Book Review

The Idea Of Justice - by Amartya Sen

Wednesday, 03 November 2010 11:04 Ushasri Ponnaganti

Is justice an ideal, for ever beyond our grasp, or something that may actually guide our practical decisions and enhance our lives? In this acclaimed book, Amartya Sen presents an alternative approach to mainstream theories of justice.

At the heart of Sen’s argument is his insistence on the role of public reason in establishing what can make societies less unjust. But there are always choices to be made between alternative assessments of what is reasonable, and competing positions can each be well-defended. Rather than rejecting these pluralities, we should use them to construct a theory of justice that can accommodate divergent points of view. Sen also inspiringly shows how the principles of justice in the modern world must avoid parochialism and address vital questions of global injustice.

Month: December 2010.

MENTAL MAGIC - Surefire Tricks to Amaze Your Friends - by Martin Gardner

Tuesday, 19 October 2010 19:23 Ushasri Ponnaganti

A barber in Chicago says he’d rather cut the hair of ten red-headed men than the hair of one brown-haired man. Can you guess why?

Ask Professor Picanumba, a master of riddles who carries dozens of sure-fire tricks up his sleeve. He’ll show you how to astonish your friends and family by predicting the answers to 88 word and number challenges. These tricks require only simple props - a deck of cards or a couple of pairs of dice, a calculator, and a pencil and paper. With or without an audience, these foolproof feats of mental magic offer hours of amusement. Solutions appear at the end, with 64 illustrations in between.

Author Martin Gardner has written more than 70 books on subjects from science and math to poetry and religion.
That barber, by the way, would prefer to make ‘ten times as much money’.

Month: November 2010.

Incredible High - Rebels on a Road Trip - by Atul Kapoor

Tuesday, 19 October 2010 19:22 Ushasri Ponnaganti

In Ladakh, there is a popular saying: Only the ‘truest of friends’ and ‘fiercest of enemies’ come to Leh. Nikhil and his group of dysfunctional friends belong to the third kind: ‘craziest of wannabes’. Going Leh on bike would need them to surmount the road of world’s highest passes and deadliest traps.

And just when they begin to reckon that life can’t get messier, they get stranded in an inhospitable land. It is here that their conflicting emotions surface, their dark secrets unfold and their fears come alive. It is here that they begin to apprehend the real essence of life.

There can be no worldly justification to nurture such unrealistic option ahead of their lives. But why can’t they resist its temptation? Why should they find it tempting at first place?

Is this what they had sought to achieve when they left home? Is this the decisive journey of their rebellion? Would this consummate their search for that triumphant moment, their quest ‘For That Incredible High’?

Month: November 2010.

MEN, MONEY AND CHOCOLATE by Menna Van Praag

Friday, 03 September 2010 17:49 Ushasri Ponnaganti

Maya spends her days dreaming of a perfect life; a life filled with love, success and pleasure. She tries to find fulfillment in the pursuit of men and money, and when this doesn’t work she looks for comfort in chocolate. But this just leaves her feeling empty and lost. Then Maya meets a mysterious stranger and is set on a spiritual journey to discover what she’s been missing all this time….

A sweet and touching fable about love, courage and enlightenment, Men, Money & Chocolate reveals what is possible when you open your heart to the spiritual secrets within the material world. This tale of transformation shows you how to love a man without losing yourself, find work that fulfils your heart and enjoy chocolate as a source of pleasure instead of pain.

Menna Van Praag is a freelance writer, Oxford graduate and chocolate aficionado. A magnificent insight by her mother, Vicky, led to a three-day experience of enlightenment, from which Men, Money & Chocolate was born. This is her first book. Menna currently lives in Cambridge with her husband, Artur, a gourmet genius. They are now working on fulfilling a long – cherished dream of opening a bookshop – café together.

Month: September 2010.

VALMIKI'S DAUGHTER by Shani Mootoo

Friday, 03 September 2010 17:48 Ushasri Ponnaganti

A hugely entertaining and hypnotically beautiful family saga about the corrosive power of secrets. The story centres on wealthy Trinidadian family – Valmiki, a renowned doctor and loving, if confused, father; and his eldest daughter, Viveka, lively, intelligent, and intent on escaping the gilded cage that protects but also smothers her.

In Valmiki’s Daughter, Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalist and best-selling novelist Shani Mootoo explores family relationships, and the competing pulls of race, class, and sexuality, in a tale laced with humour. The author offers a refreshingly different view of Trinidad, evocatively capturing the island’s cultural ethos, and social conventions at odds with hidden desires and family secrets.

With this masterful novel, Shani Mootoo gives us a vibrant and uplifting book, full of the vigorous stuff of life.

Month: September 2010.

More Articles...