Books

Cubbon Reads event in Bengaluru park stopped, organisers claim harassment

Cubbon Reads, a 'silent reading group' in Bengaluru, claimed that their members were evicted and asked to pay a fine of Rs 35,000 for using the Cubbon Park premises

Hameed's memoir calls for reclaiming India's spirit of communal harmony

The book reveals the India that once was, a plural state for which the liberal elite waxes nostalgic, and the India that could be by defeating rising Islamophobia

The White Ladder: Heroes, villains, and the drama of early mountaineering

Approaching the peak, more than 17,000 feet above sea level, the scene shifted from snow and frozen chasms to eruptions of what were described as "great tongues of flame"

The Bataclan terrorists' trial: 10 months of unparalleled horror and pity

The book of Abdeslam turns out to be not that profound - as the trial progresses, Carrere decides he is a "sap caught up in his own contradictions" and an "abysmal void wrapped in lies."

'The Nature of Nature' book review: False solutions for climate change

This book is a must-read for people who beat themselves up for failing to avert every environmental disaster that makes it to the news cycle

S Jaishankar's book offers a practitioner's view of Indian foreign policy

While many academics and diplomats have penned books and memoirs on foreign policy, S Jaishankar's work offers a blend of hands-on experience, insight, and analysis

GN Devy's book questions common assumptions about India's languages

The book would have enhanced its accessibility for ordinary readers if more care had been paid to its presentation and delineation of arguments in support of the author's principal thesis

In this biography, Mitch McConnell hates Trump but loves power more

The overall sense you get from this biography is that McConnell has prioritised little besides his own political survival

Beyond beaches: Couto's essays on Goa's complex cultural identity

Maria Aurora Couto's last book is an elegy for a more inclusive Goa, and confronts its modern challenges, such as corruption

A Ravindra's book delves into India's urbanisation challenges and future

With a few exceptions of large slums in megacities such as Mumbai, the poor continue to live on the city fringe-a colonial legacy that persists to this day

Trilochan Sastry's book explores faith, conflict, and search for harmony

How does one find harmony in the discordant notes of a practice that ignites wars and justifies genocide, all in the name of God? That is exactly what this book seeks to explore

'Iconic Trees of India' explores deep-rooted bond between people and trees

One hopes that Natesh's labour of love will inspire numerous state-sponsored and citizen-led initiatives grounded in science to document and conserve India's green living heritage

'The Identity Project' explains multiple fault lines of India's democracy

Can India, as a democracy, progress without reverting to the fragile, papered-over secularism of the past? Rahul Bhatia explores this question in his book

'Behold the Leviathan' is a hopeful narrative of India's potential

Increasing women's workforce participation, the rise of a new class of elites without IIT-IIM education, and the JAM trinity are key socio-economic changes driving optimistic projections for India

Caste discrimination has no place in a modern India: Books, films can help

Children and teenagers now have access to books that unpack how the caste system dehumanises people on the lower rungs of the hierarchy and how they reclaim their dignity

Sky High explores IndiGo's unique approach and its future path

What keeps one going through the pages of this book is its racy style, quite like a reporter's diary with anecdotes seen and heard

Melania Trump: Modelling, motherhood and a brazen whitewash of a presidency

If there's a plain truth in Melania, it's that she loves her son, Barron, and will protect him at all costs; and sincerely cares for imperilled children

'Law and the Economy in India' explores rationale behind key regulations

The depth of discussion on the economic linkages and laws are not examined in as much detail to justify the use of the noun "Economy" in the title

Revenge of the Tipping Point: Gladwell plays it safe with a familiar brand

Revenge of the Tipping Point is a genre-bender--self-help without practical advice and a business book without actionable insights, yet it's sure to be a success

Arvind Panagariya's book explores Jawaharlal Nehru's long economic shadow

On why Nehru's long economic shadow sustained till 1991 - nearly three decades after his passing - the author points to the near continuous, political domination of the Nehru family