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.