book lies in its sustained attention to influence as a social and economic form
 "The Great Indian Brain Rot: How platform capitalism is reshaping thinking")
Unseen captures the behind-the-scenes evolution of Zomato's Deepinder Goyal
The book not only tells of many such awe-inspiring moments in the life of a startup, it also captures the unpredictability, risk and adventure through it all
 "Unseen captures the behind-the-scenes evolution of Zomato's Deepinder Goyal")
Ghost-Eye: Amitav Ghosh's book on rebirth, regeneration and cycles of life
We are lucky that Ghosh continues to tell stories that are profound, layered and meaningful
 "Ghost-Eye: Amitav Ghosh's book on rebirth, regeneration and cycles of life")
Furious Minds: The MAGA intellectuals and the rise of extremist ideas
How ideas that used to be the arcane obsessions of nerdy young men and buttoned-up tenured professors have become 'an engine and accelerant' for extremism
 "Furious Minds: The MAGA intellectuals and the rise of extremist ideas")
Malala's coming-of-age memoir offers an unfiltered glimpse into her life
With wisecracks, misadventures, and tales of first love, Malala Yousafzai takes charge of her own story, offering the world an unfiltered glimpse into her life
 "Malala's coming-of-age memoir offers an unfiltered glimpse into her life")
Pax Americana: Why the world needs the US to stay true to its ideals
The world needs an America worthy of its ideals, because the alternative could be brutal authoritarianism
 "Pax Americana: Why the world needs the US to stay true to its ideals")
Cult building in black and white: How chess became one man's redemption
The book deals in detail with one of the most infamous cheating scandals, with its account of the Hans Niemann - Magnus Carlsen face off in 2022, seen from the perspective of Rensch and Chess.com
 "Cult building in black and white: How chess became one man's redemption")
The Caste Con Census: This book maps caste and other social fractures
In support of his arguments, author cites scholarship spanning history, sociology, anthropology and political economy
 "The Caste Con Census: This book maps caste and other social fractures")
The Serpent's Tale: A book on Kundalini Yoga's texts and institutions
In its original avatar, Kundalini was a mind-and-body experience that could be achieved under the trained guidance of an expert
 "The Serpent's Tale: A book on Kundalini Yoga's texts and institutions")
Letter from Japan: A gentle, well-sourced plea for global domestic life
Yet Ms Kondo's book arrives into a different conversation than the one she helped start a decade ago
 "Letter from Japan: A gentle, well-sourced plea for global domestic life")
Uprooted shows how India's forest keepers became its most haunted outsiders
Ita Mehrotra's Uprooted, through evocative prose and stunning black-and-white illustrations capturing years of fieldwork, narrates the displacement of Van Gujjar and Taungya communities
 "Uprooted shows how India's forest keepers became its most haunted outsiders")
Breakneck: Why China needs to learn to build less and America to build more
Wang is a Canadian citizen who migrated from China at a young age with his parents, and later went on to work in the Silicon Valley
 "Breakneck: Why China needs to learn to build less and America to build more")
Coffee King: Book on CCD weaves cautionary tale for investors, regulators
In uncovering how CCD was run as a one-man show, this book weaves a cautionary tale for investors, regulators, consumers, and even fellow journalists
 "Coffee King: Book on CCD weaves cautionary tale for investors, regulators")
Beneath the pink glitter, Barbie is a tale of theft and ruthlessness
Barbieland is a book written from outside Barbieland's high-security gates; we meet Hitt - an editor and contributor with The Drift magazine
 "Beneath the pink glitter, Barbie is a tale of theft and ruthlessness")
The Eleventh Hour review: Salman Rushdie's meditations on mortality
Salman Rushdie's latest work blends fiction, memory, myth, and mortality, offering a deeply personal meditation shaped by near-death, nostalgia, and literary playfulness
 "The Eleventh Hour review: Salman Rushdie's meditations on mortality")
Power, crime, survival: The women who define Mafia Queens of India
The book opens with Mr Zaidi's journey to meet a mysterious figure who people call Akka, once a key aide to one of Mumbai's mob bosses Varadarajan Mudaliar
 "Power, crime, survival: The women who define Mafia Queens of India")
