Page 8 - Book Reading

The Undying Light: Gopalkrishna Gandhi's memoir on modern India's making

Gopalkrishna Gandhi's memoir offers an up close and personal view of the making of the modern nation-state, given his proximity to those who shaped the formative years of independent India

'Strangers in the Land' traces Chinese workers' rise and expulsion in US

But you can't paint a complete picture of America without this story, and The New Yorker journalist Michael Luo tells it persuasively in this book, a granular account of Chinese migration to US

Ananda: The sacred, profane, and psychedelic journeys of cannabis

From the Himalayan hush of Himachal to the coastal dreams of Kerala, this book on cannabis journeys through India - each stop bringing a new strain, a new state of mind, and a new high

Pratap: The 'conscience of India' and a chronicle of press freedom

The book chronicles the rise and fall of the Indian press over roughly a century. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers of journalism, politics, law and literature

Tales of influence, ambition: 3 books about tech, politics and big business

Germany's big businesses profited thanks to their collaboration, and after the war most executives escaped blame, keeping much of the plundered wealth even after millions died

The Feminisms of Our Mothers: How one woman's step sparked progress

This anthology successfully subverts the social dynamics of men and women in patriarchy, and centres women as the subjects of their exploration

The true value of a book really lies in what the reader takes from it

If leaders read this book, reflect upon the contents, relate the lessons to their own experiences, and hold tight to their NI (natural intelligence), they increase their odds of success

Indian policing and the legacy of violence: A call for urgent reform

Has the dehumanisation of the police worsened their violence? Deana Heath and Jinee Lokaneeta explore this through political and sociological lenses, calling for urgent reform

Hayek's Bastards: Far Right's love-hate relationship with globalisation

The economic ideas that are predicated on such a worldview are inevitably ruthless and cutthroat

Anirudh Kanisetti's 'Lords of Earth and Sea' explores legacy of the Cholas

Beyond the lively empire-building narrative, Kanisetti offers a sobering portrait of medieval society built on slaves, the exploitation of women

Poonam Agarwal's book 'India Inked' decodes India's electoral practices

Poonam Agarwal offers an excellent account of the supposedly politics-agnostic electoral bonds for anyone wanting to understand how a part of India's election system works - and how it is undermined

How meritocracy manages to mask the rise of inherited wealth and privilege

Why meritocracy is insufficient to get rid of inequity

'Letters from Gaza' offers a ringside view of the human cost of endless war

Each piece of prose or poetry conjures images of a complete lack of normalcy in any form. But they are beautifully written, evocatively descriptive and emotionally rich

'Voice for the Voiceless' explores the Dalai Lama's Tibetan destiny

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, has written a book that demands to be read cover to cover - especially by those who feel let down by his perceived softness towards the Chinese government

Sumana Roy's book traces Bengal writers' empathy with plants, objects

Phloem plays a similar role for Plant Thinkers of Twentieth-Century Bengal

The Beatlemania duet: Ian Leslie's book traces John and Paul's epic journey

Leslie, a British journalist and author, has a deep affection for, and a penetrating understanding of, these complex characters and their unprecedented friendship

The Thinking Machine: Tracing AI's rise from gaming to Nvidia's vision

Huang doesn't offer the author much on how his upbringing may have led to his current status as a technology apex predator

Gujarat's 19 century trailblazer: 'My Truth' revives legacy of Veer Narmad

Narmad was, thus, our very own Samuel Johnson, besides being his own James Boswel as well! The Narmad-Johnson comparison goes deep

'GeoTechnoGraphy' book offers cold comfort in the rise of digital tech

From Big Tech's grip on daily life to the rise of new tribalism, the perils of digital technology are all too clear. Samir Saran & Anirban Sarma's book is bound to jolt you from complacency

'The Mysterious Mr Nakamoto': The tangled story of cryptocurrency's rise

Even in 1999, the notion of a digital currency that bypassed nation-states and financial institutions was not a novel one