Book review

Dec 74 min read

Family, Love & Civil War In Sri Lanka (Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan)

Radicalization of young men in a civil war How does a young man become “radicalized?” Subject him, his family, and his community to...

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May 24 min read

‘The Book of Vows’ – Amit Majmudar’s Mahabharata

In an impassioned introduction providing context for this greatest of stories with countless retellings, Amit Majmudar explains why he...

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Feb 86 min read

Poetry & Politics in Pakistan: "The History Teacher Of Lahore" by Tahira Naqvi

On April 4, 1979, I was getting ready for school when I learned that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had been...

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Sep 13, 20236 min read

From Palakkad Village Girl to Stylish Patti – The Fascinating Life of Lily Tharoor

I am in Kerala as I write this, having just returned to Kochi from visiting a beloved aunt in Palakkad District. I never tire of...

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May 7, 20235 min read

Midnight's Grandchild: "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida"

In all the years since I first read Salman Rushdie’s Midnight's Children, no book has matched its brilliance, its exuberance and its...

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Mar 30, 20234 min read

Raji's Recordings!

I have moderated book discussions and author interviews in the past few years, and even participated in a Readathon! The recordings are...

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Mar 5, 20235 min read

"Independence" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Much of the literature about India’s Partition has been written around the violence and tragedy in the northwest. The focus is the...

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Mar 3, 20233 min read

"The Second Life of Mirielle West" by Amanda Skenandore

Silicon Valley Reads had chosen “Journey to New Beginnings” as its 2023 theme. One of the books selected to showcase this theme is The...

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May 9, 20224 min read

A Mother’s Beginnings, a Nation’s Past (Sisters of Mokama, by Jyoti Thottam)

In 1947, the year India got its hard-won independence from British rule, six nuns from Kentucky voyaged to India to set up a hospital in...

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Mar 6, 20226 min read

The Goddess Will Rise. (Border Less by Namrata Poddar)

Border Less, a debut novel by Namrata Poddar, is a collection of stories or vignettes, tied together by the main character Dia Mittal. We...

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Jan 23, 20217 min read

"Together" by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Loneliness is like a cold hand resting on your heart. It can tighten your chest, and make you desperate with longing for company and...

191 views1 comment

Oct 10, 20204 min read

"Purple Lotus" by Veena Rao

I have an image of two women. One walks down a path with strong, bold strides, taking in everything around her. There seems to be no...

116 views0 comments

Aug 15, 202010 min read

"Alpha Girls" by Julian Guthrie (Silicon Valley Reads 2020)

“Women – Making It Happen. Celebrating 100 years of women’s achievements.” This was the 2020 theme for Silicon Valley Reads, in honor of...

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Oct 6, 201910 min read

Salman Rushdie's "Quichotte" - On the Road

Salman Rushdie describes the opioid crisis in his new book, "Quichotte." He had researched it for years following a family tragedy. His...

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Feb 23, 20197 min read

Your Mother's Eyes, Your Father's Smile and "The Stranger in My Genes" by Bill Gri

We look at a child’s smile and match that smile to her mother or father. Resemblances, in appearance, in a laugh, in a gesture, in...

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Oct 11, 20175 min read

"Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy" by Sheryl Sandberg and

Sheryl Sandberg’s and Adam Grant's recent book, "Option B, Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy" is a moving account of...

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Sep 12, 201711 min read

"The Golden House" by Salman Rushdie

Mysterious pasts, transformed identities, new beginnings, organized crime, shocking elections, improbable heads of state, conspiracy,...

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Jul 24, 20174 min read

In Memoriam: Naiyer Masud (1936 - 2017)

The Urdu scholar and short story writer Naiyer Masud, passed away today. I found in my archives this piece that I had written in 1998. I...

102 views0 comments

Jun 23, 20178 min read

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy

I finished reading Arundhati Roy's “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” a few days ago, and found myself feeling oddly bereaved. Then, as...

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May 29, 20172 min read

Book review "Ghachar Ghochar" (Tangled up)

Several days ago, I hopped on to the Amazon website to pre-order Arundhuti Roy's new novel upon learning of it on this forum. Vivek...

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