Book Excerpt: The Dollar Trap

The American Dollar is the international currency of reserve. It is the most accepted global currency and the most sought after investment, especially in times of global economic downturn. 

How did the American Dollar come to occupy such an exalted position? 

The Dollar Trap, written by Eswar S. Prasad, seeks to answer this important question. It is a fascinating account of the the pivotal role played by the American Dollar in the global economy and how it has tightened its grip on global finance.

Title: The Dollar Trap

Author: Eswar S. Prasad
Publisher: Portfolio Penguin
Pages featured here: 16-21

Note: All copyrights/trademarks belong to the owners of the publication/author(s). It is not my intention to profit from their work. In fact, I just wish that the readers of this blog are encouraged to buy/read the works represented here.

 Happy Reading!

Book Excerpt: Stoner, by John Williams

For the last few years, I have been reading less of fiction and more of non-fiction, especially stuff related to international politics and economics.

I cannot think of any specific reason for this; but I think I have found the right novel to take me back into the magic world of fiction, which often is truer than the 'reality'.

That novel is Stoner, written by John Williams. This is an old novel, first published in 1965. I am still reading the novel, savoring every word of the poignant tale.

(Read: The Best Way to Crack the GWPI at India's Top B-Schools)

I strongly urge you to read this tale of 'the human story'. Truthful. Sad. Moving. Soul-stirring.

Title: Stoner

Author: John Williams
Publisher: Vintage
Pages featured here: 

Note: All copyrights/trademarks belong to the owners of the publication/author(s). It is not my intention to profit from their work. In fact, I just wish that the readers of this blog are encouraged to buy/read the works represented here.

Book Excerpt: The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

For several years now, relations between between the West and Islamic World have been marked by deep antipathy
This deep mistrust is a legacy of growing radicalism in the Muslim World and is characterised by a marked hatred of the West. It does not help that the foreign policies of the Western nations are guided by their narrow economic and strategic interests, often in the Middle East.

Samuel Huntington, former editor of Foreign Affairs, is the author of the ground-breaking work, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order. In his magnum opus, Huntington argues that the 21st century will be marked by clashes between civilisations - Islam versus the West, Islam versus Sinic (China), Islam versus Hindu, Russia versus Sinic, Russia versus Islam, among others.

Title: The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order

Author: Samuel Huntington
Publisher: Penguin
Pages featured here: 23-25

Note: All copyrights/trademarks belong to the owners of the publication/author(s). It is not my intention to profit from their work. In fact, I just wish that the readers of this blog are encouraged to buy/read the works represented here.

Book Excerpt: Nizam of Hyderabad, from Freedom at Midnight

Starting this Friday, this space will feature an excerpt from a book. The idea is to share knowledge and of course, spread the idea of reading. 

Note: All copyrights/trademarks belong to the owners of the publication/author(s). It is not my intention to profit from their work. In fact, I just wish that the readers of this blog are encouraged to buy/read the works represented here. 

I start with an excerpt from Freedom at Midnight, by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. This brilliant book relates the story of India's struggle for freedom and more importantly, what led to the partition of India. 

In a chapter titled, Palaces and Tigers, Elephants and Jewels, the two terrific authors mesmerize the reader with their tales of the eccentricities of the Rajas and Nawabs of India's numerous princely states.

Here's an excerpt that relates a story about the Nizam of Hyderabad.

I request you to not buy pirated versions of any book, including Freedom at Midnight. Buy original titles and keep learning!

Books I have Read in the Last 12 Months

As a teacher, I have often been asked about my book list, i.e., what do I read. The list below is the answer!

Please note that this is a partial list only.

• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

• The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins

• Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (Reread after almost a decade!)

• Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie

• And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffery Archer

• The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis

• Boomerang: The Meltdown Tour by Michael Lewis

• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

• End of World by Ken Follett

• Winter of the World by Ken Follett

• Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik

• Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy by Raghuram Rajan

• The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

• Pakistan: A Hard Country by Anatol Lieven 

• River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh

• Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and The Future of American Power by Robert Kaplan

• In a Free State by V. S. Naipaul

• Ashoka by Charles Allen

• The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad

• Manto: Selected Short Stories by Saadat Hasan Manto

• Bitter Fruit: The Very Best of Saadat Hasan Manto

• In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by by Daniyal Muneeuddin

• A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

Apart from these, I am a great lover of comics, like Tinkle and the huge collections of Amar Chitra Katha.

If you wish to share your reading list, post the list in the comments section. 

Book Reco: A Fine Balance

A few readers of this blog suggested that I recommend books that I find interesting / inspiring / useful or all of these.

In my first book reco, I will review Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. I have read all of Mistry's works, like Such a Long Journey, Family Matters, and Tales from Firozsha Baag. 

Mistry was born in India in 1952 but emigrated to Canada in 1975. A recipient of several international awards, he recently was bestowed with the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature (for 2012).

A Fine Balance is Mistry's best work. Rarely have I come across a work which deals in with a myriad of human emotions with such profound intensity and care. Mistry writes of a India in chaos — of a country that is caught in the maelstrom of political emergency, social decadence, and economic deprivation.

The story revolves around the lives and travails of four characters: Dina, a Parsi widow, Maneck, a student, and the uncle-nephew tailor duo of Om and Ishvar. The story, set in the politically charged atmosphere of the 1970s, enthralls us with the varied emotions that colour every aspect of the lives of these four characters.

As an Indian,I could easily identify with each of Mistry's characters. I think Mistry's characters are universal — for emotions like happiness and suffering, love and hate, trust and betrayal, success and failure are universal. 

Mistry has hewn his characters not just with words but with soul and I think that is the biggest asset of this work. Go ahead and invest in this work; I say invest because the returns by way of happiness will be life-long. 

After reading this work, I am sure you would agree with me that Rohinton Mistry is a master at work.