On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

This is the smallest book to give you direct pointers to identify what is happening around you. And it is so straight forward that one need to close his/her eyes for not seeing what this book projects.

Tyranny was never out. It was always there in one form or another, and not just in the countries that people know about but also where is got covered in the name of everything which was not real.

This is a must read book to understand what potential trends one should watch out for. Because not seeing them or ignoring them is not going to help anyone. It is important to see them and stand up against them. You may never see one face or a whole entity with a face of one person but the trends are going to show up anyways.

History is full of examples where tyrants were out fishing in a troubled water, and got a large number of people aligned with their agenda. So, in the end, it is always the people who give power to it, and its only people who can take this power back. Choose wisely what you stand with.

Peace

The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend by Rob Copeland

Story of money again. Or how the money corrupts things.

This is a story of a fund which made a lot of money for everyone involved but the Ray Dalio was the biggest beneficiary. And it is not much about how he made money but what he did when he earned a lot of it. Specially, the work culture at this fund.

From the narrative, one can see that the people were part of it because of their own interests, and mind it that they were not really poor or desperate. These people just couldn't let go the salary they were paid in return of going through all the weird things which were happening there. Most likely they never realised how they are paying back for those compensations.

Last thing, the founder was never a legend. He might be someone among a group of people with a lot of money but legend is not a right word in this context.

Peace

The Shortest History of India by John Zubrzycki

This is actually the shortest histories of India, and like any other short history doesn't provide a lot of details. However, it does provide the framework on which a reader can build a better understanding about a topic of choice.

The book is very well written with a tight editing but it does follow a very streamlined structure following the changes from all directions in India. Which leaves a lot of room to fill in with the details but ultimately providing the details is not the goal of this book.

So, don't take it for a full picture but more like a map to follow.

Love

Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi

Letters are one of the oldest modes of communication. And then comes the open letters.

This one is more of a collection of thoughts but it comes with its own problems of being one sided. It doesn't offer any solutions but voice the thoughts. It has been long with the thoughts without much progress in resolving the conflict.

Even if it doesn't resolve anything, it is an important collective of thoughts, and hopefully there will be a similar attempt on compiling the thoughts from the other side. It is not much but it is something which has the potential to show the way in the future.

Peace

My Promised Land by Ari Shavit

How far anyone can go only with the faith? Seems if there are enough people who believe in it, it can end up building a country back from a scratch.

Israel as a country looks like a miracle what it is today. A burgeoning economy which is dedicated to entrepreneur, arts, music and what not. It achieved something by the sheer will of people what seemed to be impossible to others. It will be too difficult to say which contributed most but it is a collective force which made it what it is today.

It is full of contradictions where there are different views seem to be equipoised to confidently tell which way the majority swings but these contradictions bring the beauty of thoughts where everything is open for discussion.

Its better not to go into drill down here what Ari has discussed in the book, but it gives you enough food for thought which can help you understand how Israel came to what it is today, and what potentially lies ahead of it in these times of uncertainities.

Peace

The Worlds I See by Fei-Fei Li

Great to read this memoir from someone who went to great lengths to make something which changed the perception of our thinking about thinking machines.

This is also an important read to show that a lot of people are just waiting for a chance to prove their worth. Not everyone gets it but the one who gets it and make it worthwhile is worth cheering for.

AI is a buzz word today but imagining it 20 years back when nobody thought where it can potentially go is bizarre. But here we're with it today.

Maybe not too many thoughts on it for now but it did sound a bit incomplete.

Love

I Am Dynamite! by Sue Prideaux

Even if you don't know Nietzsche you might have heard some of his brilliant quotes like below:

God Is Dead, and We Have Killed Him.

And Those Who Were Seen Dancing Were Thought to Be Insane.

To Live Is to Suffer, to Survive Is to Find Some Meaning in the Suffering.

That Which Does Not Kill Us Makes Us Stronger.

These quotes show his brilliance and the kind of life experiences he might had. But the biography is a different thing. It tells you less about the work but more about the person behind the work. It brings the human face behind those burning thoughts.

This one goes in detail about Nietzsche state of mind and living conditions while he was at a particular work. A man who had so many interests from God, philosophy, music and what not and up giving something that he was aware of before it became famous. He didn't keep his sight and senses to enjoy the reception of his work but once done it belonged to everyone else.

His work has been used in different context specially when her sister and others twisted his meaning to drive their own agenda but that is the beauty of a masterpiece. People can look at it, and interpret the way they deem fit. There is nothing wrong in having different ways to define these pieces until you twist them into a grotesque mask to hide behind.

Nietzsche was never there to explain his work otherwise he would have definitely opposed those grotesque masks but it doesn't diminish the sharpness in his works, and make them timeless which waits till the next one picks it up and found something in it.

Peace

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict by Martin Bunton

This is a good book to have some historical context of the issue.

The issue itself is very complicated and any answer is right or wrong. In the end it depends on the intention of the group who is going to implement it and wish the rationality wins to build the most humane outcome for everyone.

Peace

The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut

Intelligence is not a curse, and anything which comes out of it can be judged in the retrospective.

John von Neumann was a curious mind which tried to answer anything that was asked. A lot of current technological advances from quantum mechanics, nuclear weapons to game theory were influenced by his work. 

However, one problem with the book is that it is work of fiction based on facts. It is a problem because a reader who is not attentive enough may end up taking some fiction for the facts.

A lot of discoveries in science are actively industrialised. The key argument for this is that the business pays the bill for a lot of these researches, and not all of them turn profitable. This is not very valid argument but works well to lobby in favour of commercialisation without taking into the account of consequences, and responsibility.

We're proud of what we've built but we never know what was the real cost of it until all the currencies seem invalid in the face of consequences.

Peace

The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy

I didn't know that this is the second book in the series of a working autobiography which led to some loose ends.

It is a quick read, and focuses on one phase of author's life. I didn't read the part 1 (planning not to) but with the sequencing, it seems that part 3 will be about later part of her life.

Why do we need to think about life in terms of business? Is life a business where we make the choices in terms of what we earn out of it, and if it is then what is the currency of this business? Is it a trade off? Every life is worth talking about but not be judged in terms of how much the life was invested in, and paid for. Not even in a metaphorical terms.

Love

Talking Zen by Alan Watts

This is a compilation of talks by Alan Watts about the elements of Zen.

It is difficult to understand from a book because it needs to be taught in practice. So, if you read this and not interested enough to read more or practice maybe read again, and decide.

Peace

The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green

Why the question of existence of other life forms in the universe is important for us?

This book looks for the possibility of life in the universe from a scientific perspective, and it does include the idea of other life forms that we get from the science fictions.

It sounds a bit absurd that humans need some other entities to make them feel more human. It is very less likely that an extraterrestrial life will bring humans closer. If you look at the famous fictional extraterrestrial lives, it is largely portrayed as a threat with all the weird body forms. Of course it is fiction but we are primed to not trust any such lives even if there is possibility in the near future.

As of now the absence of any such knowledge which proves that we're the only one here doesn't bring us closer to each other is a proof that finding such is not going to change this.

So, we should better look at it as a scientific quest, which if proven with some results will be commercialised for good or bad.

Peace

I Feel Love by Rachel Nuwer

MDMA is famous. If you're out there, you might know it by different names, and understand the legal complications if you're found with this in any country.

This book goes into the history of psychedelic with focus on MDMA, and also builds a case for its use in medical practices, specially in case of psychology. The drug has a chemical history, and later how it was used for the mind altering effects that made it popular among the young generation, and the drug traffickers equally.

And this is where the lines got blurred when a potential drug which could have helped people with trauma and other psycological issues, ended up being used as a drug in black market which makes you happy. Charging the authorities for banning it is not very good argument when the usage was not what it was intended to be. Of course, the authorities took the easy way out of banning, and literally putting a blocker for better informed studies, it can't be called all wrong.

It may get approved for medicinal purposes but that doesn't ensure that the abuse of this drug will not follow. And to get this right, it is important to get it presented not as an entertainer/panacea but a controlled drug which can be administered by a trained therapist under controlled conditions.

Also, just stop saying that it makes you feel love. Anybody who need a drug to feel that is not looking for love.

Peace

Defiant Dreams by Sola Mahfouz

A bright auto biography of a girl from Afghanistan who faced the challenges in a war torn country where all the odds were stacked against her.

From self-teaching all the subjects to sneaking into neighbouring countries to write the exams, securing a scholarship, a visa, and eventually becoming a quantum-computing researcher.

This sounds like a movie with all twists and turns where the protagonist eventually wins with a price paid for this win. The story of Sola is definitely an inspiration for someone who feels that life is not easy for you.

But this whole narrative has a very hidden sub story as well which is of the people who could never got the opportunity. Of course Sola came from a conservative family but there was always someone in the family who was the role model or finance was never a challenge. A stable internet connection and a laptop to work on was the real asset that brought the world to a small room for her. But did anyone else around her got the same support.

It is important that we know and celebrate the story of Sola but this should not stop us from remembering all the other Solas who couldn't make it but deserved it as much as anyone else.

Peace

Economics in America by Angus Deaton

Of course this one was picked because it is written by a Nobel prize winner.

But this is less about the Economics and more about the Economist. The people who explore the ideas behind Economics. As usual there is no strong consensus among the specialists about the best economic policy which depends on various ideas and preferences. Surprising thing is to know that the Economists don't have a lot of influence on policy making because policy has become an agenda and not a tool to identify the best framework, and work on it for the maximum benefit to the general public.

This is an honest book from an insider which has some really funny anecdotes but on a serious note it shows the limitation and flaws of how the practical economics is not coming from the right person but from the ones who are answerable to a small and powerful lobby.

Worth a read even if you're not into economics.

Peace

Owning the Unknown A Science Fiction Writer Explores Atheism, Agnosticism, and the Idea of God by Robert Charles Wilson

The best part of the book is the two short SciFi stories.

It was a bit difficult to follow the idea behind a science fiction writer exploring the God because most of the narrative was based on the myths. Which led to obscure thoughts that came from the imagination.

However, this was a quick read which gives you the idea of a supreme power imagined in a science fiction. The fictions are good but unfortunately they create a breeding grounds for incorrect ideas, and try to simplify things to an absurd level.

When there is a dedicated line of thoughts for analysing the existence or non-existence of god with the options to accept or reject any hypothesis at different levels, the idea of God shouldn't come from fiction.

God needs to be individualised, and not commonized.

Peace

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