Page 18 - Bs Reads

Caste in the business of death

Radhika Iyengar's book provides a poignant account of the overlooked 'death-care workers' in Benares, an ancient community relegated to the margins of society

A Baghdadi Jew's Israel

Historian Avi Shlaim's memoir challenges the foundational pillars of Israeli society, portraying Zionism as a European construct to which non-European Jews have no affinity

Rites of passage

This is a book that deserves to be read widely for the lessons that death can teach the living

The bigotry of the victim

This is a disturbing book, and a much-needed one, because the obsession with appearance continues to thrive in spaces where gay men seek romance, sex and companionship

An anatomy of financial sector reform

The Budget speech of 1991 changed the tone of reforms, but in the decades since, the pace has been more driven by scams and crises than by necessity, argues Rajrishi Singhal in his book

A marked life

A compilation of stories, some autobiographical and some fictional, details the agony of living in the shadows and the genuine challenges of breaking free from one's caste identity

What algorithms can do

From automated trading to shopping, Marek Kowalkiewicz's book explores the far-reaching impacts of algorithms on industries, individuals, and innovation

Best of BS Opinion: Encouraging signals, more effort needed & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Immigration crisis, Made in America

Conflicts over immigration often arise from similarity rather than difference, and the strangers at our border have a familiar history that Blitzer tells in meticulous and vivid detail

Unpacking the 'S' word

Though compact, Nalini Rajan's book packs an abundance of deeply researched information, aiming to reinforce one's understanding of secularism

The mind is mightier than the algorithm

Tenen leads by example, bringing his human intelligence to bear on artificial intelligence. By thinking through our collective habits of thought, he offers a meditation all his own

Best of BS Opinion: An extended pause, Manufacture or service & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Diplomacy on the edge

Weaving in global geopolitics over India, Pakistan, and Kashmir, former Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria explores the complex tapestry of Indo-Pak relations with humour and insight

Democracy for the minority, by the minority

With Donald Trump likely to storm back to power on their dime, their contribution to powering the cause of far-right minorities is no less disturbing

The content of a copyright

Though often compared to theft, incorporating chunks of protected written works into your own - as critics must - will not land you in jail, Bellos and Montagu reassure

The realities of terra incognita

Adam Goodheart's book on the Andamans and its inhabitants sheds light on the cost, merits, and the necessity of civilisation

Winning, losing and entrepreneurship

There have been numerous books on startups, big and small, but writer-entrepreneur and motivational speaker Alok Kejriwal's account of success stays with the readers

Zelensky: Ukraine's leading man

Less than a week before the war, with 190,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's doorstep, Western officials at a Nato summit in Munich had privately urged him to establish a government in exile

From socks to books: A publisher's story

What is creditable about this book is that the writer has not forgotten the unsung soldiers of his trade - its booksellers - and devoted many pages, with photographs, to them

Economics versus the law

Pradeep Mehta's book, critiquing six judgments impacting India's economy, is a call for introspection, highlighting the consequences of overstepping by courts and the problems with the PIL process