Page 18 - Bs Reads

Thomas Mathew's book explores the legacy of Indian business icon Ratan Tata

Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.

My Palestine: Tarbush's memoir captures the struggle for self-rule

Part memoir, part political history, My Palestine offers a radical solution to the long-standing conflict: The creation of a secular, democratic state with equal rights for all, regardless of religion

Dinesh Sharma's 'Beyond Biryani' explores Hyderabad's future in its past

There is a figurative divide between the old city and Cyberabad, a tension between Hyderabad's history and its future, raising the central question of Beyond Biryani: Does history hinder development?

Ramachandra Guha's new book is a must-read on India's history and nature

Anyone interested in the planet, in India, and in India's history would be well-served by reading, Speaking With Nature

The betrayal of a social revolution: Rohin Bhatt explores marriage equality

Rohin Bhatt writes from the vantage point of a queer, non-binary lawyer in the courtroom during the landmark marriage equality hearing

Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: Rob Sheffield on Taylor Swift's journey

Sheffield writes that Swift "reinvented pop in the fangirl's image," and while he's not a fangirl himself, he has long cultivated an interest in the cultural interests and contributions of girls

'Character Limit' unveils Musk's expensive Twitter buy and its real impact

Mr Trump (then ex-President) also gets a fair share of attention in the book, particularly about how he used Twitter and other social media to make false claims

AI meets art in McNeal: Akhtar's play challenges limits of creativity

In McNeal, Ayad Akhtar explores the way AI is disrupting the literary world and raising questions about creativity

The Siege: Ben Macintyre's book recalls a forgotten Iranian hostage crisis

Mr Macintyre's original aim in writing this book was to showcase the brilliance of the SAS in post-war action

Night of Power: Robert Fisk's war stories spotlight victims, perpetrators

Fisk's didactic fury may have kept him going, but it tainted his fidelity as a witness and narrowed his vision

Hilal Ahmed's book offers a scrutiny of contemporary Muslim identity

The true value of Hilal Ahmed's book on the condition, plight, choices, and compulsions of Muslims in today's India lies in its refusal to see every issue as either black or white

Nationalism and Hindutva: A new era in Indian politics gets explored

In 2019, Hindutva yielded rich results for the BJP. But why did the nationalism plank produce suboptimal results in 2024?

The Trolls of Wall Street: How tech-savvy retail traders changed markets

In sum, this book provides a fair degree of insight into a new breed of traders, who treat financial markets like any other video-game and crowd-source insights

'The Money Trap': How a surfeit of capital created own troubles at SoftBank

The author paints an elaborate portrait of Masa. At one point the world's richest man, he also held the dubious distinction of having lost the most amount of money until surpassed by Elon Musk

The Golden Road: Dalrymple revives a forgotten India for modern readers

This is a book that should not be missed by anyone interested in the world of ancient Indian cultures

'The Lucky Ones' captures the intersection of the personal and political

A book about an event from over two decades ago that exposed our darkest instincts serves as a reminder not to let ourselves fall so low again

1965 Indo-Pak war: A Soldier's perspective on lessons for future conflicts

India's next war could be fought on two fronts, with a collusion between Pakistan and China, warns Major General Ian Cardozo, drawing on logic, past experience, and evolving geopolitical reality

Exploring Irawati Karve's life in Iru: An anthropologist ahead of her time

This extensively researched biography reads like a novel, without academic jargon, that sucks readers into its smoothly flowing narration

Vartul Singh's book explores Banaras beyond tourist sites and snapshots

Many things about Banaras remain unknown to tourists that only a Banarasi understands, as the city is their home, not merely an Instagram backdrop. Vartul Singh's book highlights this aspect

A Body Made of Glass: How health anxiety, hypochondria evolved over time

Caroline Crampton's A Body Made of Glass delves into hypochondria's history, revealing its shifting perceptions from ancient to modern times