Page 5 - Literature

RSS: A worm's eye view

Devanura Mahadeva's book takes a critical look at the RSS and helps readers comprehend the founding principles of the organisation through a series of quotes from its key members

Model mistakes

Mathematical modelling is an indispensable analytical tool, but not always accurate. Erica Thompson's book takes a nuanced look at the challenges of matching its predictions against reality

The nation as a 'continuous conversation'

Through a series of essays, Rajeev Bhargava reflects on our times, what is good and bad, right and wrong. His book is a treatise to the inquiry: Have we lost our way?

Putin's war machine

A military operation that was to last 10 days is now closing in on a year. Mark Galeotti's rigorous book offers a real-time understanding of the Russian operation's catastrophic failure in Ukraine

Exploited in America

The book starts with love stories that introduce us to some of the men and explain why they're so desperate for work

Quitting can be good for you

Human beings find it hard to quit, but life is too short to be wasted on endeavours not worth sticking to. Annie Duke's book illustrates the virtue of knowing when to give up

The Emperor syndrome

Dominic Lieven's 'In the Shadow of the Gods' presents a breath-taking cavalcade of larger-than-life characters, many of whom have left deep imprints on human civilisation

Living the life, energy efficiently

For those looking to live a cleaner and greener life, Energy Efficiency Matters is a ready reckoner offering easy practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint

The Raja of Big Things

An eminently readable book by Carnatic music-loving corporate honcho, Kamini Dandapani, delves into the life and influence of Rajaraja Chola and why the 11th century ruler still has a cult following

India's tryst with parliamentary democracy

At a time when Parliament is about to be relocated to a new building, 'House of the People' offers an insightful look into the evolution of representative bodies in India and their functioning today

A culinary tour of the Chinese diaspora

From the Arctic to Africa to the Amazon, perseverance, economic pragmatism and resourcefulness bind the lives of Chinese immigrant restaurateurs all over the world and inspire their disparate menus

Late swing

Wasim Akram's readable memoir reveals little that is new while strengthening the myths of old

Layers in the hijab debate

The hijab has many layers. A collection of 17 essays, mostly from India and with some from Bangladesh and Iran, attempts to present some of them

Taming the dragon

Getting China Wrong is a succinct analysis of US policies towards China, what motivated them and how they failed. Besides discussing the vexed issues, it also prescribes the path forward

A minority report

In its lucidly written detail, Half American is a valuable and eye-opening social history of the second World War from a uniquely different perspective

Mind the North-South gap

Nilakantan RS' book explores the multidimensional gap between the two halves of India

Lines of control

We the People of the States of Bharat offers an excellent account of the considerations that have given the country its present internal boundaries to whet your appetite for history

'Insurgent' justice

Human rights activist and lawyer K G Kannabiran's memoir, translated into English from Telugu by his daughter, is a book worth reading and re-reading

From pest to ecosystem engineer

The writer Leila Philip adds to a genre of pro-beaver literature that turns out to be more populous than most of us may have known

Harappa between the lines

Nikhil Gulati and Jonathan Mark Kenoyer provide a clean but unconventional look at history