Review: The Age Of American Unreason

The Age Of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hooter: Tracing the history of the lack of political astuteness of the voting common man in the American context tending towards anti-intellectual narrative of today.

Highly academic and probably a lot of context which didn't connect with me, the broad strokes are resonating. We are seeing it across the world as the intellectual elite in his/her ivory tower has lost the connect or the aura they once had. Susan feels saddened by that so the book does rail towards the left . Written in a chronological order, captures the phases as various factors lead to the downfall of intelligentsia thinking amongst the masses. Skipping her narrative aside, it gives good color into the history of things like popular culture, politics and movies in America and all her effort into research comes across really well, her bias not so much.


View all my reviews

#InstantPoem: Pandemic Pandemonium

Women her age should not be going out

Courtesy: VectorStock

Sarojini had no clue what the hullabaloo was about.
Someone had to step out and run the house
What could she do if her presence made society arouse!
Frederick was still loitering around at the end of her lane
She replied to his stare with one filled with disdain.
Muttering about the rising costs of essentials in her bag
Doing the single woman walk to avoid trouble - the zig zag.
Frederick was still loitering around at the end of her lane
She replied to his stare with one filled with disdain.
In a split second, she tripped on a loose stone and into the gutter,
She watched as her bag emptied onto the street setting her heart aflutter.
Frederick called Jeetu and the boys, she could hear them crowd.
She could sense danger - clear and loud.
"Why did you step out" and "we told you so."
In desperation, she picked up a twig incase they had a go.
They soon scampered away howling away in excitement
Her confidence in their arrogance probably had put a dent.
The fall had really taken a toll on her frail bones
There was no one to call for help - neither by shouting nor thru cell phones
She could hear those dogs come back to hound
"They wagged their tails and pulled me along to see something they had found."
The neighbourhood grocer pulled her out and took her home.
Frederick was still loitering around at the end of her lane
This time from giving him a big smile and some biscuits she couldn't refrain.
"O Mrs Sarojini, for any needs, you should give me a shout!
Women your age, alone should not be going out." 

#InstantPoem : Catfishing

If there ever had been love, this was it

Courtesy: Getty

Never had Akshay seen a girl so smart and fit.
She was everything he could only dream
Her day seemed jam packed to the brim.
She was checking into fancy hotels around the world
Those muscles popping everytime her biceps curled.
He kept up with her even when time could not
Craving for every bit of attention he had got.
A witty comment on her wall was the spark
As they shared their love for chocolate and humour - equally dark.
Who cared that they were miles apart
Distances are measured not by the foot but by the heart.
A start up idea took shape in those conversations through the night
A bundle load of seed funding would bring it to light.
This rollercoaster seemed real fast but then love is rash
He transferred to her account a whole lot of cash.
That was the last he ever heard from her in years to come
Briefly reminded of her while staring at the end of a bottle of rum.
He had drawn himself into a shell so tight
Even his family couldn't egg him on to continue to fight.
That she was catfishing was a clue right in her name
Jigar knew Bilea Machado had been a legend in this game.
Once the money had been sent, no point for Bilea to hover
He deleted all online traces of her and started all over.

Review: Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom

Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom by Andrew Duff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: The Story of how Sikkim was absorbed into India from a Sikkimese stand point. A non fictional account that is as vivid and colorful as a fictional tale.

I had read how seamlessly Sikkim became the 22nd state of the Indian union in our history textbooks. One day they just came over and it was all merry and gaiety. Then when I read about Kao and RAW, I read a few lines on how RAW had helped Sikkimese get their rights through a democratic set up by working with the champions of democracy to have their voice heard. Fast forward to this book that is based on articles, books and interviews from a Sikkimese point of view on how they felt Big Brother India absorbed them. Politics is always a grey area but this book paints all the actors in this in varying shades of grey in a very anecdotal manner maintaining the author's neutrality as a journalist to a certain degree. A fairytale Himalayan kingdom, a handsome king, an American Queen - a Hollywood story that the Western world lapped up, the regional political lines and how pan Asian politics impacted a tiny kingdom that aimed to emulate its ideological brother Bhutan but destiny had other plans. The book doesn't end with morals on whether what happened was right or wrong, but the dice had been rolled and everyone whether they liked it or not were pulled into the game.

A lovely account of a small country trying to find its own feet swept away by a tidal wave of a much larger storyline playing out.

View all my reviews

Review: The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History

The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History by Manu S. Pillai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: A collection of 61 essays on historical figures of India - some famous, some not so famous and their interesting backgrounds or anecdotes.

If you have been following Shashi Tharoor's former Chief of Staff Manu S. Pillai in MINT or his blog, you aren't going to find anything new here but I haven't, so it was an interesting collection of his essays on lesser known figures of Indian history divided into 3 sections - Before the Raj, During the Raj and Afterwards. Personally, before the Raj was the most interesting for me as I didn't even know a lot of the folks like Abbaka Rani of Ullal who repelled the Portuguese , Roberto De Nobili - the Italian Brahmin of Madurai. He also mixes in a few what if scenarios like if Gandhi had been alive. Being a few pages each, it is just enough to make you curious but not quench your thirst. Ended up on wikipedia to read more about these hidden gems that our NCERT textbooks conveniently ignored (Saved me a few hundred pages of mugging up on the positive side). I'd say a great read for cocktail conversations on Indian history. I'd wish there were lesser essays and more deep dives on each of the topics.

View all my reviews

Review: The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: A multi generational medieval England set of characters pivoted around the building of a cathedral and all that it entails socially, politically and religiously.

1000+ pages! You need to be Ken Follett to pull this off coming from a background of writing thrillers and to delve into historical fiction saga. A simple task - to build a cathedral but there are so many subplots around it - personal ambitions, rapes, societal pressure, rapes, natural disasters, rapes etc. The character development especially of the main protagonists is done real well as they grow mentally and physically through this journey which has multi generational protagonists going through their lifetimes ambling along at times and rushing through at others. I could nitpick into some oddities in timelines but this is not a history textbook.

There is a rhythmic pattern the book falls into - Cathedral work progresses, some road block, Prior comes up with a rescue plan against all odds, a rape, success and repeat. That format adds an air of familiarity and when you are building out a 1000 pager, such a framework makes it easier on the reader to get through in 3-4 sittings and not lose the flow.

The characters are very clearly good guys/gals or bad guys/gals and you are rooting for them when they do wrong to do good or hating them when they are doing good to do wrong. That's what makes this an easier read as you don't try to get perplexed with multi layer complexities like building a cathedral in cutting edge fashion St Denis. (1000 years ago) .

I don't know if rape was a common place scenario back then as it is today but it does get overemphasized in the book , and it plays a turning point role couple of times.

View all my reviews