“The Essence of Delhi ” by Aleph Book Company

“The Essence of Delhi” encapsulates the spirit of the city Delhi, in all its complexities, tragedies, and charm.
12 stories that aim to capture the glories of the riches and the miseries of the poor, the history that is lost, and the potential that the future holds.
🌷
From Malvika Singh’s introduction to the history of the city, Khushwant Singh’s description of the nitty gritty’s of life of a Delhite, William Dalrymple’s depiction of the metropolis as the city of Djinns, to Ruskin Bond’s portrayal of the life in Punjabi household headed by a matriarch, each story unfolds with such interlude, one cannot help but marvel at how simple things can be a cause of great joy.
🌷
These authors need no introduction and even before picking up the book, I was sure I am in for a good time and I am glad the book didn’t disappoint me at any point.
One can take their time reading each story and allow it to be taken in in all its essence, a flavor of the city composed of a myriad of emotions, its grandeur, its distress and hardships, the culinary delights that the city offers and the spirit that the people exhibit even with all the chaos.
🌷
A city that rises from its ruins and coexists with a glimpse of the past and a promise of the future.
.
.
.
.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre: non-fiction, short-stories, indian-literature, indian-author

“Engineering a Life” by Krishan K. Bedi

“Engineering a life” by Krishna K. Bedi is a memoir that takes you through the protagonists journey of trying to build a life in the United States of America, having left his small village in Punjab at a very young age, landing in New York with only 300$ in his pocket but a will to study engineering in the land of opportunities.

🍂
As we progress through the voyage that constitutes the struggles of a young Krishna trying to travel to America, a bewildered and confused man working odd jobs to make money all the while juggling studies to maintain good grades, we find an older Krishna torn between his promise of returning back to his homeland or staying in a country that made all his dreams come true.

🍂
The book is written in a simple and easy to understand manner but the narration falls flat even though the premise of the book being so promising. I wish there was more depth to the anecdotes shared and at times they were told in a manner that fails to evoke any emotion while reading them.
Some of the situations that are portrayed as ‘adventures’ came off as callow and juvenile and I didn’t find them as inspiring as I expected.

🍂
It is definitely a good attempt at describing ups and downs in one’s life but I found it hard to be inspired by.
.
.
.
.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre:#nonfiction, #memoir, #biography
Reading difficulty: ⭐⭐/5

“In a Violent Land ” by Aleph Book Company

“In a violent land” bring forth essays and stories, panning the length of our vast country of India, a collection of some of the best fiction and non-fiction stories that have been written on the violence that infiltrate all sections of the Indian society.
🌻
As you go through each recital, you hear the cries of the Babri Masjid incident, the pangs of the Gujrat riots, experience first hand the brutality shown in the name of casteism, the atrocities meted out in the Naxalite bound regions of North East India, or the sadism exhibited in the garb of social status.
🌻
In a country which inhabitants populace of such varied characteristics, divided by religion, caste, gender, language, class or geography, clashes are bound to happen and more so in a place where politics thrive on the differences between people.
Such are these tales that reminds you of the catastrophic past that has scarred the land for centuries now and acts as a constant reminder of the folly of not being tolerant of each other’s differences, even in this time and age.
🌻
Stories featured comes from writers like
Khushwant Singh, Mahasweta Devi, Udayan Ghosh, Anna Bhau Sathe, Manoj Mitta, Harvinder Singh Phoolka, Salam Bin Razzaq, Suketu Mehta, Vijaydan Detha, Sonia Faleiro, Barkha Dutt, Shahnaz Bashir, and Sanjoy Hazarika.
🌻
So one cannot doubt how beautifully woven each narrative is, in it’s all entirety.
Some stories are more impactful than others but there is no doubt that every single one of them is equally alluring.
Pick this one for a pretty hardcover coupled with powerful and compelling tales that blotch the history of our glorious nation.
.
.
.
.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre: essay, short-stories, politics, IndianLiterature, cultural

“Becoming” by Michelle Obama

Becoming by Michelle Obama, an account of the first lady’s life before and in White House, her marriage with one of the most favorite presidents of the United States, and a, for the most part, a safe narrative of the Obama’s achievements that fail to evoke inspiration.
🌼
While the book started great with depicting Michelle Obama’s as an ambitious young lady, talented and hardworking, somewhere with the start of Barak Obama’s political career, it all seemed to fade away.
🌼
I felt, in the end, it was an attempt to portray her as someone much more than a First Lady and although the book describes her as deriving her self worth not only as an accessory to her husband’s career, it felt more of a political memoir where the focus was on the achievement’s of the Obamas in their tenure. In a way, I was disappointed in seeing so less of Michelle Obama as an inspiring person with her own ambitions and aspirations.
🌼
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics, Memoir, Black-History
Reading Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐/5

“Unstoppable: 75 Stories of Trailblazing Indian Women” by Gayathri Ponvannan

Thank you @hachette_india for a copy in return for an honest review.
🌷
Are you an advocate of women’s rights? Do you interest yourself in the achievements of women not only in the present century but ones that were attained at a time when the concept of feminism didn’t exist? Do you like illustrations?
If yes, this book is for you.
🌷
A book featuring the lives of 75 of the bravest Indian women that adjourned our history with their courage and willpower and fulfilled their aspirations even in the face of prejudice against women and stigma from a society that still deems women unworthy of doing anything worthwhile.
🌷
Each account fills you with pride and admiration for the wonderful women who fought for the country, flew planes, became scientists, teacher, took part in the freedom struggle and above all worked hard to realize their dreams.
Not only that, it stresses the roles of the male members of the society, the fathers, the husband, and the mentors, in paving the way and providing support to these fearless women.
🌷
The language is simple and easy to understand. And coupled with the apt and beautiful illustration by @doodlekaari the stories came out beautifully. A recommended read for all the young girls and boys to introduce themselves to the female role models of history as well and inculcate a sense of respect equally for both the genders at a young age.
🌷
I agree there were so many unsung heroines that I didn’t know about and I regard it a fallacy on my part to never make an effort to get to know about the daring ladies of history but I consider this a start and urge everyone to give this book a chance.
.
.
.
.
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre: feminism, indian-literature, non-fiction

“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom

“Death ends a life, not a relationship”
– Mitch Albom, Tuesday’s with Morrie.
🍂
Mitch Albom’s college professor from twenty years ago, Morrie Schwartz, is diagnosed with ALS – a neurological disease that is bound to cause his neurons to deteriorate over time and cause his muscles and in turn his mobility to die slowly.
🍂
It is then the disconnected student, gets a chance to reconnect with his old teacher in his last days and ask him bigger questions, about life and death.
🍂
His teacher, Morrie, in turn, does not disappoint him. He answers every question with so much clarity, bringing in insights about the larger meaning of life and even when his health worsened, he was in the same spirits, helping and counseling others with love and care.
Goes on to show how great a person Morrie was and even in death his memoir goes on to inspire hundreds.
🍂
Told as a first-person account of the author’s experience of his interviews with his teacher, the books goes on smoothly and fluidity, yet aims to bring an impact on the reader.
Highly recommend this short read.
🍂
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre: memoir, nonfiction, biography
Reading difficulty: ⭐⭐/5

“The Bookseller of Kabul ” by Åsne Seierstad

“In Afghanistan a woman’s longing for love is taboo. It is forbidden by the tribes’ notion of honor and by the mullahs. Young people have no right to meet, to love, or to choose. Love has little to do with romance; on the contrary, love can be interpreted as committing a serious crime, punishable by death.” – Asne Seirstad, The Bookseller of Kabul
🍂
In the spring of 2002, following the Taliban’s fall, the author spends four months living in Kabul with a bookseller’s family. Sultan Khan, the owner of the bookshop has defied the authorities time and again to protect his books, sometimes hiding them to prevent the illiterate soldiers from burning them. 🍂
As an outsider, Asne gets an in-depth view of the status of woman in Afghan society and the family structure that reinforces the age-old traditions and patriarchy deep-rooted in the society.
🍂
The narration is fairly easy to follow, but with a lot of characters, the storylines kind of mixes up at places. The men might bore you, but the women’s stories stick with you.
Having read and loved “A thousand splendid suns” I was hoping for more, but the book somewhat disappointed me.
I just couldn’t connect with the characters the same way.
But with all that said, the story does create awareness about the situation in Afghanistan, especially the treatment meted out to women, to some extent.
.
.
.
.
Genre: non-fiction, memoir, biography
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Reading Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐/5

“The power of your subconscious mind” by Joseph Murphy

“The only path by which another person can upset you is through your own thought.”
– Joseph Murphy, The power of your subconscious mind
🌼
The power of your subconscious mind, as is clear from the title, dwells on the importance of one’s consciousness and its power to heal, create and make one’s life better. The power of positive affirmations and optimal thinking, and how it can work wonders in practical life where one might find themselves going through hard times on more occasions than once.
🌼
The books present various examples of people from different walks of life, who have tapped into the power of the subconscious and found themselves a better life, some who have even cured themselves of diseases.
True, if one puts their heart and soul in a task and overcome a mental block wherein one can see beyond the fear and focus on just reaching the goal, victory is sure to come.
🌼
The writing is easy to read but the examples seemed redundant and sometimes outright unsubstantiated.
I am all for the power of the mind but propagating an idea that a disease can be cured just by constantly thinking about a healthy life over and over again, seems a bit outlandish. Apart from the lack of evidence about the claims that the book makes, I found the underlying idea of cutting off the negative thoughts and focus on the task at hand, really sound.
🌼
Genre: #selfhelp, #nonfiction, #psychology
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Reading difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐/5

“Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson

“Some people say, “Give the customers what they want.” But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!'” People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
– Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs
🍁
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography is a definitive portrait of Steve Jobs, one who is considered to be one of the greatest innovators of the history. Isaacson portrays the various shades of Job in all its forms, black, white and grey.
Having read a bit about the Apple’s co-founder, I did know about how big a visionary and genius Steve Jobs was. What I did not know that he was a jerk, a brat and treated people the way he wanted to all the time.

“A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”
– Virginia Woolf, A room of one’s own
🍂
I am truly short of words to describe my experience or thoughts about my first read by Virginia Woolf. And that is saying something, considering I hardly ever feel that way.
Of course, it is a five-star read, of course, every woman must read it, of course, everyone must read it. With that out of the way, I would try my best to “review” this masterpiece.
🍂