Gone with the wind

Sun 29 August 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"Gone with the wind" is a novel and a history book rolled into one. It describes the evolution of Scarlett O'Hara, the hero of the story against the backdrop of the American Civil War.

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Shoe Dog

Fri 23 July 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"Shoe Dog" is the autobiography of Nike founder, Phil Knight. I wasn't aware of the history of Nike and this came as an extremely refreshing and lively story, one which epitomises hustle and perseverance.

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The Righteous Mind

Thu 08 July 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"The Left" and "The Right" are the same in one aspect according to Jonathan Haidt in his book "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion". The aspect being receptive to ideas across the aisle.

The book is divided into two parts, the first where he …

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Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Fri 11 June 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Modern physics was born with Einstein's theory of special relativity. But common man has still been quite ignorant of it's after-effects. "Seven brief lessons on physics" by physicist Carlo Rovelli is an attempt to give an approachable introduction to relativity and quantum mechanics.

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The Design of Everyday Things

Sat 29 May 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"Design is subjective" is something we have heard often but that is not the case says Dan Norman. It should clearly communicate with every user without any ambiguity.

The examples that he quotes to build the book are of a faucet and a door. Design issues that should have been …

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Woof

Sun 02 May 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

DISCLAIMER: I know the author personally and had read early drafts of the book.

Woof, by Aparna Karthikeyan, is the story of a pack of street dogs on some Mumbai beach for young adults. These dogs who have been on the beach all their lives find a new pup abandoned …

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Temporary People

Wed 21 April 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

What is with Malayali people and the gulf? How do they lead their lives across the sea? Deepak Unnikrishnan's "Temporary People" is a collection of short stories of regular Malayali immigrants in the Middle East. The stories make use of fantasy and hyperbole to convey the 'concealed and relegated' status …

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Factfulness

Sat 10 April 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Statistics can be tortured to convey whatever the captor wishes. And this is being done every day across the political spectrum and ideologies.

Hans Rosling feels that while statistics quoted daily all over may provide a negative picture, the world has improved a lot despite people (all over the world …

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Of Mice and Men

Sat 03 April 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

The Great Depression of the 1930s devastated America and left a lot of people without livelihoods. George and Lennie are two farm hands on the lookout for work. They have been driven out of their previous work due to accusations of inappropriate behaviour by Lennie who is mentally disabled.

George …

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Akbar: The Great Mughal

Wed 31 March 2021 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Jalaluddin was 13 when his father Humayun passed away, a reign that was precarious. There were many claimants to the throne, from the Surs who were dethroned by Humayun, to brothers of Humayun and even the Adil Shahs from the south.

Until he came of age, Akbar was placed under …

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