The promise of development
Neo-liberal reforms used by the global system are clearly meant to trick people into thinking that the West is using democratic principles to usher in an environment of freedom and equality
Making Globalization Work
By Joseph Stiglitz.
Penguin. 
Pages 358. £9.99.
Reviewed by Shelley Walia
AT the current historical moment, we see global changes transforming the very foundations of world order by transforming conventional forms of sovereign statehood, political community and international governance. We gradually move from the state-centred to the "multilayered global politics".

Bollywood unplugged
First Day First Show: Writings from the Bollywood Trenches
By Anupama Chopra.
Penguin.
Pages 376. Rs 499.
Reviewed by Rachna Singh
BOLLYWOOD is a national obsession, more so than cricket and corruption. More than film-making per se, it encompasses within its ambit shenanigans of actors, directors, singers and of course the rumor-rife ubiquitous cine awards.

Diaspora deconstructed
Diversities in the Indian Diaspora: Nature, Implications, Responses
Ed. N. Jayaram.
Oxford.
Pages 250. Rs 695. 
Reviewed by Gurpreet Maini
FROM time immemorial, a large number of immigrations from India have occurred in all directions and they have created settlements as they coalesced in the alien environment. These diasporic trends continue to fascinate sociologists, historians and anthropologists.

Overview of India’s political system
Concise Encyclopedia of Indian Polity & Governance
By Subhash C. Kashyap.
Vision Books.
Pages 452. Rs 750.
Reviewed by B. B. Goel
THE dynamic aspect of any form of a civil government is governance. The quest for governance, however, is conditioned by an awakened citizenry, activist populace, strong political will and the mindset of functionaries, and above all, an urge to learn and share experiences mutually.

Urdu Book Review
A pearl in the oyster
Dhund Mein Amaan 
by Vishal Khullar.
Insha Publications.
Pages 136. Rs 150.
Reviewed by Amar Nath Wadehra
Nahin khel bachchon ka yaaron sey keh do
Kay aati hai Urdu zubaan aatey aatey
(It takes time to master Urdu language; it’s not a child’s play)
THE above couplet may daunt wannabe Urdu poets but should be taken as a challenge. Nuanced imagery is one of the beauties of Urdu literature in general and poetry in particular. Poetry is, essentially, a reflective art.

Backward journey
Focus, Sam
By Rohit Gore.
Rupa.
Pages 248. Rs 195.
Reviewed by Ravia Gupta
ACCIDENTS are part of life. While some accidents are serious in nature, there are some that bring a smile on your face each time you remember them. We all do have accidents in life, but there is something unique in case of Sam as he meets with an accident every year.

Full-blooded historical romp
Mistress of my Fate
By Hallie Rubenhold.
Doubleday.
Pages 428. £12.99.
Reviewed by James Kidd
Mistress of my Fate is a full-blooded historical romp that is eager to please. The debut novel by the historian Hallie Rubenhold is set in England at the start of the French Revolution, and it leaves no late 18th-century narrative convention untried. Spirited heroine caught between self-determination and social restriction? Check.

Beyond Booker
Zafri Mudasser Nofil
Out with his latest work, Booker-winning author Aravind Adiga says he has matured in his writing
THREE years after bagging the Booker, Aravind Adiga feels he has matured as a writer and hopes readers will judge his new novel Last Man in Tower primarily by its literary quality and not see it as a work of social criticism. "I am older now than when I wrote The White Tiger. I was ill for a part of 2010, so that has changed me too. I do hope I've matured as a writer. At the same time, no novelist should mature too much or he might produce boring works. One hopes to gain in power and amplitude while retaining a fresh and unconventional quality to the writing," the 37-year-old writer says.

Tomes on tinsel town
Madhusree Chatterjee
Books on Bollywood are a new literary genre in the making
Bollywood is coming alive in fine print. A spate of innovative books is not only documenting Indian moviedom for posterity but also throwing meaningful light on the evolution of mainstream cinema. "I think for the first time there is a whole range of books now that reflects the incredible range of Bollywood itself," Udayan Mitra, publishing director at Penguin India, says.

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