Eros the Bittersweet by Anne Carson

This is full of ancient Greek poetry and other literary work explaining the love and pain.

This is an essay but it is a really long one but if you're interested in knowing some ideas around love in the ancient Greek literature then this is a good point to start.

Important question is, if the Eros is love or something closer to love which is more like a desire. A desire which wants to be fulfilled but it does get it fulfilled it opens the door for the next one.

Does getting the love is the eventual destination of a journey or the journey towards unattainable love is what makes it worth?

Love

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

Can we explain the racial prejudices and complexity through psychiatric analysis?

This book focuses around the racial identities and differences in the context of Francophone countries. It doesn't give a final answer if these differences are psychological or accumulated over a period of time when the skin colour was a major reason for treating people as a subordinate. The colonialism and slavery are said to be driven by differences but in reality it was a result of power imbalance and greed which was fed by this imbalance.

It comes with the hypothetical situations to explain an anomaly and there are good examples of how these differences were projected and internalised by the dominating and the dominated. It was not just the idea of superiority that was colouring the world but as a side effect, the idea of inferiority was also spreading in the larger population which lack the means of countering such ideology.

It happened over centuries, and it will take more to undo it.

Peace

Outlive by Peter Attia, MD

How long is long enough? Can living long be a conscious goal? Do we want to add more years to life or life to the years?

Death has been a long understood phenomenon. It is bound to happen when one is born. The death is one aspect of life which developed our consciousness to longevity and after life both.

A goal of staying active till the last day of their lives, and delay it as much as humanly possible by any means from healthy living (eating, exercise, and saying no to all the vices) to taking medical help (medicine, procedures, therapies and what not) is not the latest fed. The history is full of people who tried to find the panacea for long living.

This book covers a wide range of topics but largely focuses on the four major health hazards (cancer, cardiac, mental and diabetes) which cause a large number of deaths but are assumed to be avoidable with the right food, medicine, and lifestyle. It suggests not only the right lifestyle choices but what else do we need to maintain a healthy body composition. Additionally, it goes deeper into the latest research in the field of the four horsemen (health hazards) that one need to be aware of.

All the physical things apart, the one question that it doesn't pick or choose not to address is what we're going to do with long life. Living a long life to break a world record doesn't sound very convincing but the reason behind lusting after longevity is very personal choice, and in all probability one is less likely to know and be convinced about this notion of living long.

The idea of outliving yourself is paradoxical until you go answer the next question in line - why so long.

Peace

The Big Myth by Naomi Oreskes

Telling a lie ten times doesn't make it truth but it can definitely get you enough people who wish/believe it to be true even if they don't see the wider implications of such beliefs.

In a political and business nexus it is difficult to know who is getting what to say or do something. It takes time for the truth to come out from such arrangements but there is always space to deny the truth or add more narrative to make it irrelevant. Yes, making the truth irrelevant on the expanses of something which can never be paid.

We know that business and politics are not the same thing but no one knows where one ends and the other begins. How come politics became the business? Something which was meant to work for social good end up being an instrument for driving business agendas. Business says that everything has a price but it never tells you what anyone is paying beyond the monetary value of anything. Not because it can't see because it chooses to unsee it and make others believe it doesn't exist.

People have always been manipulated by labels and slogans, and it is not going to change. We hear the words equality, climate change, right to a hundred things but what was the last thing that changed by these discussions. We just end up chasing another loose end generated or thrust upon.

Peace

Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz

Memoir about a lost father and found love.

This is well articulated but doesn't try to drive any point which was obvious. This tells the stories fairly simply and the narrative doesn't hold you as a reader.

Don't remember the reference for this one but missing this is not big for sure.

Love 

The Anglo-Saxons by Marc Morris

The history of England is as complex as history can be. But based on this book, it doesn't look very old for the current form it evolved to.

It has all those wars, religions, ego clashes, family, murders and all the possible combinations of the aforementioned which makes it not very interesting read. It is boring unless you are not even initiated in the history of any country.

The only interesting part is when you're done reading it, and contemplate how the current identity politics work in UK.

It is not that we don't learn from history, the case is that most of the people are ahistorical.

Peace

Butts: a Backstory by Heather Radke

This one started from the very physical aspect of the butt but moved towards a narrative about how the butt represents the persecution of a woman, and how it gets objectified in the pop culture.

It started at a good note but moved towards a lot of mismatched references towards how the standards and ideas of a woman's body is constantly changing. It is surprising to see how the shape and size of human body is constantly under scrutiny, and represented.

It is not worth the read if you're already aware of the latest discussions around feminism and journey of woman representation in pop culture.

A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis

Grief is difficult to read but it is more difficult to write it. The sense of a loss can't be really written irrespective of a writer's proficiency. What you write can't get closer to what you feel about the loss but this one is written beautifully.

A loss which brings the existential question, and make you question your own thoughts and beliefs. That is a kind of loss for the lifetime which goes with life.

Solace can't be found, it just has to be created.

Peace

Tastes Like War by Grace M Cho

What does a war do to anyone who has tolerated it and came out with the life, and nothing else?

This is a memoir of Korean war and the story of a woman told by her own daughter. The woman who survived, thrived, and grew old in US and lived a secluded life suffering with schizophrenia.

There are a lot of symbols of war in the whole narrative but the strongest of them all is food. Food is one of the most basic needs of survival, and most of the war accounts are full of hunger. This one doesn't have a lot of hunger but you can see the signs of war in the food. A woman who doesn't talk much about the war she has seen at a very young age didn't forget the food. There were phases of self hunger but eventually it was the food that brought her out.

Even if one has never faced war, hunger, poverty or any kind of deprivation, it is not difficult to connect with the people who did. War takes the human out of humanity but it can't survive forever but it does leave one with the signs of war.

Peace

Exercised by Daniel Lieberman

If the exercise is very crucial to stay healthy, why people need to be motivated to do physical activities? And if workout is the answer to a lot of problems why the healthy people end up getting all those bad knees, back, and even early death?

These questions always challenge the effect of exercise on the well being of humans. In this book the author tries to answer some of these questions from an evolutionary point of view, and also uses some of the latest studies of exercising.

It does try to answer a lot of questions, and succeeds with many of them with the logical sounding arguments, and statistics. However, the idea of explaining everything from an evolutionary point is a lot hypothesis led scenarios which try to explain things which doesn't have a lot of influence from evolution. But that point apart this is definitely worth reading if you're ever exercised with the idea of exercise.

In a nutshell, we need exercise to keep a lot of our bodily activities going and this book tries to educate you to see and understand what you want and where you're pushing too much. Plus there is a no one formula for how much exercise we need, we just need to go what our body feels like and enjoys. Stop buying workout from a marketed package and educate yourself about what you want to achieve.

Love

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

A collection of tales of magic, and it does have the charm of fables.

Some stories look a bit dark but they have their own light also. Which means that some climaxes will look bad if you don't look beyond the climax. Not all the stories come with a moral, and that's how they should be. The stories are not for morals or even entertainment. The best ones are the ones that leave you not with the narrative/plot but with the thought of what could have happened after the telling was over.

Loved them all.

Love

Beyond the Story BTS

This one is for the fans of BTS.

This doesn't provide much information on the band members but tries to weave a story based on their  interviews and draws a map of their creative journey. What was released when, how they worked on it, and stayed persistent. This made them what they are.

You can beg to differ with the point that they are the most famous boy bend/artists of all times if you're not a BTS fan or never heard any of their song. But this is more than creativity when you've not experienced the art but you know the artists from their marketing and publicity.

We're no wiser about BTS after this book, and don't read if you never heard/appreciated any of their songs.

Love

Crack-Up Capitalism by Quinn Slobodian

Is capitalism synonymous to greed?

The hunger for getting rich keeps looking for new pastures to keep feeding itself. Out of the devices it propose with the own vested interests is the idea of a free market which is expected to present itself for exploitation with nothing in return. Avoiding taxes, and not paying the right wages is part of the plan, and the greed attracts greed. There will be people out there who will respond to it out of desperation sometimes termed as mutual benefit to give the free run to anyone who wants to have an open field with no restriction, and willing to pay anyone who can be an accomplice.

This led to a lot of countries creating SEZs (Special Economic Zones) which are directly or indirectly catered with providing resources, no legal binding, tax havens/exemption or even no tax. These offers are called the lure for the business while this is the other way round.

Exploitation of natural resources, and people without any liability is the name of the game. The action doesn't matter as long as it serves the end goal for such strategies, and everything else is a collateral damage.

Peace

Fatherland by Burkhard Bilger

How difficult it is to talk about personal history when the history is difficult to talk about?

The author traces the footprints of his family during the WW2 and its role in Nazi Germany. This leads to a long trail of letters, documents, and people who have anything to say about those times.

We can't always be sure of how people behaved the way they did and that world still had people who fell into the grey zone where they can't be labelled as good or bad. They were just people who were motivated by different factors like love, hunger, poverty, power, greed, jealousy, survival, or even good heartedness. The people who put the humanity first or even second or third on a list when there were not many options were the best ones who brought the light at the end of the tunnel.

Evil is strong, and it feeds on madness but that is short in supply. It does end, and when it does we see the hope surviving.

Love

The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman

Another book which makes you sad and angry together. The central idea is based on witch trials and hunts in Vardo. It is a work of imagination but not completely. It puts the visualisation and builds a story around what was a common trial which is actually not very old.

The word witch-hunt comes from the history of such trials where the women were killed (why do they even call them trials while it was pure hunt supported by legal power to just go ahead with the execution in the worst way possible) for the sole reason that a life of woman was not worth a thing and can be taken away for the stupidest whims of power.

The neighbours, royals or representatives of power who reported on each other as a practitioner of dark magic. More powerful they were, more likely it was easier for them to pronounce someone as witch. And it was not just limited to a small village or a country, it was a full fledged program across.

Witch hunt was prohibited by laws in 17th and 18th centuries in different countries but no one was ever tried for killing a real person in the cruelest possible way. The most common argument which at least tries to mollify the whole spree is that it was the way of those days. Well, you never left anyone to tell the history otherwise.

Power is a corruptor. A lot of people desire it but nobody knows what to do with it.

Peace

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong

The discrimination doesn't stop at AfroAmericans or marginal communities but also with the wider communities who have been around for ages but still not accepted the part of the society irrespective of them being here for generations. Or worse, it puts a particular label to them which stops them from being seen as any other person who is not part of the majority.

The South East Asians have been one of these who are demeaned by different names, and after being one of the most successful communities and labeled as model community still face discrimination. These labels push the behaviour and self sensor for the people who belong to this one.

Additionally, even after with all the model behaviour the discrimination stays when people are called yellow, slant eye and what not. The stereotypes which don't go away but manifest in different ways.

The sensitivity to these cues is still a far cry but you hope against the hope, right?

Love

Femina by Janina Ramirez

The whole idea of male superiority stands strong in a vacuum created by the suppression of thoughts, ideas, and works for female.

This suppression worked in many forms, from outrightly removing any reference/work from the records to brazen theft. Challenging the notion that history is made by man and woman just existed in the margins is an insult to all the brave and intelligent women who had the equal right to fame and history.

The author picks some of the most prominent women from history who excelled in war, intellect, innovation, religion, business and what not.

Its not a comprehensive list but you don't need a comprehensive list to understand the contribution of female, and how they were marginalised.

Peace

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

How do young people respond to the environment of racial differences around them?

This book tries to answer this question, and suggests a framework how it is possible to build an environment of trust by educating people about racism.

Of course, no other person can live the experience of a black person irrespective of their education/empathy but this should not stop one from being educated and be a part of the better social understanding.

For the black kids in cafeteria sitting together, the reason is that they share a common experience which only the people in this close group can understand, and provide care and support.

Peace

The Anti-Cool Girl by Rosie Waterland

Everything we found funny is funny as long as it is not happening to us.

Reading this memoir of childhood, growing up in a difficult household, growing up with obesity, and other health complications (physical or emotional) sound funny until it hits you that it was all happening to a real person. A person who was going through all of it but came out with enough shine to tell it with a lighter mood.

The struggle to fit in a society which doesn't look like you because it has not seen what you have been through.

Worth reading even if you're not in contemporary first hand accounts of peoples lives.

Love

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree

Some stories are meant to be told unfinished but that is not the case here.

This one is long, and speaking at so many imaginative levels that it can't fall into magical realism of Rushdie. It is a slow story of daughter and mother with everything else. Specially, lists of sweets, spices, flowers, and what not.

Half way through, the thought of abandoning it comes, and almost by the end of it, when the shadows come into the picture, the narrative asks if you're still around :)

Couldn't appreciate much because this is a translation in English from Hindi, and it is very much possible that it does read better in Hindi but not sure if everyone is going to see it.

Love

Love's Executioner by Irvin D. Yalom

This is the kind of book you'd like to read which is written by a person who knows about his/her chosen topic. I didn't finish a book on porn earlier for the reason that it doesn't offer a critical study, and based on sole discussions with people from a closed circle. In that sense this book brings a different perspective.

It brings the ideas of people with death scare (old age or medical condition) in one place and analyse this from a psychologists perspective who worked with them.

Death is literally a larger than life idea which sounds absurd to any living cognitive being. This cognition which helps humans examine things differently brings it own perils. And the worst of all is to face the possibility of one's own death. The thought of end of a life which you have known all your life which brings the torments, and challenges. This is one of the reason why the humans can't just exist like a tree or a stone in nature, and search for immortality/longevity has been such a big theme across all the fields of  human developments.

We can look at all the cases mentioned in this book, and don't relate to anyone of them but it provides a primer before you start your own painting.

Love

Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks

I don't remember where I saw the reference for this one but glad to found it.

It is small, and apparently more autobiographical. Gewndolyn is known for her poetry, and this was her only published novel.

This is small but the language is very poetic. It looks like a collage of life events rather than a storytelling which is how it ends also. But maybe that was not the end but the prequel of something bigger which never got published.

Quick and a beautiful read.

Love

Chip War: the Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller

Every other time some or the other technology is called the future. Semiconductor was no different when it was invented, and won a couple of Nobel along the way.

The book explores the history of semiconductors/chips. How it started, developed and what lies in the future. And, it is an interesting read.

There are two main things which anyone can find common with any other technology that we see around today. First, it was developed for war (later it got commercialised because business has to make money), and second is that obsession for cheap and efficient never stops, no matter the price.

The same happened to semiconductors where the design came from one place funded by the speculation of wars and being second to none but eventual production was transferred to any place in the world which can do it cheaper. This was short sighted focus on profits without taking into account the global equation of mutual mistrust among the stakeholder countries.

The funny example here is the shortage of semiconductors during the time of pandemic where the supply chain got broken and a lot of production got halted due to shortage of chips. It is funny because when people were struggling for their lives, semiconductor was the last thing on their minds. But this argument doesn't go down with the calculation of loss in productivity.

Proverb was "Necessity is the mother of invention" but from the oldest times it was war which led to inventions.

Peace

Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen

Its a memoir of lost friends. The friends who came for a short period or the one who stayed for the lifetime. But it focuses on the celebration and memories of those friends rather being an account of loss, and how much pain it causes.

The loss is there but it has been portrayed as a journey. The question, how long a pain of losing a loved one lasts, doesn't have an answer but we don't love people by measuring them on a scale of longing. Even when sometimes it is lurking behind the joyous moments, pain stays, and does come back.

Solution is, if we're looking for one, not to fight it but to cherish.

Love

Porn by Polly Barton

I stopped after the introductory chapter which I generally don't do, and make a point that I see it till the end.

However, in this case I made an exception because this was not what I expected it to be. As a rule of thumb I avoid looking up the books or writers if I pick a book, and same was the case here.

The book is based on a discussion with people about their porn consumption, and how do they look at porn. My only reservation was that this group of people come from the writer's close circle which takes the objectivity of the discussion out of the whole narrative. The writer is not a specialist on this topic which provides a lot of freedom to interpret the discussions, and can go top down logic.

To all those books left unread!

Love

Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas

Winner takes all sounds like a cliche from a casino until you realise that it is true to its core.

The book is about how a certain level of wealth motivates the people to move into philanthropy without realising the wider aspects of their wealth accumulation. The historical theory of wealth redistribution which promised that the wealth on top goes down to everyone in the chain has been proven phenomenally wrong. It is not just the inequality that it causes in the society, it also brings the absurd ideas of philanthropy in the heads of the ultra-rich who end up with a notion of knowing and doing the right thing for the humanity. To top it up the misplaced idea of helping the humanity with technology seems like a perfect excuse to keep doing what makes money for you.

The idea of improving productivity never ends up in improvement of wages or the living conditions of the people who are working for these businesses. Additionally, harming the environment, creating chaos in societal structures, raising inequality, bad working culture, and tax evasion etc take it from bad to worse.

Taking is something which is inherent to human nature but taking all is what causes the problems which begin when one doesn't realise how it is taken, and where to stop taking. Where one justifies all the taking in the name of any suitable adjective at hand. This builds a whole ecosystem for inequality where everyone with money bends the rules, deprive others, and claims privilege.

But why does this happen that even the people who started from a humble background end up being part of this elite club? There is no one answer but broadly the lust for wealth, power, and misplaced sense of accomplishment/entitlement compounded by inability of challenging the status quo is the recipe for it.

Philanthropy is defined as the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. So, next time when a billionaire says philanthropy, take a closer look at the causes it supports, what they propose to do, and what might have caused those causes in the first place.

Peace

American Carnage by Fred Guttenberg

This tries to bust the myths attached to gun control efforts in US. It goes point by point to highlight why all those myths (legal or otherwise) don't stand a chance in front of a fair scrutiny.

The book is rather short on narrative but does't have much chance to move anything because the most important factor which it is struggling against is the business of selling guns. The whole idea of lobbying in favour of gun rights and ease of availability should be called a charade in the name of business. But that is how the business works, right? It is a mad race to sale rather than thinking about after effects of goods sold.

Another failure of the book is that it goes a lot soft on the gun rights. It proposes a framework of background verifications and exclusion of assault weapons from civilian reach while it misses the main point of why any gun is lethal irrespective of its firing capacity. And that point is that how a gun takes the humanity out of these attacks and killing spree. It does point out that the idea of owning a gun can strike someone as an equalizer but can't tell equal to what.

It actually ends up sounding like that people who are sane enough or trained enough should have the right to own a gun but this thought befuddles the idea of why anyone in a civil society should have a gun. It should be the duty of police and other forces to maintain the law and order in a society and not just another person with a gun.

There is no political will to counter the gun arguments in US, and it is going to stay for a real long time.

Peace

First You Write a Sentence. by Joe Moran

After a book on debate comes the book on writing :) 

The main question is why anyone writes? What does anyone has to tell that others are keen to read?

Reading is the most isolated activity (not counting group readings) which happens in the mutual absence of the two major stakeholders, the writer and the reader. Which makes it a bit closed activity where one need to break an obligation of presence. It is a one way dialogue between two people which is open to interpretations or abandonment from either side.

Given that the human attention span is short what does a writer need to keep a reader hooked, and here the author mostly addresses this question from personal experience. And it is important to know because you may have the best thing in the world to tell someone but what if people don't pay attention because you don't write/express it well enough. Or you have the worst things to say but your deliverance prowess gets you the all the eyes, ears and minds.

And never forget your grammar. Most important part is that a good writing is rewriting.

One can't become a writer by reading a book but the inspiration to record your thoughts in a neat way can come from anywhere with a little guidance. So, even if you're planning to never publish - write something.

Love

Unworthy Republic by Claudio Saunt

There are books which make cause anger, pain, and a sense of absurdity of our thinking.

Anger because the sense of entitlement that make you think that you can do whatever you want to do as long as you have the power on your side. Even if it means to blind yourself to the extreme suffering or others.

Pain because the unnecessary loss of lives which could have not ended prematurely, and the remaining lives which were lived as lost, uprooted, and sad.

Absurdity because your greed not only stopped you from seeing what was inhuman but also gave you the courage to present this is as a favour to larger humanity without the consent of people who lost everything. An idea that you justify on your own terms while disguising it in the name of law, class, race, superiority and what not.

This is a document which records the greed of colonisers who had vested interests in terminating people and the civilians who pounced on the misery of fellow humans to get the smallest benefits out of it. This was not the first time, and this will not be the last.

If we don't have a reason to kill others, we'll invent one.

Peace

Win Every Argument by Mehdi Hasan

This one has what you can read in any other book on debating and arguments but the main difference is the anecdotes here. You get to watch a good debate but many at times you don't know what goes behind the scenes which is why the anecdotes are so important.

The most common myth is that a side with the facts and truth wins. You can have all the truth in the world until you put it out there in a way that people recognise and empathise with it. This is where the debating skills come into the picture. Debates are considered as a healthy sign on of a good society where the thoughts are argued. An argumentative culture is important because it provides for an environment which is good but this comes with its own pitfalls when you witness that a discussion in favour of right gets lost because the other one was represented better/differently.

A debate can reach a solution based on words, and avoid a lot of action which can potentially go wrong. But be careful when you see a debate, and remember the difference between a debate and a monologue.

Peace

Fix the System, Not the Women by Laura Bates

The system somehow reflects how the society is, so implying that fixing one is going to fix the other is a premise set to fail.

The word is changing, and there are developments in a lot of areas where the attitude, environment, and system has improved even if it is far from where it is expected to be. However, the crime against woman is not such a field. Violent crimes are sometimes gender neutral but the gender specific crime rates can't hide behind the argument of it going up overall.

The women are still vulnerable to a lot of crimes, and petty mindedness which can be only fought with implementation (not just creation) of tougher rules, and education. This is easier said than done but this is the best way forward.

Peace

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas de Quincey

This is something which I was reading in parallel to other books during commuting.

It is marked as a classic or the firs one in drug addiction writing but this doesn't go very far beyond the clouds, memory of some moments, general apathy, and all the senseless ideas which keep people hooked to an addictive substance.

This is more like a self-aggrandizement statement rather than a record of experiences.

Not worth a read even if it so small.

Peace

Different by Frans de Waal

Does gender defines the way a person behaves? What is the difference between gender and sex? Do people born with gender irrespective of sex?

Chimps and bonobos are human's closest relatives in the evolution cycle. Primatology is an observational field which records the interaction of any species to understand its behaviour. Chimps and gorillas have very clear physical distinctions between male and female, and they are known for the male aggression. But if we set aside the alpha male theory, there is a lot in their behaviour that trumps the whole idea of male domination. The male is more territorial and hungry for leadership (which leads to more mating opportunities) while female are seen as the pilar of social cohesion, and in this role they do perform a lot of negotiations/power balances that the idea of alpha male sounds ridiculous.

Additionally, if we turn our attention to bonobos, the whole idea of any domination, authority, sexual definition/preferences etc just goes for a toss. Bonobos are rarely in conflict for power irrespective of gender. But this is something which doesn't sell, and to add injury to insult - their hypersexuality is something which is always whitewashed in any documentary about them.

Ultimate question - does the behaviour of closest primates tell how humans inherit their gender? Maybe or maybe not, depending on whom you're asking. But an observational primatologist can tell you that we've more in common with chimps and bonobos than we can accept.

This might not be the best argument defining gender dynamics but something worth a thought.

Love

The Devil's Element by Dan Egan

The devil's element is Phosphorous and it is called so because it glows in dark, and can catch fire on in air with moderate temperature.

The whole ecosystem which supports the life as we see is a very fine balance between all the elements in nature. The human consumption behaviour at a large scale can disturb this balance which results in catastrophic events which is not just global warming but others as well.

This one is focused on Phosphorous which was part of this balance but the imbalance due to human activities (industries, agriculture and even dairy farms) has tipped the balance, and once this phosphorous shows up in the fresh water lakes and rivers, its immediately puts the life around it in danger. Not just the marine life but human life as well. The books explains the results of free phosphorous in the nature, and does explore its historical origin when the humans started using at an industrial scale.

Ozone layer was a victim of such industrialisation and a restriction over CPC set the path for its recovery. This can be done again with Phosphorous but it needs more efforts and coordination not just with the industries but people's consumption habits as well. This requires education not only for the policy makers but it also needs wider visibility among consumers.

Peace

Trust the Plan by Will Sommer

Any explanation of causation which is far from fact can or can not be called conspiracy theory. But does the facts make much difference? Does a plain hard fact changes the perception of a believer in conspiracy theory? Maybe not because that unfounded belief is the first thing that nurtures such theories.

Having these theories in all spheres of society is not a new thing. Humans believe in these theories since long when we started playing make believe games. It just got amplified with the help of social media which provides a fertile field to spread far and wide. A probable reason for people latching on to a theory is that it explains things in such a way that it potentially absolves the adopter from any real or imaginary guilt. It also provides a narrative which is more easier to follow with less mental acuity, and no efforts. Once sold it propagates on its own.

The good news is that these theories wither on their own in the face of time but not until sometimes causing some great damage. The bad news is that there is no way of fighting these apart from real cold facts which has less chance of success due to the mental blockage which favours such theory over a fact.

Most of the times there is some vested interest in propagation of such theories which can be financial or political but there are times when it just part of a thought without serving any purpose which may sound harmless until it moves into more violent domains.

It would be so easy to say that all such narratives should be judged by rationality but a fertile mind for such theory just doesn't have the interest or inclination for any rational judgement. Which is why once settled, it just needs to be waited out. It can be a long wait but it will go away just to be replaced by something new.

Peace

How to Think Like a Woman by Regan Penaluna

Its a mix of a memoir and a case for women in philosophy. The overall narrative is good but it falls victim while not doing justice to any genre. A book is never about a genre, and a writer rarely starts with a category while writing fiction. But this one fails to deliver the message by adding to many things in one place.

It does provide well documented references of how women were blocked from getting enrolled in schools and colleges, and got the least support even when they did crack the glass ceiling. But this was true not just philosophy but for any subject during those times. The prejudice against females did injustice to a lot of brilliant women, and philosophy was just one of these subjects. The arguments given against women's entry in any subject was same (lack of intelligence/brilliance, non-competitiveness, inefficiency or sometimes just not being man).

In modern times when the women have far bigger opportunities, they are outshining any other male in their field of specialisation. Which gives the hope of equality in the future. However, the recent trends of boys falling out in their development has been a concern (though not addressed yet) needs closer monitoring to avoid any over correction.

The world will keep changing and the dynamics of a society will favour one or the other every time. This book gives the example that even after all the blockers there were people who pursued their passion even at a higher cost, and they were the one who set the foundation for the future.

Peace

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

It is not called an idiot box because it serves stupid content but it is so non-interactive, short on serious discussion and as brief as profitably possible.

This may sound a bit harsh on TV, or any screen for that matter apart from a book reader in the evolution of media since it began with printing but this is true. And this book even being really old (published in 1985) puts all the right arguments forward. If only he had a chance to rewrite this today he'd have more arsenal in his attack.

TV as a medium could have been a better compared to what it is today only if it had been invented in a different time. It grew to what it is today in the time when everything was expected to be commercialised, and it lost the opportunity of being as meaningful as a book. The commercial aspect moulded its content to be short, fuzzy, entertaining, and eventually serving the wrong sides of business, religion and politics.

A different observation from my side was that all the modern studies show that the TV doesn't have a quality of holding anyone's attention for long unlike books. Which led to the further technological developments of recording, OTT, and what not. But this is still a proven fact that TV doesn't have people's attention for long which we attribute to its non-interactivity. All the stories that we've ever heard are cherished because they were read by us to told to us. And, even when the books don't have the interaction built-in it, it has the higher engagement quotient and depending on the writer's excellence they can stick for real long time.

All the digital mediums don't suffer the same attention span problem. Think of video games which keep the people hooked for days at a stretch but they latch on to a different hook in the brain.

This is worth a read for anyone, and hopefully if you're big on any screens (not just TV) it will give you some pointers on why it is the way it is.

Peace

It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders

This sounds like an election manifesto from the beginning till end, and its a good thing because it tells you how author looks at a particular problem, and what are his plans to tackle it.

Capitalism being bad is a very relative point, which means, whether it is good or bad depends on where do you see it from. And its not just filthy rich who thinks its good but even the relatively affluents, and youngsters starting fresh aspire to be on the right side of capitalism. All the arguments against capitalism sound great until we reach at the point of action. And did anybody say trickle down?

If change in taxation system could work we'd have never seen so many tax fugitives or tax camouflage. Anyone who sees that this is unprecedented just need a primer from history. Anyone who thinks this will change needs second thoughts.

This is not something that a system can fix and it will never happen with a change of heart. This is a long process where every step counts, but who knows by the end of the tunnel, there is another tunnel.

The rich will remain rich or even get richer irrespective of the policies (until they really screw up on their own). The system which is not designed to serve the rich has enough loopholes to keep them rich, and be a blocker only for the aspirational (which has been overcome by a lot of youngsters who start humble and end up being in the same soup). And the worst part is that the rich will feel magnanimous and worthy of what they have achieved without being aware of at whose expanse. The thirst for wealth and power is never quenched.

Peace

Victory City by Salman Rushdie

Reading this book in 2023 is a kind of standing up to what happened to the writer. That incident is not unprecedented, and it was bound to happen one day. But the sad part is that the words (not even an argument) can cause people to act in this way.

About the book, it has as much magic as Rushdie's any book. The funny part is that if you're well versed with Indian history, geography, and mythology then you can understand a lot of it without much efforts. That symbolism goes deep into the overall narrative.

Noting beats the Midnight's Children but a frequent reader can get the hang of his writings and, there will be instances where it sounds like something you've already heard before. And the good thing is that that most likely you have, it is just told by Rushdie in his own style of storytelling.

Worth a read.

Love

The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté

The normal discussed in this book is what should be considered normal in healing. Does the advance medicine turned the people in a mere subject which can be treated for the ailments it suffers? Or can we look at the human life, and its ailments as a whole, and focus on a process which focuses on improving human life ad not on just giving medications for symptoms.

Are diseases an indicator of past sufferings that a patient has gone through? Does a medical practitioner needs to get to the bottom of the cause what is causing this disease?

Writer gives a lot of accounts where the patients denied the modern medicine, and rather worked on their own life to start the healing. This did get the due support from the modern medicine in some cases but for a lot of them the cure was not in medicine but in identifying the cause of it.

It is a well established fact that thoughts do alter the response of our bodies. Different mental conditions cause or cure the sick. There is a whole new field of faith healers who are trained in alternative procedures apart from their own speciality. And one of the appealing feature is that it changes the whole being rather than just the body. And the road to recovery starts from the thoughts. The positive thoughts of forgiving, letting go, accepting and welcoming new are the building blocks of it.

Peace

The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Stories and myth are part of a culture. And suppression of a culture is not only the loss of a tradition, it is also a decay of a unique, vibrant and different society. Which makes this book unique.

It is a memoir of a family which traditionally deals in magic, myth, and surrealism. A modern mind may not accept the magic of supernatural events but that doesn't make such events any less beautiful for someone who sees them as a second nature.

This books sounds a lot of quackery but the deeper meaning is how we look at our own life, past and present, from an outsider's perspective. How we connect our life events with the lives of others which gives us a sense of connection with this world.

It is not a vey recommended read but it does give you some perspective of life. Even if you don't believe in magic.

Love

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei

For a very long time, art was a medium of expressing beautiful feelings. A medium which let's an artist express her/his thoughts as s/he sees it. It can be music, painting, sculpture, poem, story and what not. And in different places these artists were valued differently. They were not the richest person but considered as a person who looks the things differently.

And a lot of these artists expressed their thoughts which are more inline with the human condition. They have always been very vocal about the absurdities in the society which are rooted in power, cynicism, or superiority. These statements always challenging the status quo.

The history is full of examples where the artists started, and nurtured the revolution for the betterment of the common people. And there has been many who never even got a mention in the history. But they all paid a price. A price of being different, and rejecting any top down idea.

There is nothing wrong about a piece of art being beautiful, and easy to understand. But it is the other ones which don't fit in the definition of art being synonymous to beauty, and these are the ones which need more attention and deeper understanding to identify what it stands for.

Peace

Being Lolita by Alisson Wood

Alisson is no Lolita. Her story is not what one might have read/heard of Lolita. The only connection is that this was one of the hooks her teacher dropped.

But this doesn't mean her memoir is any less shocking. Its a sad truth that so many young people (boys/girls) fall victim to the predatory practices of people whom they look as a role model, a friend, a family member or a teacher. This not only betrays the innocence in that belief but scars the victims for life.

The most common negative question is why these youngsters don't come out of such toxic situations. There is no exact answer but it takes a lot of support from everyone else to come out of it, and unfortunately, a lot of people don't get it when they need it the most.

Of course, young age makes you feel in control, rash or even over confident which is why the line that comes in the end (when the writer sees other teenagers of her age) is that even an 18-19 year old person is just a kid who is starting in life, and needs a lot of guidance and support from everyone.

Lolita was never a romantic novel. It was always a crime story irrespective of what any readers draws from it. The egg and chicken situation of what inspires what between the society and fiction is an old discussion. So, censor is never going to help but raise a kind of awareness where people have the mental faculty of judging right from wrong, and everyone gets a big enough support system in friends/family to pull through such situations.

Peace

Why Humans Like to Cry: Tragedy, Evolution, and the Brain by Michael R. Trimble

This is something which I was reading in parallel to other books while in transit.

The title generates the curiosity to know if crying is just a way of showing our emotions or it was a part of our evolution.

The book mainly focuses on the point if tragedy (reading, watching, listening) is the external cue for crying, and how does crying can be explained in neuro/Psychological terms. Which leads to a lot of discussion to different part of brains which are responsible or gets activated while crying.

But it doesn't give a real insight in more general terms which makes the text a bit too technical to consume.

Crying is a bit independent of type of emotions, and can be seen in tragic and happy moments both. So, the book was also a bit narrow in its approach while focusing largely on the crying triggered by tragedy.

Maybe not worth a read even when it is a quick one.

Peace

In Love by Amy Bloom

Death is a sensitive topic, and choosing it makes it more sensitive.

This is a record of how her husband, who had Alzheimer, choose to end his life while he was still in charge of his body. It is a difficult read because this was the first time I read such a record of someone choosing his death.

The most sensitive part is where his journey ends, and that takes the minimum space and leaves the most profound impression. It is a book of journey and not the destination.

However, the larger thought here is that do we've the right to die? All the advancement in science, tech, and medicine enables us to understand the aspect of life/death better than we ever did. Life is an endeavour but death is a more philosophical thought not just by contrast but because after it, there is nothing more than a thought left. Life needs nurturing but death doesn't need anything other than a thought.

Capital punishment is still a lawful instrument in many countries which terminates somebody's right to live. Of course, it is given in the most dire circumstances. But is this a valid argument that if the social agencies like court of law has the power to terminate a life, why the life itself doesn't have the choice of self termination? Can people with terminal illness opt for an easy way out when they still have a control over it rather? What can be the other situations when people should be allowed to exercise this right?

These are the questions which only a person with sound mind with not so sound body can answer. And it ends at making a choice, and everyone else respecting the choice.

Peace

A Woman's Story by Annie Ernaux

It is that time when you get to read memoirs :) 

And the trend continues. An amazing and brief memoir of a mother. But I did pick it up since I looked up some of her works after her getting the Nobel prize in 2022.

Irrespective of Nobel prize or not, this is a really powerful memoir from a daughter. This doesn't really go like a biography but more like the thoughts. Like someone is telling a story about someone we all know.

Parents take a very large part of memories (good or bad). Not because they brought you in the world or they are part of your earliest consciousness but because they are the scale we calibrate every single person around us.

It is worth a read, and maybe you'll see your mother in those pages somewhere.

Love

Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves

It sounds a bit odd that the society needs some revolution for helping males on the scale of what was done in feminism.

Which is why it is a bid different read. It puts forward an argument which brings the problem of boys/men in context of the new gender dynamics and change in societal norms.

But do we really need an overall reform of how genders are treated or the men in margins need some additional systems in place? Is it possible that while correcting the gender imbalance the policy makers over corrected it, and the girls have an added advantage with the system in place now?

It is difficult to agree to a lot of points given in this book specially when a lot of references are coming from having three boys of his own. It also sounds like a misplaced idea that a girl hits the maturity faster than the boys even if the testosterone is a villain in the narrative. Seeing some professions as man dominated or women dominated is a narrow view. It definitely needs to make all professions being lucrative to any worker irrespective of gender. The argument that there are not many male nurses or teachers should be more aligned with the arguments that the compensation in such jobs should be more appealing to any job seeker, and once that is achieved, people from all gender will pick it.

This book seems to be jumping the guns too soon while we're still in discussion of gender inequality. It makes complete sense that everyone has the support system in place which covers different aspects/stages for anyone (for employment, health, education, compensation etc) but to put this in gender brackets is going to do more damage than help.

This is worth reading even if a reader doesn't agree to it.

How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr

In the modern age (after the word colony was officially ousted from the vocabulary) empire is not a world which one can hear everyday. It is a world which is identified more as a history when we talk about historical empires.

However, it doesn't mean that the idea of one country occupying the territories in a country is unheard of. This idea is very much alive and works with coercion or otherwise. US as a country which is seen as a flag bearer of freedom as long as we don't go in the history of certain countries where US had a presence which was different from a coloniser but the difference between a coloniser and occupier was very faint. It doesn't make much difference if you call it a colony or a base.

But on the other hand, it is also visible that having a US interest in the country brought some indirect wealth to the country. And in a lot of cases opposing the bases was a catch 22 situation. The country does get some benefits by allowing such bases but that makes a dent in their sovereignty.

There is no one way to look at it, and different aspects will or will not make sense depending on whose voice gets the strongest support.

One never thought of US as mainland and colonies but this book gives a good idea around what eventually defined US apart from what is visible to most of the people irrespective of being or not being a citizen of US.

Peace

Money by Jacob Goldstein

Money has been a handy tool for a lot of practical purposes but one can say that this has created more problems than it has solved.

Barter system is not a bet solution no matter how honest it sounds, and money comes with its own challenges. And the biggest is not just its form (coin, note, digital or crypto) but what is the value of it. Can we actually say that a government backed currency is a good solution? Convenient, yes but not good, and the convenience lives as long as people trust in it.

But why do people loose trust in currencies? There are a lot of technical answers to this question but most easily understood is the rumours. Rumours are the speed breaker in the way of any financial instrument, be it currency, shares, bonds or what not.

This book starts from the origin of money, and how it evolved into its current form. And, yes, it does get a bit complicated to grasp the whole idea which is difficult because eventually its an artificial instrument which doesn't have any value of its own. Even with the historical gold and silver coins, it leaves a lot of room to jeopardise its own value.

So, can we do away with it? Yes we can but what we're going to replace it with? Can we accept this as a necessary evil? We have to. An ideal money (or money like instrument) is possible in an ideal world where we'll not be reaching any time soon, and the form of money doesn't matter.

Irrespective of our philosophical leanings it is very difficult to do away with things like money. If you try really hard, you can reach a point where it is minimalistic but never zero.

Peace

Stay True by Hua Hsu

This is such an amazing memoir specially after the recent memoir which left a distaste.

It doesn't talk about the author's whole life but more focused on one person of author's young age. A friend who was loved, respected, and valued but unfortunately end up dead in a petty crime.

Do we over think our pain or is it something that an incident out of the blue completely changes your perception about people, life and everything involved? Loss, specially of our loved ones - related or not, changes us at a deeper level. It leaves a void that can't be filled, an unfulfilled emotion which nobody else can evoke.

If anyone who knew him picks a pen and write about him, it is going to be a similar account but it will have a different take on how that incident changed their life.

But how long does it take to get over this loss? Can it take a lifetime, and make you think that you have your best days behind you? This is a question with no one answer.

Only the love, support, and time can heal this. It will heal but it is not possible to wipe those ordinary moments which in the hindsight makes the best of the memories that we can cherish.

Love

Cosmogenesis by Brian Thomas Swimme

What does it mean to be a cosmological being? Can we really break down the life to Carbon, Oxygen and Potassium?

Birth of a universe and its continuous expansion is an event which is very difficult to comprehend irrespective of scientific intelligence because after a point it is difficult to go beyond numbers and equations. But does this incomprehension gives us the flexibility to choose an interpretation which is more philosophical or religious in nature?

Its a difficult question to answer and depending on whom you're asking, the answers can vary over a wide range.

This is a semi autobiographical book which gives us the glimpse of how the author nurtured his conscience from a human being to a cosmic being. It mostly cover the initial struggle of identifying what the author was searching for until he found a person to guide him in the right direction.

It doesn't try to be to mathematical or scientific but its full of examples of our growing knowledge about universe in a broader sense when we overturned a lot of older theories in the light of new findings and evidences.

Maybe not a difficult read but you need a philosophical bent to follow the narrative.

Peace

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Can things become as complicated or as simple as we want them to be?

This was such a confused book. It looks like being written by at least 5 different people. On one page the author is ecstatic, fun and lively, and on the next page it is dark and depressing.

Even if you just ignore the haphazard structure of the whole narrative, this looks like a complain book rather than a memoir.

The worst part is identifying with every single character from Quran, which looks like a force fit since the author has not given anything from own account, and just keeps borrowing from other sources.

Maybe not worth a read.

Love

Against the World by Tara Zahra

Why it is complicated to move from one country to another irrespective of the reasons? What are the reasons to keep a geographic region insulated from the rest of the world? Why does the loyalty to a nation state is the first requirement or criteria for being considered as a citizen of the country? How does an idea of resource independence get stronger even at the cost of sacrificing living conditions of its inhabitants? How the narrative of framing people for the bad situation works at a global level?

These are some of the questions which are discussed in this book. It focuses largely at the period between the two world wars but the problems and ideas more or less apply to the current timeframe as well. The idea of finding a scapegoat and pushing a personal agenda on masses is something which has been an integral part of history but it never goes out of style, and just comes back in a new form.

The book doesn't provide an answer but tries to frame the narrative, and leaves it to a reader's own perception to draw a conclusion.

There is nothing like a citizen of the world but we can always hope for a future of humanity which goes beyond the artificial borders, conflicts, and skin colour.

Peace

Forever, Erma by Erma Bombeck

Erma the columnist :)

This is a compilation of Erma's columns which she wrote over the decades.

It covers a lot of day to day mundane things in a funny way (kids, family, marriage, shopping and what not). These are really funny until you start reading them in a single sitting which is a mistake I made. It was funny initially to read but once I was through with the first half, rest sounded more similar to the previous ones. But I'm sure the readers who will be seeing these weekly would have definitely enjoyed all of them.

Comedy is a serious business, and there are some real gems. And, yes it has some serious ones which hit it hard.

Love

Africa Is Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin

What defines a country? Is it a geographical border with the citizens who are harmonised/connected with language, food, culture, God etc or is it a jingoistic world created by the power hungry to mobilise the mass of people to fulfil the vested interests?

This is not an easy question to answer. The definition of a country is very fluid until we put it down in terms of a boundary around a land mass. So, the first look of the title here was a bit unclear because you don't know if you're talking about a country in a geographical sense or a sublime thought.

To clarify, it is about the fact that Africa is not a country like mentioned in a lot of narratives, mostly negative, but it is a mix of people/tribes/clans who own different traits and attributes which varies on a wide range of scale but mostly misattributed to just one world "Africa" which is actually a continent and not a country.

All the arguments are correct as long as we're talking about the discriminations, brutalities endured, and sufferings. The path of differentiating between people based on visible traits and behaviours is a critical one because it has all the options of slipping open for anyone who misses a single step, which is more closer to human nature then all the language, food, culture, and Gods put together.

Since the situation can be improved by our own efforts which is why it is important to have zero to minimal dependence on external factors. Which is correctly very much stressed in the book. People need more support then pity.

This is definitely a good one to read, and highly recommended if you think Africa is a country. Plus it does talk about serious things in a lighter way which keeps the tone brighter.

Love

Otherlands by Thomas Halliday

Evolution is a small word but represents and unimaginably long time.

This one was such an excellent read to know how the whole ecosystem on earth has evolved over billions of years. It picks up various regions from earth's current configuration (my funny word!!!) and puts the narrative of evolution behind it. So, you will be reading about the plants, animals (on ground or water), how they not only evolved but survived the ever changing atmosphere. The most interesting part is when it tries to give you some semblance of different floras and faunas from the present but shows that there is a limit to it.

However, the biggest takeaway is the all changing conditions of earth. Something which happens at a level that can only be survived and not fought or adapted in short term. Our surrounding shape everything around us, and it gives us a lesson of being humble, and cautious about how we use or misuse what we have.

After reading a rant against civilisation, this one was a breather which puts a lot of things in context and actually tells about the things which go beyond any human knowledge and experience. This doesn't tell us to prepare for the future or charge us on counts of exploiting the nature but it does end up with the cautious and optimistic words of how we can be conscious about our surrounding, and appreciate what we've been endowed with.

Peace

Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan

Was it a good thing that we moved from the foragers to what we're today. Rather than calling it civilisation, we can call if the evolution was good or bad for humans (and for the whole ecosystem).

We evolved over a really long period of time. The modern era is comparatively tiny when we started on the wave of modernisation and advancement in all the fields with growing our knowledge leaps and bounds. The author tries to put a perspective that humans had a choice to stay the way we were but we chose to be different. We made a mistake by exploring how to increase the comfort and change the way we live. This in turn improved a lot of vital factors but we paid a price for that.

Unfortunately or otherwise, we always pay a price for the changes (not just for the material things), and the complicated part is that we don't realise the full potential of a life choice when we're actually making it. It shows up only in hindsight.

Another argument is that we're living longer but is this long life free from the ailments of old age. Are we the healthiest version of ourselves when we get old. Well, we're not in our best of our health even when we're young. Of course, one can counter it with the lifestyle diseases but will that stop us.

And the last thing about contentment and happiness. Are our fellow beings (animals) happier than us? Is this is a state of living or a state of mind? Does our modern day comforts do anything to make our life any better or worse? The best way is to not over generalise the outcomes.

There are some passages which sound like a rant but a reader can differ.

We may not agree on a lot of points but it is good to be aware of different thoughts. And yes, this is not a made up of things by rich.

Legacy of Violence by Caroline Elkins

This is not the first record of violence but it is very well comprehended to include all the "colonies" and how the whole empire was run with consent of everyone who could make a difference.

It is difficult to challenge the status quo, specially when doing nothing can get you far with all your desires, needs, and a stupid sense of accomplishments. The whole narrative of civilising the world was nothing but a mirage of self satisfaction, and it went so far that it made everything else so minuscule in comparison to the fake grand promise of improving subjects' lives at the cost of killing them.

There will be no end to this as more and more resources will appear in public domain. However, that doesn't do much to change the narrative which starts and ends with greatness.

No number of fallen statues and reparations can wipe the memory of atrocities done to improve the lives of a few. Specially with the whole glorification, and bring back empire campaigns are going big and strong.

We learn from the history that we never learn from the history.

Peace