Sunday, August 4, 2002		Books

A walk through tunnels of hate
Parshotam Mehra
Holy War Inc: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden
by Peter L. Bergen. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. Pages XI + 292. $ 18.99.
THE equivocation of the US Secretary for Defence notwithstanding, his broad hint about the presence of Al-Qaida across the Line of Control in Kashmir helps underline the grave threat this terrorist outfit and its principal political mentor, the Saudi multi-millionaire Osama bin Laden, pose to the peace and security of the region.

E. M. Forster’s narratives of ‘states of mind’
Darshan Singh Maini
E.M. Forster: ATribute (With Selections from His Writings on India), Edited & with Introduction
by K. Natwar Singh. Rupa, Pages 169. Price not mentioned.
OF the British and other foreign writers on India, the name of E.M. Forster remains supreme in a special way. Working as a Private Secretary and tutor to a small princely state, Dwas Senior, during the pink period of the Raj, he retained his authenticity of word and vision in the midst of the Colonel Blimps around him.

On learning disabilities
Kuldip Kalia
A Guide to Educating Children with Learning Disabilities
by Anupriya Chadha, New Delhi. Vikas Publishing. Pages viii+157. Rs 225.
LIFE is a challenge and accepting challenges with a smile makes life easy. Any kind of disability which minimises the chances of success has to tackled wisely, tactfully and boldly. What we require most at such critical junctures are courage, confidence and, above all, patience.

Celebrating the trivial
Aradhika Sekhon
Among the Chatterati
by Kanika Gahlaut, Penguin Books pages 236; Rs 200
AMONG the Chatterati makes no bones about what it is. On the cover itself the author specifies that it is the diary of a page-three hack Thus, the author in effect declares that if the reader expects anything apart from purely masala fare, he has picked the wrong book.

What makes teams succeed
D.S. Cheema
When Teams Work Best
by Frank La Fasto and Carl Larson. Response Books (Sage Publications). Pages 221. Rs 320.
TEAMS, which are essentially formal, natural and enduring work-groups have immense importance in today’s organisations as they are the most important single reason why organisations succeed or fail.

Handy tips for those sailing in love ships
Chetna Banerjee
Love Signs
by P. Khurrana, Crest Publishing House, pages 450; Rs 195
LINDA Goodman’s books have long been the Bible for those keen on reading about sun signs or love signs. Now, fashioned on the lines of Goodman, comes the desi Love Signs, authored by P. Khurrana. In fact, the author credits Goodman for inspiring this book.

Feel the power of Napier
Aditya Rishi
Mathematical Marvels: A Primer on Logarithms
by Shailesh A. Shirali; Universities Press, Hyderabad; Pages 189; Rs 176
THE age of humans is over and that of dinosaurs has arrived. Now, we use calculators and supercomputers instead of logarithms and slide rule. Try estimating the number of digits in 2^2^22.

Off the shelf
Contemporary Italian social and political thought
V.N. Datta
REGRETTABLY, and I need not go into the reasons for it, the fact is that the study of Western political theory has suffered greviously in our universities. For the understanding of even contemporary society, the study of Western political theory is bound to prove a valuable asset.

Write view
Myth or geological reality?
Randeep Wadehra
Saraswati: The River that Disappeared
by KS Valdiya Universities Press, Hyderabad. Pages: xii + 116. Price: Rs. 175.
THE Saraswati River, said to have disappeared 2,000 years ago, continues to fascinate geologists, historians and mythologists alike. Sceptics consider it a figment of imagination. Valdiya belongs to the school of thought that says that the river actually existed in the tract comprising parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab.