By: James Crabtree
Pages: 358
Non Fiction
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: 10th May'2020
Brief review: It's a story about modern India. It is about India's super-rich business tycoons, political cronyism, scams, and more. From the fall of Vijay Mallya to the rise of Arnab Goswami and the forgotten story of Lalit Modi of IPL fame, Crabtree tells us the inside story of how it all happened. From scrutinizing the impact of Narendra Modi coming to power to an end of an era with Jayalalithaa and from betting scandal in cricket to highly leveraged Indian conglomerates, Crabtree goes deep into the subject and provides an interesting perspective. Whether you believe him or not, you will definitely be engrossed in reading what he has to say.
By: Steven Pinker
Pages: 525
Non Fiction
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: 25th May'2019
Brief review: A fabulous work by Steven Pinker. The book gives us hope about the future amidst current pessimism with regard to several issues being faced by mankind like global warming, food shortage, nuclear weapons, increasing inequality, the rise of artificial intelligence, etc. Supported by data and research, the author suggests that we are currently living in a time which is unprecedented. We are now more happy than ever before, have longer lifespan, more prosperous, more healthy and the world is more peaceful. While there are negative news all around, the world is in fact getting better and better on almost every account. The arguments placed in the book are difficult to refute and gives hope for a better tomorrow. A long read but an unputdownable book.
By: Michael Bar-Zohar & Nissim Mishal
Pages: 338
Non Fiction
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: 18th May'2019
Brief review: Mossad is considered to be the best intelligence service in the world. It could also be termed as the most lethal. This book captures details of several real missions carried out by Mossad over the last 60 years. From finding and killing the attackers of Israeli players during Munich Olympic games to successfully rescuing its people from terrorists at Entebbe airport in Uganda in 1976, 4,000 km away from Israeli soil; Mossad is credited with the most daring operations the world has seen. The book tells us an inside story of how a secret service operates and what are the stakes. A excellent read.
By: Malcolm Gladwell
Pages: 320
Non Fiction
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: 13th Apr'2019
Brief review: In this well researched book the author suggests that what we consider weak may actually have an inherent strength and what we think is worthy may not be so. Using the precursor of how David beat Goliath and several other real life instances, the author makes a compelling case that a positive mindset, courage and resilience can beat the odds of adversity, disability and discrimination. The book will break some of the myths that you hold along with giving a dose of motivation and inspiration. A few stories drag but overall a good read. Malcolm Gladwell is a master writer and story teller. I would also recommend his other books 'Outliers' and 'The Tipping Point'.
By: Tara Westover
Pages: 324
Biography, Non Fiction
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: 6th Apr'2019
Brief review: It's a powerful, mesmerizing and inspirational story of a girl who, in-spite of all odds, carves out a life of choice for herself. Home schooled in early life, Tara Westover went on to get her PHD from Cambridge despite overwhelming challenges and an unknown outer world she knew little about. Reading this book will make you cry, make you laugh, make you sad and make you happy at the same time. A awesome book which is also beautifully written. For me, it was pure joy to read this book. This true story is filled with humility, honesty and resilience which is rarely heard of. While I would recommend this book to everyone, I hope every mother would make their daughters read it too.
