Page 6 - Book Review

Thinking Aloud: Jerry Pinto maps identity, cinema, and making of a nation

The three essays that comprise this book are updated versions of talks Pinto delivered at conferences organised by History for Peace, an initiative of The Seagull Foundations for the Arts

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."

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

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

David C Engerman looks at six S. Asian economists who shaped their nations

Of the Apostles still with us, there are few intersections between them and age-related constraints on all

Wild Fictions: A literary journey with Amitav Ghosh through time, terrain

Often, collections like this can be read in whatever manner the reader desires, without losing any of the essence. You dip in, read what you fancy and then skip to another part

The Political Thought of Xi Jinping: Party's history beyond question

The authors have successfully painted a picture of what China looks like under Xi and how it is different from earlier regimes

Men at home: Gyanendra Pandey on the male retreat from household work

Gyanendra Pandey's book shines a spotlight on men's private lives at home-and the rationalisations behind their absence from cleaning, caregiving, and cooking

John Matthai: The values of service revisited in fresh perspective

In Epilogue, however, Mr Dadabhoy chooses to dwell on Matthai's children and their achievements. In a biography of John Matthai, Epilogue should have been on his larger legacy in public policymaking

Hey ChatGPT, which one of these versions truly is the real Sam Altman?

If the aim is not, in the first place, to help the world, but instead to get bigger - better chips, more data, smarter code - then our problems might just get bigger too

This American Woman: Aunti Zarna takes the mic and the spotlight

As one sifts through pages of this breezy memoir full of interesting anecdotes and life lessons, two subliminally influential experiences that helped shape Garg's life before her marriage can be noted

Deepali Gupta traces the India story through its mobile telephony tales

To understand today's telecom business, one must trace the evolution of the entrepreneurs who shaped it

Sanjeev Chopra's book details Shastri's many contributions to nation, party

The 1965 war, Pakistan's second attempt to seize Kashmir, ended in Tashkent with Lal Bahadur Shastri returning the Haji Pir Pass - a gesture that disappointed even his family

'Shamans of the Himalayas' captures valley life in words and images

Having personally lived in Manali briefly during my childhood, vivid descriptions of the valley and its people particularly spoke to me