Book Review of "The Anthropocene Reviewed"

“I can recall feeling that intense longing for the you to whom you can never return.”

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” is a collection of non-fictional essays about absolutely anything and everything “human” - from the origin story of “teddy bear” to “Halley's Comet”, from “Diet Dr. Pepper” to “Cave Paintings”. In the typical John Green fashion, the prose is simple yet profound, heartfelt yet humorous and even though one wouldn’t call this a literary masterpiece in any shape or form, it is still deeply moving and unabashedly hopeful in the face of today’s bleak pandemic-ridden present. 

"The challenge of personhood, is to recognize personhood in others—to listen to others’ pain and take it seriously, even when you yourself cannot feel it."

I have always been somewhat guarded when it comes to John Green’s books. On one hand, I am a fanboy of his CrashCourse YouTube channel but on the other hand, I found his fiction novels a bit saccharine & unauthentic. To me, in “The Anthropocene Reviewed”, John Green has managed to walk the tightrope - being hopeful and sweet without being profusely dramatic. 

That being said, the book is not without its faults. A couple of essays ramble on unnecessarily. But overall, it's guaranteed to have a net positive effect on your emotional well-being and bring a smile to your face, a solid 4/5.

"
It’s so easy to take refuge in the “just” of just kidding. It’s just a joke. We’re just doing it for the memes. But the preposterous and absurd can still shape our understanding of ourselves and one another."

Book Review of "Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less"

‘Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less’ is your typical Jeffrey Archer fare - fun, entertaining, fast-paced, and keeps you hooked till the end. The premise is essentially an elaborate con but as always is the case with Jeffrey Archer’s novels - it's the characters, their motivations, and their personalities that keep the story interesting. Don’t expect a Shakespearean literary work and you won’t be disappointed.

A word of caution though - there are at least a couple of places where the protagonists make borderline misogynistic comments. It’s cringeworthy to read, but then again, keep in mind that this was published in 1976. 

Apart from this, an adequately entertaining and frankly a near-perfect read for the Holiday vibe! Despite being Jeffrey Archer’s first published novel, this is a finely polished piece of writing, quite impressive. Overall a solid 4/5.

Book Review of "The Space Between Worlds"

Underwhelming. I was always intrigued by the ideas of multiverses and parallel worlds and was really looking forward to “The Space Between Worlds”, a science fiction novel that centers around multiverse ideas and such. Unfortunately, though, this book did not work for me. The premise is good and fairly captivating. I quite enjoyed the first 20-25% of the book. But the exciting stories of a universe hopping, quippy, wise-cracking woman slowly turn into a labyrinth of meandering tales that randomly switch from commentary on racial injustice to revolution against oppressors to quite graphic and unnecessary domestic violence. One saving grace was that the last 10% of the book felt like it was “back on track” and did tie up all loose ends nicely. All in all though, not recommended.

Book Review of "The Maratha Century"

“The Maratha Century” is everything that I wished my history textbooks were! Thoroughly researched and analyzed, prose that is a matter of fact & to-the-point accompanied by copious amounts of footnotes, evidence & references - this book is a whirlwind tour of the roughly 175 years of the Maratha rule - starting from the Chhatrapati to the Peshwas to the 3 Anglo-Maratha wars.

What I liked the most is that there is neither the aggrandizing nor the belittling of any of the historic personalities. There is no unnecessary dramatization, things are told as they would have happened.

The excerpts & pictures of the original documents, letters, etc. are included; which are simply fascinating to read. The focus is not just on the wars and the battles and the ever-changing political landscape but the light is shed on the cultural aspects, the day-to-day lives of the 18th-century people. 

Compared to Dr. Kulkarni’s previous books, “The Maratha Century” is a quick read. Clocking in at about 300 pages, it gives a bird's eye view of the entire era but at the same time manages to delve into sufficient details of quite a few key events. This balance of detail vs high-level summary is superbly maintained. 

Overall, a solid 5/5 if you enjoy facts-driven, evidence-based & non politically motivated history tellings!

“The long period of the foreign rule until the Maratha period, and the British Raj thereafter, places the Maratha Empire in a unique position in Indian history. Not only were they the first indigenous power after centuries of Turkic rule they were also the last indigenous Empire before India succumbed to the British rule.”

Book Review of "Yuganta"

"जुने कधीही सर्वस्वी टाकाऊ व सर्वस्वी गैरलागू होत नाही; नवे ते इतके नवे कधीच नसते कि त्यात जुन्याचा अंशच नाही!"

महाभारतामधल्या अमानवी आणि चमत्कारमय गोष्टी बाजूला ठेऊन एका Anthropologist च्या दृष्टिकोनातून रोखठोक आणि तर्कशुद्ध पद्धतीने लिहिलेलं इरावती कर्र्वेचं "युगान्त" म्हणजे माझ्या सारख्या महाभारत चाहत्याला पर्वणीच! १९६० च्या दशकात प्रकाशित झालेले हे लेखं आत्ता ६० वर्षांनी वाचतानासुद्धा थांबवत नाही. सहज, साधी, सोप्पी भाषा आणि तरीही झटक्यात खोल मतीतार्थ स्पष्टपणें मांडणं हि तारेवरची कसरत प्रत्येक लेखात दिसून येतें. विशेषतः "भीष्म" आणि "कृष्ण" यांच्याबद्दलच्या  लेखांमध्ये केलेल विश्लेषण आणि मांडलेले विचार हे अंतर्मुख करून सोडतात. 

"महाभारताचा अभ्यास व्हावा तो मोकळ्या दृष्टीनें. अभ्यासाआधीच ठाम मते ठरवून भक्तिभावानेही होऊ नये आणि आवेश किंवा द्वेषभावनेनेही होऊ नये इतकीच ती प्रार्थना!"

शक्य झालं तर मूळ मराठी प्रतच वाचा!