Robots and Empire

~Isaac Asimov

Needed a dose of fiction and the book from Asimov's Robot series stood out as an immediate choice from among others at the book sale.  One long trans-Atlantic flight later, I had read the sequel to the Robots of Dawn in Asimov's series.  This is the kind of stuff that breezy friction reading should be about.  Yes, I'm a fan of science fiction in general, and would pick this genre over others in a heart beat, but Asimov is especially skilled in making his stuff easy to read and entertaining at the same time.

And so it was that I spent a couple of hours reading about Daneel and Giskard, and their super-human (errr, super-robot) powers, etc. etc.  Fantasy notwithstanding, it takes a certain imagination to make this kind of uber-futuristic view fairly imaginable for the reader.  Good stuff.

A Thousand Splendid Suns
~ Khaled Hosseini

Let me start by observing how incredibly difficult it must surely be for a writer to produce not one but two great stories/novels, and that too back-to-back.  An almost un-achievable feat in my opinion.  But Hosseini seems to have achieved it.  A really beautifully written story, and especially poignant for me as it focuses on two women as the central character of the story that spans two generations at a time and in a country that has seen, and probably continues to see the kind of turmoil, instability and turmoil that borders on unimaginable for people like us.  Indeed, reading about Afghanistan makes me send a prayer of utmost thanks that I was born in India, that although belongs to the third world, and has many drawbacks - is still peaceful to live in, and is not beyond hope as yet.

So, here is the thing, though.  Although extremely well written (Hosseini so does have a flair for keeping his narrative smoothly flowing, with a certain quality for getting the reader completely absorbed in the tale), and poignant, and factually representative of the historic and political situation in Afghanistan - plight of poor people, women, etc - you still end up (probably unfairly so) comparing this book to The Kite Runner.  Which was the better book, by an indisputable margin, for sure.  That book was way more moving, powerful and like a breath of fresh air.  In many ways, Thousand Splendid Suns was a little predictable in the general direction it went.  Kite Runner held me captive from the moment I turned the first page.  I remember wanting to cry on so many occasions (I probably did) as I read the book.  Of course there were a few "filmi" elements towards the end (somehow writers seem to have this compelling need to necessarily tie the so-called loose ends in the story line with bizarre outcomes to the narrative).  But those can be overlooked by the brilliance of the overall tale.  And the sleekness with which Hosseini waves his tale.

Anyway, all in all, enjoyed Hosseini.  For a second time in a row.

Last man in Tower

~Aravind Adiga

Having thoroughly enjoyed his block-buster "White Tiger",  I had reasonable expectations for this one.  It is always the case.  So rarely does a second, third book of a debut winner measure up.  I headed into the book with an open mind.  Give it a try, I assured myself.

Well, here is what I have to say.  I cannot, in the recent past that I can recall, ever finished a book in one sitting.  Not even the White Tiger.  That's how good I found this book.  Adiga's writing style is just great.

Now, having said that, I was disappointed by the way the book ended.  I cannot tell you just how disappointed.  It had SUCH potential.  I think the reason the whole planet is not talking about this book is because of the way it ended.  I mean, c'mon, Mr. Adiga, surely you must have had alternate endings in consideration?  I would love to see them, to see what made you choose to end your super strong story in this manner.

I am not going to give any spoiler alerts here, because I sincerely still think the book is worth reading, despite the end.  I just wanted more in the end.  The build up was there.  The plot was certainly there.  The characters had all come to life in my mind.  I was waiting for the encounters.  I was waiting for the suspense to end with a bang. And in the end, there was poof - nothing.  Just a brief and un-fulfilling update to an ending episode that the entire story built up to.  Disappointing, to say the least.

But still, a very good book.  I will give Adiga another try.  But next time would probably be his last chance with me.

difficult reading...gosh

The Black Swan
~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Is it just me?  The book club I'm part of at Cap One chose this book for this quarter.  We're at the end of the quarter, in fact, there's 2 weeks to go before the club meets again and I am eons away from finishing the read.  Thing is, I'm not able to get through this stuff.  The author is completely failing to get me engrossed.  His style of writing is very tiresome.  I need to find a strategy to get past the initial inertia I am experiencing to see if the book has any promise at all.  Finding it extremely difficult.  Maybe I'm just not in the mood overall.  Or maybe the book is crappier than some of the reviews suggest.  Maybe I just need a better book.  Recommendations anyone?

reading

Books that have kept me company recently...

Liar's Poker
~ Michael Lewis

Semi-autobiographical account of the author's stint as a bonds salesman on Wall Street.  Paints the place in an interesting light - mix of fairly disgusting behavior on the one hand, but also showcasing the amazing way in which the financial system on Wall Street worked, the tenacity and other qualities of the people who worked there, the fortunes and mis-fortunes that were made there, and the way giants were made, and giants were destroyed.  Since it is a first hand account of sorts, you tend to believe (somewhat incredulously at times) the goings-on in the firm in question (Salomon Brothers) and the Street as a whole, especially because you are looking at the tale unfold in hindsight (you know how the story ends - the financial meltdown story, that is).  And this was in the 80's.  The incredible part for me was that while reading the book, I could have easily transposed whatever Lewis was saying was true and happening in the 80's to twenty years in the future, to what happened to Lehman Brothers and the crisis of 2008.  Wondered at times in the tale whether Lewis could possibly have been fitting the narration to make it sound incredulously congruous with the meltdown cycle twenty years in the future, but I think he's too smart to be making stuff up.  And so, it is unbelievable in and of itself, that this whole thing is cyclical, and that too within such a relatively short span of time.  Makes you wonder how people in general can let something like this (financial stupidity leading to financial crises) happen time and again.  But such is the power of Wall Street.  And that's the point Lewis is making.

Loved Lewis's quintessential narrative style and sense of humor (have read a couple of his other books and have enjoyed them all) throughout the story.  Felt a little too ranty at times, but I guess he has every reason to be supremely disillusioned by the whole thing.  Good insight into the inner workings of financial behemoths, and the Street culture.  Makes you wonder whether twenty years from now, we'll see another one of these shenanigans.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
~Amy Chua

This non-fiction had received rave reviews and I had been wanting to read it for a while.  Finally got hold of it.  The author describes in the tale Chinese (indeed any non-Western) parenting style and how different it is from the western parenting style.  How Chinese (aka Tiger) moms raise their children, push them, push them, and push them to excel in everything they can possibly take on - whether that's academics, music or something else.  And how western parents on the other hand leave the choice to their children and will not push the children or discipline them excessively for fear of incurring the displeasure of the children.  Chinese moms on the other hand don't care.  They will humiliate their children if necessary to get them to be the best they can be, actually not the best they can be, but the best there can be...if you get the subtle but important distinction that is the hallmark of the style of the Tiger mom.  Excellence is not an option.  It is the end state.  And to get to that state, the children will have to do whatever it takes.  That Whatever usually takes the form of supreme hard work and hours and hours and years and years of practice.  And the mom will be a Tiger, fiercely protective, constantly alert and territorial, sacrificing anything and everything to meet that goal  of excellence for their child.  Because that excellence in that field, will prepare the child for a fulfilled life, a life of confidence, return for effort, and redemption for being endowed with a gift.  Hmmmm.

All this is illustrated from the author's personal example of getting her first daughter to become a brilliant pianist and her second daughter to become a brilliant violinist.  Of course what happens is that the second daughter is a complete rebel (which is so not the Chinese way) and the story unfolds of the battle between mother and daughter, and how in the end, the Tiger mom has no choice but to succumb to the child's will.  But she tries every single thing she possibly can to avoid that.  Boy, does she try.  She pushes her children to the point where you wonder how something terrible could not have happened.  She made them work their butts off, practise every day of their lives for several hours each day since the day they turned three.  She made them practise and practise, came hell or high water.  Because she believed with every pore of her being that that was the only way to achieve excellence.

I liked the book, except for the end.  I do not like books that don't end strong, no matter how brilliant the rest of the story.  The author admits that she had no idea how to end the book and personally struggled with it.  In any case, the book itself is worth reading.  If you are into parenting, and if you are Chinese.  Or Indian, I guess.  I personally have opinions of how I will raise my child and how it will be the same and how it will be different from the western parenting style, which surrounds us.  I certainly want to nurture any and all talent my child has, and aggressively develop it.  But will I be a Tiger mom?  It has its ups and downs.   Time will tell, I guess.

Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go that does...

- Hermann Hesse

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

~ Rebecca Skloot

Am so happy with all the reading I am doing.  But I just realized that I have completely leaned towards non-fiction.  The quality of non-fiction I am reading these days is so high that for a book of fiction to measure up, it would have to come highly recommended and be really good.  Anyway, the most recent read was this book by a first time author that was on the New York Times Best Seller's list for some 30 or so weeks, and has won numerous other accolades.

The book is about a bunch of cancerous cells taken from a black woman in the 1950's in Maryland without her explicit knowledge or consent, which were then grown in labs and distributed world-wide and used for scientific research, and were responsible for finding cures for a whole wide range of diseases and illnesses.  These cells were known as the HeLa cells and are in use even today.  So, even though cancer brutally killed Henrietta Lacks, her cells lived on, and continue to live half a century later, and form the foundation of all forms of medical research.  The story is about the devastating effects of the disease of cancer, and the ethical issues of race and patient consent in the world of medical research.

What I absolutely loved about the book was how the author combines details of science and medicine into a superb weave of story-telling, making Henrietta Lacks and her children and family and the doctors who treated her for cancer and the researchers who took her cells for research, all so very real.

I realized again my love for medical/biological information, especially when presented in an easy to grasp, not too super technical fashion.  I was fascinated by the author's commentary in the end on the issues regarding patient consent on using body parts for research.  And how this has evolved from Henrietta Lacks's time until today.  The facts surrounding HeLa cells are fascinating themselves.  And of course, the details of the disease that killed Henrietta Lacks, while disturbing, also are informative on just how deadly is the disease called cancer.  And finally, Skloot's narration of her decade long interaction with Henrietta's children, and their life's situation, their completely human and distressing consequences because of the HeLa cells, is just plain high quality story telling.

Great book.  Am definitely keeping an eye out for Skloot's future work.

In Defense of Food

An Eater's Manifesto

~ By Michael Pollan

What a great read.  I picked up this book that came recommended by someone whose reading habits I admire quite a bit, and whose recommendations have been pretty spot on.  But I was honestly wondering how good this book could actually be.  The title had me intrigued.  It is a subject matter I am passionate about and feel strongly about.  However, I was afraid there would be too much jargon in there.  And also wondered what material could possibly keep a reader engrossed for 200 something pages.  I was in for a surprise.

The theme of the book could not have been structured better, or organized more efficiently to drive home the salient points.  These points themselves are very brief - Eat Food, Not too much.  Mostly Plants.  Makes complete sense, but the data that the author has gathered, and presented, the fashion in which the argument is made, is most compelling.  Even if I was a mainstream follower of the Western diet, which I am not, thankfully.  The author's big crib is about the concept of "nutritionism" and how the combined forces of the American food industry, over-zealous "food scientists" and the media have managed to create an extremely unhealthy population, prone to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other serious health issues, simply by feeding them what does not constitute actual food, over the course of a few decades.

The author argues that traditional diets are way healthier and more wholesome than western (aka American) diets.  But we've always known that, haven't we?  Or have we?

Even though I follow a lot of what the author prescribes, because, in the end, I do believe that we are what we eat, the material was still eye-opening on many occasions.  Some facts were brand new, and I am really glad that I read them in this book.  It has me thinking differently about certain things.  Things that I will keep in mind the next time I am grocery shopping.  For sure.

The author's ask - to be mindful of what the "experts" claim as nutrition, to be careful to identify real food from food like "substances" out there, to connect with our food, to rejoice in the act of making our own food, and enjoying it with our families....is not too far out there, I'd think.  The issue is, how many of us, in our rushed, modern life-styles will actually do it?  The bet is though, that the ones of us who do this mindfully, will stand a darned good chance of living a healthier, more energetic life..

Great book.  Definitely recommend it.  Anyone who is interested in the connection between what they eat and their health should read this.  Will go after "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by the same author next..

Super Sad True Love Story

~ Gary Shteyngart

Overall I enjoyed this book.  As I picked it up and started reading, I realized this was a fiction after what has been a spate of non-fiction reads for me in the recent past.  Somewhat curious then, that this should be the fiction read that I happen to pick up.  But never mind that, as I started enjoying what seemed to be a different story line and premise.  The story is set in the future, where society and social media have morphed exponentially from what we know them to be today.  America is facing unprecedented decline.  Predictable, China is the new super power, etc. etc.  The interesting thing is that human beings (especially the protagonist in the tale) are still human at every level, and things like falling in love are still poignant and human and emotional and touching.  The story moved along forward putting me the reader at ease with the futuristic concepts because tying everything together was the human factor, etc.  I found the concept of life extension, or striving to live forever, amusing and slightly disconcerting at the same time.  Illustrated well, I must say.  I was curious and interested in seeing how everything would be tied together in the end.

Alas, the end however, disappointed.  The story had every potential for making the conclusion really stick in the reader's mind.  However, everything became so predictable towards the last couple of chapters.  I wonder what happens with these authors who have a good thing going, the story has all the potential to be great, the build up is terrific, and then poof - deflation.  What is it?  How can the imagination just run out of steam when it matters?  Don't get it.

I have to say that its still a different kind of story.  I enjoyed the glimpse of a potential future for human-kind.  I like the humour, and the human-ness of the characters.  I enjoyed the illustration of the concept of extending human life.  I actually liked the language - even though it was on the edge often.  I liked the emotions the lead character describes.  I just didn't like the end of story.

Indian Summer

~ Alex Von Tunzelmann

Really liked this book.  Amazingly well researched.  If you're a history buff, which I am to a fair extent, and if, further, you are interested in the topic of the British Raj, Indian independence movement, etc., which I am to a very large extent, then this book is a treasure.  Superbly rich with details, yet told in a story like fashion with plenty of humour.  Unbelievable details of events/people that led up to independence, and partition.  Most of this was so not told to us in our high school history lessons.  Talk about distorting historical facts conveniently.  Some of the details I really wonder about in this book.  Did they really happen that way?  The entire book is heavily foot-noted, so the research is apparent, the bibliography transparent.  So I want to believe none of this is possibly cooked up.  Makes you re-think the whole memory you have of what you learnt about the British rule, and the freedom movement, and more so of the freedom fighters.

The key players in the book- Lord Mountbatten, Edwina Mountbatten, Nehru and Gandhi.  We all knew Gandhi was eccentric, but the details in this book bring them out at a whole new level.  He was most ineffective on the most important issues through the course of the most important couple of decades of the movement.  Ideological, yes.  Spiritual, of course.  Guru to a sweeping majority of the nation, yes.  But completely ineffective as a leader of the actual independence movement.

So much detail about the Mountbattens, and their completely intertwined destiny with India.  Details of Dickie Mountbatten's obsession with grandeur and importance is brought out in the most humorous way.  And the whole relationship between Edwina and Nehru is described in the most beautiful way.  Theirs truly sounds like a love bound by the soul, something eternal.  And to read the bare facts of issues like Kashmir.  What happened to lead to how things are today, and events and people that shaped such a major destiny for India's future.  The dreadfulness of the events leading up to and following partition.. Eye-opening in many cases.  Also includes some really nice photographs.

Great book.  Considering its the author's first one, I am quite impressed.

Outliers

~ By Malcolm Gladwell

Fantastic read.  In spite of the recommendations and rave reviews, had not had a chance to pick it up until recently.  The minute I started reading, I was hooked.  Brilliant writer, amazing use of examples to illustrate the core point of the book, and high enough interest level maintained throughout to make you not want to put down the book at all.  Quite a feat.  The book attempts to outline the 'story' of success - how successful people got to where they are, and that there's a hell of a lot more to success than the individual's achievements.

I have to admit, after the rather incredible first example on the Canadian hockey players, I was tending towards slight skepticism when I started reading the examples of Bill Joy and Bill Gates.  I thought the data was being presented in too arranged a manner.  Errr, I do data analysis for a living,  and I know only too well how any argument can be data driven, OR, it can be entirely hypothesis driven, and one can always find some data or the other to support that hypothesis. :-). Worse, in many cases, one can twist and turn the data to make it support the hypothesis.  Oh, how well I know this.  I see it every day.

However, Gladwell is impossible to argue with.  And really, the point he's making throughout the book is obvious if you think about it.  The framework of his argument is flawless if you think about it.  The problem is that we rarely think about it in that way.  And he's so masterfully explained the examples with compelling data points, that its really difficult to poke holes in his theory.  Big ones, at least.  And I tried, for the fun of it. :-)

I was told every parent should read this book.  I'm glad I did.  It's true!  Every parent should read this book.  And I love Gladwell's writing style.  It is simple, honest, and seems to come straight from the heart.  

Amazing book.  Gotta pick up his The Tipping Point and Blink next.

"Unaccustomed Earth"

New book by one of my fav authors - Jhumpa Lahiri. The book just came out and I had to have a copy. Its a collection of short stories, and after her Pulitzer prize short story winner, I had high expectations.

Have to say - I was only sort of impressed. The first story, the title story was very good, and I thought I was in for a real treat. The remaining stories were just about okay, with one good one in between.

I am still a fan of her writing style. Rich with simple details, yet so real as for one to identify oneself with various aspects of the story, the so human characters. Some of the details she adds through out her stories are so touching. It does pull at the heart strings at times. Not depressing, just touching. I like that.

However, I did like the first book "The Interpreter of Maladies" much better. I remember those stories were shorter than the ones in "Unaccustomed Earth", but more varied, if I recall right. In the new book, all the main characters are the standard issue second generation Bengali immigrants to the West, and after a point, the usual cultural struggle blah blah gets rather monotonous as a recurring theme.

In any case, I will still read whetever Lahiri's next book will be. I'm just a fan.

I Readeth

I am rather pleased with myself. I have managed to read three books in succession in the last month, and I am onto the fourth. A huge accomplishment for someone who claimed to have no time anymore for this once favourite activity. I guess its just a matter of making the time. In any case, the pleasure was worth it. Here's briefly about the pages I have been burying my somewhat longish nose in:

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
I really liked her Pulitzer Prize winner Interpreter of Maladies, which is a collection of really neat short stories, so I was prompted to pick up this one from Barnes and Nobles, two days before my flight to Bangalore. It has taken me two really long cross continental flights and two weeks more to finally finish it. In all honesty, I actually started reading and finished another book in between before I finished this one. The Namesake is actually quite a well put together story...it gets a little long winded in the middle, but I wonder if this is simply my reaction to many things these days....I just have this tendency to snap my fingers and get things done and out of the way quickly....in any case, I like Jhumpa's style of writing, and the story line itself is something I can relate to in some of the pages....its primarily about a boy named, uncannily, Gogol, and his journey through many phases of his life...and his parents who are first generation immigrants to the US from Calcutta. Its heart-wrenchingly human how Gogol despises and is embarrased by his parents' "Indian" ways when he is growing up...how he is eventually affected by his father's untimely death, and how, at the end of the story, his family becomes important to him. Its a non-frilly, down-to-earth style, and a story with very very human emotions. Liked it quite a bit now.


Waiting for the Mahatma by R. K. Narayan
R.K. Narayan's works have always been real classics. Who does not remember 'Swami and his friends' and 'Malgudi Days' with the utmost fondness? One day, I hope to have read all his works, and there are many. But for now, I picked up a copy of 'Waiting for the Mahatma' bought by my brother whose latest claim to fame is that he is an "experimental" reader.

I was not disappointed. Waiting for the Mahatma is set in a time that I am fascinated reading about - the British Raj. More specifically, it is set in the years just before the British finally quit India, and when the Mahatma's image was all important, even in the little town of Malgudi. More than about Gandhi, this story is about the everyday people of British India, the commonners who, uncannily, have no clue about what is really going on, what the freedom movement is really all about. It is about people like Sriram (the main character in the story) and how he relates to the movement, his place and role in the scheme of things. And, in Narayan's inimitable style, it is also about the Mahatma. The story tells about the immaturity of Sriram's youth, how he struggles to grow out of his little corner of the world, what Gandhi and the freedom movement mean to him, and how his infatuation for a girl leads him to do things he would otherwise never ever have done.

What comes through so poignantly in the tale is how ordinary people are involved and yet so far removed from the realities of the movement, and how they actually have no earthly idea about the big picture, living their daily lives in their microcosmic worlds, intrerpreting events in their myopic ways. The reader feels helplessness and sympathy at the same time.

Check it out if you get a chance. As always, R. K Narayan touches something inside you.