Page 38 - Book Review

Nipah, Covid and a teacher's learning curve

Former Kerala health minister K K Shailaja's book is indescribably heart-warming , highlighting her empathy and tireless-efforts in fighting the Nipah outbreak in the state

Code red in the global supply chain

Siddharth Kara's thought-provoking book exposes the exploitation inherent in the extraction of cobalt, a mineral crucial to modern technology, and the injustices faced by the people of Congo

Management and chutzpah

Turnaround manager Veer Sagar's book chronicling his journey as an entrepreneur and executive serves a purpose beyond recall and nostalgia, offering valuable insights and lessons to the reader

Empire, ego and hot air

At the centre of Gwynne's narrative is a brisk, tightly focused account of R101's first and final voyage, which keeps the pages turning even as he zooms out to tell a larger story of airships

The voice of labour repressed and management during the pandemic

This week in BS also looked at a book about a group of individuals who are on a mission to fight ransomware

US Inc and the pandemic challenge

Award-winning Journalist Liz Hoffman's book explores how major US corporate leaders coped with the pandemic, offering a valuable glimpse into the character of the CEOs and their working styles

White hats versus black hats

A group of self-taught and eccentric individuals are on a mission to decrypt malicious software used by criminals who hold data hostage for ransom. Ransomware Hunting tells their gripping account

The competition for 'virality'

According to Ben Smith in his engrossing book, Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral, the team at BuzzFeed noticed something that changed media forev -

A case study in labour vs management

Anjali Deshpande and Nandita Haksar's book examines the 2012 violence at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant and offers a rare worker's perspective on labour management practices in India

A Silicon Valley flameout

Wonder Boy, written by the journalists Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans, tells it from start to finish. It is a gripping, uncomfortable read

Making sense of the British Raj and its long shadow in Amrit Kaal

This week in BS also looked at two books that deal with the post-Independence India and the Congress

Reinterpreting the Santal rebellion

Australian historian Peter Stanley in his book sheds light on the Santal rebellion, an uprising against oppressive zamindars in 1855 that has been largely overlooked by historians

Interrogating Nehruvian ideals of India

Taylor Sherman's book challenges the widely held belief that Nehru was solely responsible for shaping India's history and argues his guiding principles were nothing more than myths

A devotee in the backroom

For those who closely follow recent Indian politics, this book is important - as much for what it says as it is for what it doesn't say

A novice from the court of St James

"Courting India" details the early stage of the British-India encounter, with a vivid account of the mission from the court of James I, offering insights into the complexities of trade in that era

Hunting for the real Shakespeare

Durkee frames Stalking Shakespeare (his first book of nonfiction after two novels) in the guise of a whacked-out misery memoir

The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments

This past week there was also a review of a book on the Big Bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala

Beyond the LGBTQIA+ stereotypes

Despite the wry and self-deprecating humour, the family drama that unfolds in this book is far from amusing

A Xi Jinping primer

Professor Kerry Brown's book attempts to provide insights into the personal and political growth of the Chinese leader, and his mission to make China a great power again

Bold and cheeky truths

'Don't Forward That Text!' offers a fascinating and humorous takedown of the misinformation on WhatsApp and beyond, but with limitations