I hate Amazon’s review system. I consider it a trash fire sitting on top of another garbage fire lit by trolls and paid reviews. The reasons are numerous. I dislike the 5-star system. It’s too simplistic and doesn’t offer the user an option to rate the Amazon delivery experience separately from the product experience. Thus, … Continue reading Why I finally gave in to the dark side and started posting book reviews on Amazon
Reviews
Braving my wilderness: How I learned to stop hating the first person and my résumé
The essence of Brené Brown’s new book Braving the Wilderness lies in these words from an 8th grader: “If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in.” Where do I belong? I have struggled with this question many times while living overseas. Belonging will become the … Continue reading Braving my wilderness: How I learned to stop hating the first person and my résumé
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Reading Rupi: Translating English across cultures
Reading Indian writing in English represents an act of translation every time I read. Yes, even when the book is written in English, every book represents a journey through and across culture. It might seem strange to hear a native English speaker say that I read English in translation, but I do. Given the idiomatic … Continue reading Reading Rupi: Translating English across cultures
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Where do you belong to?: Homecoming and belonging in The Better Man
There she was, at the back of the shop, leaning against VS Naipaul. She’d travelled so far from her native place to reach mine. That we should meet here in my hometown just as I was trying to decide where to settle felt like more than kismet or fate. It felt like my own homecoming. … Continue reading Where do you belong to?: Homecoming and belonging in The Better Man
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Book review: My Gita by Devdutt Pattanaik
For all the focus in the Gita on action rather than outcome, a book review, let alone a verdict, seems almost superfluous. As a novice reader of the Gita, I would recommend this book. I am glad this was my last read of 2016.
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Review: The Adivasi Will Not Dance by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar has written a powerful, provocative short story collection that explores Adivasi identity politics and experience. Brilliant, layered storytelling at its finest.
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Review: Rain by Sriram Subramanian
It’s in his philosophical approach that Subramanian shines. For while on the surface the book is a story of a guy trying to prove an astrologer wrong, at its core, Rain is a complex study of the struggle we all face when we try to understand belief within the framework of a highly scientific culture.
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Review: Chain of Custody by Anita Nair
Of traffic and trafficking The cars on MG Road were traffucked, as usual. In the time it was taking for us to make the right turn, I could have walked to Bookworm. Despite my exasperated sighs and silent prayers of “God, please let the light change. I need to pee,” the light remained stubbornly … Continue reading Review: Chain of Custody by Anita Nair
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Understanding Chetan Bhagat’s One Indian Girl on her own terms
After the reviews for One Indian Girl began to pour in, Chiki Sarkar of Juggernaut asked, “Why not review it on its own terms?” This review is a response to that question. 5 Points Readers Expect from a Chetan Bhagat Novel Like a Harlequin romance, a Chetan Bhagat novel has certain conventions. Both brands are … Continue reading Understanding Chetan Bhagat’s One Indian Girl on her own terms
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Le lettere dal carcere di mia cuore: A love letter inspired by Jhumpa Lahiri’s In Other Words
Quando sono stato in Firenze, era una programme della cultura chiamata “Firenze porte aperte.” In the evenings, the museums would open their doors for free. Roaming the Uffizi at night while Andrea Boccelli sang in the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio is an exquisite memory of my time in Italy. You have returned that memory to me and opened a door. For that, I thank you. Grazie mille.
