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Enjoyable, sensitive
memoir
Reviewed
by Aradhika Sharma
The Perfect Gentleman
by Imran Ahmad
Hachette. Pages 333. Rs
550
Would you usually pick
up a novel with the picture of a pugnacious looking little boy dressed
up in a suit and white shoes on the cover? Maybe not, but if the book
is The Perfect Gentleman by Imran Ahmad, then you ought to. An
extremely charming book about a little Pakistani boy who grows up in
the West, the book is thought provoking without either the writer or
the reader having to take themselves terribly seriously. The book
makes you laugh, while also making you thoughtful.
Scathing critique of
dishonourable war
Reviewed by Shelly Walia
Kill Anything that
Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam
by Nick Turse
Metropolitan Books.
Pages 370. $30
THE quotation brings out
the true picture of the reality of the United States’ involvement in
the Vietnam war. Nick Turse’s incredibly blunt observations tell the
truth of the grim operation in Vietnam, published in his recent book Kill
Anything that Moves, taking us back to the trauma that American’s
have still not outlived. The guilt is similar to the ingrained pangs
of conscience we see till today in the minds of many Germans who have
not forgotten the inescapably gruesome tragedy of the Jews.
Unravelling hidden
secrets
Reviewed by Shalini Rawat
The Skinning Tree
by Srikumar Sen
Picador India. Pages
217. Rs 499
Growing up has its
consequences. After the sunshine and surf, memories have become
discoloured, a yellowy darkness sets in. Some memories belonging to
our childhood need to be thrown out head-first because we have dwelt
upon them too long. In the dark recesses of the mind, lizards have
morphed into dragons, shadowy corners into dungeons and unliked/unlikeable
adults into monsters. No wonder these memories are the first to come
tumbling down when we sit down to write our stories.
The biology of the stock
exchange
Reviewed by Jayanti Roy
The Hour between Dog and
Wolf
by John Coates.
Harper Collins, London.
Pages 310. Rs 399
WE have seen it often.
The arrogance of power, the changed body language, the addiction to
authority. We have witnessed the transformation in people who become
rich and famous and acquire positions of authority, be it politicians,
film stars or the neo-rich. As the title says, in the hour between dog
and wolf, that is, dusk, they metamorphose from dog to wolf, from
friendly beings to ferocious ones.
The importance of Punjabiyat
& being a Punjabi
Reviewed by Khushwant S. Gill
Punjabiyat: The Cultural
Heritage & Ethos of the People of Punjab
by Jasbir Singh Khurana
Hemkunt Publishers.
Pages 248. Rs 795
Literally translated,
the word Punjabiyat means Punjabi-ness or the essence of being
Punjabi. The sub-title of Jasbir Singh Khurana's book further
elaborates it as the cultural heritage and the ethos of the Punjabis.
But don't look for an in-depth socio-cultural study here. What brings
value to Khurana's work is the 'matter-of-fact', everyday cultural
items and 'artifacts' that go to make up what it means to be a
Punjabi.
Around the world in 536 pages
Reviewed by Balwinder Kaur
I’ll Follow The Sun
by Akhil Bakshi
Odyssey Books Pages 536.
Rs 595
Every book is a journey
each complete with a beginning and ending. But this book is many:
Journeys to places and through time. Akhil Bakshi’s wanderlust has
led him far and wide across this beautiful planet making memories and
accumulating experiences. The experiences he recounts in this book
include wonderful moments, fascinating histories, rich cultures and
remarkable people.
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