Let Love Take Over - Tomson Robert

 :) - Smile is all I was doing while typing the name of the book and the author.

Super proud of you dear Tomson for all the effort you are putting in to conquering the heights you have conquered in the myriad phases of life  and making all of us proud and famous :)

Tomson was my classmate in school , from first to tenth in Kendriya Vidyalaya Ernakulam . In general KVs are known to be the best option for children of government employees with transferable jobs however ninety percent of the students in our batch managed to study in the same class from first to tenth. As a result we share a special bond and like most of us would agree those childhood days are the most colorful and happiest days of our lives ! 

It is indeed my privilege to be able to write a review for a book written by a good friend.

'Let Love take over'  is the third book from Tomson after a collection of short stories in 2016 ( Work , Life and the Balance in between ) and his debut novel in 2019 ( Alumni of the year ).

Easy, simple read with a good story line is how I would like to summarize the book. It's the story of how Joshua , the protagonist fights his inner fear to rediscover the lost hero in himself to face life with a mature outlook. With a perfect blend of narrative description of food , places ,relationships , personalities and corporate lives, the book  challenges you to rediscover the lost 'YOU' and face your fears while being able to let go of the small fights. 

Loved the way the book identified the 'GOLIATHs' in modern day lives and the imperfection in our outwardly perfect lives.

Keep writing !

Becoming - Michelle Obama

Becoming – by Michelle Obama is an autobiographical narration of her life from the South side of Chicago where she lived a very middle-class life in a two bedroom apartment with her parents and brother to the high profile life as the First lady of the United States.

Her well planned and disciplined life, her choices of projects to work on are all inspiration for ladies to plan their life for independence and enable themselves to be the change they want to see in the society. 

The book gives us a sneak peek into the political sentiments and major issues  facing  the American society  as well as the political propaganda driving the Democratic and Republican campaigns.

Michelle Obama describes with equal candor her childhood  days in ‘Euclid Avenue’ in Chicago  when she excelled in school , her college days at Princeton as also her early years of marriage with Barak Obama trying to balance her career with the political ambition of her husband. She has successfully portrayed the transition from Euclid Avenue to White House capturing well the subtle nuances involved in loosing once privacy to popularity and media attention.

Some excerpts from the book that I underlined:

“And If every sadness, when it came , turned out at least to be redemptive in the end.”

“Dominance, even the treat of it, is a form of dehumanization. It’s the ugliest kind of power.”

“You may live in the world as it is, but you can still work to create the world as it should be.”

“Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result. It’s vulnerability that breeds with self-doubt and then is escalated, often deliberately, by fear.”

And the best of all excerpts is :

“I tried to communicate the one message about myself and my station in the world that I felt might really mean something. Which was that I knew ‘invisibility’. I’d lived invisibility. I came from a history of invisibility. I liked to mention that I was the great-great-granddaughter of a slave named Jim Robinson, who was probably buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on a South Carolina plantation. And in standing at a lectern in front of students who were thinking about the future, I offered testament to the idea that it was possible, at least in some ways, to overcome invisibility.”

That according to me is the gist of the Book.

After reading the book , I felt safer to live in this country and have my kids build their life here. With all the negative sentiments against immigrants in this country, the book assured to me that there is still HOPE.

Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg

'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg , the chief operating officer of facebook , portrays in detail , the challenges faced by women at every step of corporate career to move ahead and sustain . She describes in detail the intricate unfavorable equations working against women in the balance of work at home and office. 

"While women continue to outpace men in educational achievement , we have ceased to make any progress in the top leadership positions in any industry." - in Sandberg's own words. She has been successful in looking into the details of the reasons of  this unequal representation and throws light on how to speak and work for ourselves and be empowered to have choices in life.

She quotes and presents facts and researches that reveal that sharing financial and child care responsibilities leads to less guilty moms , more involved dads and thriving children. She has been successful in establishing how professionally successful women reap rewards of greater financial security , more stable marriages,  better health and increased satisfaction in life.

She insists why it is important for men to Lean in to the task of 'home making' as much as it is important for women to Lean in to work. Why it becomes imperative to break the stereotypes to have a more fulfilling life and be free to make the choices for a happier more 'equal' tomorrow.

The chapter 'Make your partner a real partner' is a must read for  all men with or without partners in active workforce to better understand the dynamics of work-life balance in the lives of their partners, friends or colleagues.

In 'The Myth of doing it all' Sandberg has been successful in providing consolation and guidance to women who get into the of illusion of having it all - a high paying job that gives ample flexibility to single handedly handle all the work perfectly at home. That is an illusion and there is always a trade off .

In "Leadership Ambition Gap' and 'Don't leave before you leave' the author has captured how ladies are conditioned to aim less and be more likable in the society.She also details how we condition  ourselves to always consider job as an optional platform of fulfillment and keep ourselves prepared to leave in situations where we have to make a choice. On the other hand she says why it is vital for ladies to consider the initial years of job as crucial to climb up or broaden up as much as possible so by the time we have to make a choice the job itself is rewarding enough financially and  inspirationally to cling on and continue.

A must read for ladies already in the workforce , planning to join  or rejoin after a break.

P.S : Thanks to my dear friend who referred this book to me.

The Secret Wish List : Preeti Shenoy

Having connected with an author who replies to your comments in her blog ; I decided to buy 'The Secret Wish List' - the fourth book by Preeti Shenoy.
A good one time read - best for a casual, easy read on travel - is how I would sum up this novel which largely revolves around adolescent love , parental pressure, unhappy marriage and extramarital affairs.
The protagonist , Diksha , find her life that revolves around her husband and son monotonous and lifeless.
Out of her discontent  grows a  Secret Wish List - a list of things that she identifies to make her happy and satisfied. The story is a chain of events by which Diksha realises her wish list.
I should say that I approve of Vibha and even Thanu more than Diksha - read to find out why ...

Life is what you make it - Preeti Shenoy

Easy to read, simple and narrative Preeti Shenoy’s ‘Life is what you make it’ is a great and easy read.  

The life of young, smart, intelligent, college going Ankita goes on reverse gear when her pace and reactions go out of her control. The remorse of not having responded well to her boyfriend and  the stress of management studies takes her through heights of exhilarated energy and depths of depression. The story of how she copes up with the condition reiterates how faith and determination can bring back a lost mind to track and trace a new path of life . 'Life is what you make it' is a book of hope.

After  the initial few chapters of the book , I began to think if it was just another adolescent love story – the storyline though straight ;  the book was captivating enough to keep me going . I enjoyed Preeti's story telling ability , narrative writing style , the way she churned out words and also the in-depth study of symptoms,causes and treatment of 'Bipolar Disorder' that has gone into writing the book.
Keep Going Preeti- I'm sure you would.

IF YOU THINK; YOU CAN

A self help book of around 200 pages ; 'If you think you can ' by TJ Hosington is a great read;
that interleaves 13 laws with practical steps and real life examples to form a symphony of success. I read it in 6 hours at a  stretch  - but for the nights sleep in between. A simple but powerful motivational read.

The performance laws in the book summarised below :

• Power of Decisions: If you are unhappy with where you are today ; you CAN DECIDE to change.
• Demanding the best from yourself : Go from thinking ' It would be nice to have ' to ' I must - I will - I'm committed'
• Taking time to work on you : If a person will spend 1 hour a day for 5 years on  a  subject ; he is sure to master it.
• Master your thinking : Change your thinking to focus on the future that we want to achieve than on the limitations of today.
• Be sure of what you want in life : than settling for generalities
• Operating from Imagination : Fake it until you make it
• Action : By taking action when inspiration is strong ; you begin to create momentum. Each action you take will give you continued motivation and a massive desire to keep going.
• Maintain a Winning Perspective : Gives the energy and drive to press forward in spite of momentary setbacks.
• Success Team : To get most out of yourself spend your time with positive people.
• Focus  : Be wise  when spending time and energy in relationships , sports , hobbies ,work and other activities or commitments. They may stand in the way of getting what you really want.
• Create a sense of urgency : Stop procrastinating
• Never give up 
• Live with purpose

The Importance of being Earnest : Oscar Wilde

A sattirical drama set in the late 19th century, the act definitely has a sense of humor in it throughout..but the humor in the drama lies in the casual, irresponsible dealings of the supposedly responsible matters of life.

The dual existence of human beings is the central theme of the play where the protagonists live two lives in two societies. May need  a more thoughtful mind to understand the meaning of what the author intends to convey !

Pride and Prejudice

'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen, is an English Novel set in the turn of 19th century in UK.

The English soceity seems to be very different from the way it is now. Through there has been many strings of proposals, attractions and marriages in the novel, there is not a single mention of divorce- probably divorce was then not an obivious choice of an unhappy marriage.

The Bennet family consists of a frivolous and silly Mrs Bennet ,a relatively silent and usually disinterested Mr Bennet and five daughters. Jane , the eldeset who is known for her beauty in the neighbourhood, Elizabeth the clever and lively of the five, Mary - the book lover , Catherine - the ordinary and the frivolous and flirtacious Lidia.

The male protagonist is Mr Darcy - who is known for his pride and obsessive concern for social status.Mr Bingley is Darcy's close friend.

Elizabeth and Darcy meets in a ball where Jane and Bingley identifies their natural attraction to each other.Elizabeth having herad of Darcy's nature develops a prejudice towards him and develops a dislike for him.

She is later drawn to Mr Wickham who claims to have been mistreated by Darcy. Darcy and Elizabeth later meet at her Aunts place where Darcy proposes to her. Elizabeth rejects the proposal following heated arguments.

The story then follows different twists where Darcy helps settle the lives of Jane and Lidia who elopes with Wickham .Elizabeth also recognises her love for Darcy.

Elizabeth leaves her Prejudice and Darcy his Pride to recognise and love each other.
The story ends with three daughters of the Bennet family being married and settled in life.

Through the eyes of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet , the novel deals with the issues of manners, upbringing , morality, family values, love and marriage in the 19th century England.

Revolution 2020 : Chetan Bhagat

Revolution 2020: Chetan Bhagat

This is the first Chetan Bhagat book that I’ve read – and from the reviews of the book it looks to be a wrong selection to be his first read.

In my view, the book is a simple, easy, one time read.

The triangle love story, winning the girl’s heart and then letting it go – was all stereotypical and easily imagined. The description of the deeply rooted corruption in the Indian society seemed very peripheral and the solution that he suggested namely a different hue of family politics, again seemed corrupt to me. The readers are let to wonder how the revolution (if any) would be brought about.
The book fails to answer this.

The Kite Runner : Khaled Hosseini

Heart breaking, vivid, emotionally charging, enduring, deeply moving ,devastating- Khaled Hosseini's first novel - The Kite Runner - is about betrayal and redemption from a haunting conscience.

The story revolves around the lives to two childhood friends - Amir the only son of a rich and reputed Afghan father and Hassan - Amir's servant Ali's son. Amir and Hassan shares a unique relationship .Hassan is very loyal and loving to Amir in spite of the taunts that Amir passes diligently on him. Amir longs to be loved by his Baba and feels that winning the Kite running tournament would make him his father's pride. Hassan helps Amir win the game but the cruelty that Hassan faces the same day shatters both of them. Amir is unable to face Hassan since he didnot stand up for his friend while he was abused. He tries to escape his conscience by a plot to oust Ali and Hassan from his family and succeeds in sending them to the Hazaraland - the land for the Hazaras- a low afghan caste.

Amir and his Baba flee to America following a Russian invasion. Amir falls in love with Soraya- the only daughter of an Afghan family in America and marries her. Baba dies in America and Amir and Soraya are childless after fifteen yeras of marriage.

Almost 30 years later Amir returns to Taliban occupied Afghanisthan on receiving a message from Rahim Khan - his father's close friend and comes to know that Hassan and his wife were publicly executed by Talibs charged with occupying their house, and was lived by their son Sohrab. Amir also comes to know from Rahim Khan that Hassan was his half brother .He then goes in search for Sohrab and encountering Talibs - gets Sohrab to America.

Though the encounter with the Talibs leaves him physically shattered , Amir feels relieved and redeemed from a haunting conscience.

Sohrab is emotionally shattered due to the tortures that he undergoes in life and Amir and his wife succeeds in getting the smile back to his face - though a lopsided one.

A devastating and haunting story of a life crippled by an act of childhood - the story speaks of the harrowing truth about life, evil, cowardice, selfishness and redemption.

Come be my light - Mother Teresa

Some revealing private writings of Mother Teresa. The book had me hooked to it till the end.
A neat compilation of some of Mother Teresa's letters, replies to them and diary pages - the book gives a glimpse of the humility , faith and belief that made it possible for Mother Teresa to do what she did and attracted so many people to her. Jesus' words in St.Matthew's gospel, "whatever you did to the least... you did it to me " were a rock on which her convictions were built.

Some excerpts from the book :

I made a vow to God,binding under the pain of mortal sin, to give to God anything that he may ask, 'Not to refuse Him anything'.

Our spiritual life must remain simple- so as to be able to understand the mind of our poor.

The complete trust in divine providence for everything, even for her spiritual needs, was a hallmark of her life.

" A hearty 'Yes' to God and a big smile for all"

" I must have been so very full of self all these years - since God is taking so long to empty me- I hope one day when I am fully empty He comes "

Words printed on a small card that she used to distribute :

" The fruit of silence is prayer,
The fruit of prayer is faith,
The fruit of faith is love,
The fruit of love is service,
The fruit of service is peace "

The Story of My Life - Helen Keller

A book that came my way late...I should have read it mush earlier is what I felt after reading Helen Keller's autobiography - ' The Story of my Life '.

Helen became deaf and blind at nineteen months, following a fatal disease.This autobiography is an inspiring and exquisitely touching account of how little Helen learned to communicate and break open the dark and silent world within to emerge as a ray of hope for people all over the world.

An excerpt from the book:

Is it not true , then that my life with all its limitations touches at many points the life of the world beautiful ? Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.

Sometimes, it is true , a sense of isolation enfolds me like a cold mist as I sit alone and wait at life's shut gate.Beyond there is light, and music, and sweet companionship; but I may not enter.Fate,silent,pitiless bars the way.Fain would I question his imperious decree; for my heart is still undisciplined and passionate; but my tongue will not utter the bitter,futile words that rise to my lips, and they fall back into my heart like unshed tears. Silence sits immense upon my soul. Then comes hope with a smile and whispers, "There is joy in self-forgetfulness." So I try to make the light in others' eyes my sun, the music in others' ears my symphony, the smile on others' lips my happiness.

The Last Jews of Kerala - Edna Fernandes

'The last Jews of Kerala' successfully captures the melancholy, despair and fear that envelops the last less than a score of Jews left in Kerala - the living remnants of around two millennia old Jewish settlement in Cochin.

Edna Fernandes walks the lanes of Jew Town , Cochin ,to capture the sad story of the two Jewish communities- the blank and the white- their histories, the fatal colour based caste discrimination and rise and fall of this once glorious community.She also goes to Jerusalem to study the life of the re-settled Cochini Jews of the now Israel to learn that while few of them successfully resettled in 'The Promised land' , others yearn for the peaceful and glamorous life that they left in Kerala.

It was not plague or war that led to the destruction of this community in Kerala but bitter feud and apartheid between the black and the whites.

A touching investigative account of a dying community in 'countdown mode' that has no more marriages but only funerals to attend ...

The Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger

I had seen the name of the book 'The catcher in the Rye' in many of the must-read books lists. Read of the reclusive life of it's author JD Salinger as an epitaph in The Hindu Literary magazine and decided to grab a copy for the next read.

J D Salinger:

American author born in 1919, JD Salinger's slim oeuvre consists of his only novel ' The Catcher in the Rye ' and few anthologies of short stories. Known for his only novel and reclusive nature alike , Salinger went hiding to a wooded compound in New Hampshire, London when his novel was published in US which came to acclaimed as the great classic of American adolescence. He lived in New Hampshire till his death on January 27Th 2010 due to natural causes. Obsessed with privacy, Salinger wanted his photograph removed from subsequent editions of his novel and had the fan mails burned.

The Catcher in the Rye:

An adolescent novel written as a first hand narration by the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, the story spans three days in his life. Ousted from his school, Holden decides to stay back in New york for three days before Christmas so that he could reach home as if for the Christmas vacation. Holden dislikes anything phony and hence end up hating most people he meets in his life. The two people he admires the most are his younger sister Phoebe and his younger brother Allie who passed away a few years back due to Leukemia. He decides to leave New york to an unknown land where he would live like a deaf-mute to be spared from the phony talks of the world since he felt most people would not take the pain to write and communicate with him if he pretended to be a deaf- mute. The only person he wishes to say goodbye is Phoebe and due to her insistence that she would also join him in his journey, he finally decides to stay back home. He enjoys Phoebe's innocence and fears that the filthiness in the world would grab her of her innocence one day. At times of fear and despair he talks to his deceased brother and gains solace.

The language of the book is a little too colloquial with words like 'Goddamn','something and all','old..'etc being used abundantly. The frequent,carefree description of adolescent sexual desires made it a little uneasy to read through.

A good book which would make you love Holden as you reach the end !

No full stops in India - Mark Tully

Mark Tully:
One of India's favorite Briton, who loves India and has been living, traveling and writing about India. Born in Calcutta of preindependent India, Tully spent early years of his first decade in India, later moved to England for schooling. He joined BBC in 1964 and became the Chief of the Bureau in Delhi where he still lives and works.

No Full stops in India:
As chief of BBC, Mark Tully traveled the length and breadth of India and this book on India is a collection of ten well studied essays. All the essays whether on 'Ram Chander' - his cook and private help- or on Operation Blue thunder, his simple and candid writing style does not let you put it down till the end.

Critic's view:
Being written by a non-indian about India , I was feeling a lack of depth in Tully's understanding of Poverty in India. In Ram Chander's story, the first essay in the book, the description of the conduct of marriage, the dowry system in India seemed very peripheral.

' New Imperialism ', the essay which talks of Cultural imperialism where every Indian in conditioned to believe that everything non-indian or western is superior is a true observation. Other essays in the book are first hand accounts of events that Tully happened to report as part of his job as the chief editor of BBC.

Borrowing Piers Brendon’s words in the ‘Mail on Sunday’ ( from the cover page of the book ) : this book is essential reading for anyone interested in a civilization mainly punctuated by Question Marks.

" To Sir With Love " - E R Braithwaite

E R Braithwaite was born in British Guyana in 1920. Born to oxford educated parents Braithwaite was blessed with a happy childhood and got good education. In the time of Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force of British Army which he later recalls to be the only place where his black skin was not a matter of prejudice.

After war, he was unable to find a profession in his field though he was a doctorate in Physics. Though different authorities and organizations made different reasons for not employing him, it was his skin color that mattered to all who rejected his application.

Reluctantly, he takes up teaching as a profession in Greenslade School, in East end of London. Many of his students were from very poor family background, most of them being back outs from other schools. Semi autobiographical in nature, the book is an account of how an intimate and deep relation builds between Braithwaite and his students. Charismatic and sincere, Braithwaite wins the hearts of his students whom he later addresses as his children.

Excerpts:

A passage from the book that describes Braithwaite’s feelings on being refused work at Mayfair:

I reflected on my life in the USA. There , when prejudice is felt, it is open , obvious, blatant ; the white man makes his position very clear, and the black man fight those prejudices with equal openness and fervour, using every constitutional device available to him……In Britain, I found things to be very different. I have yet to meet a single English person who has actually admitted to anti-Negro prejudice; it is even generally believed that no such thing exists here. A Negro is free to board any bus or train and sit anywhere, provided he has paid the appropriate fare; the fact that many people might pointedly avoid sitting next to him is casually overlooked. He is free to seek accommodation in any licensed hotel or boarding house – the courteous refusal which frequently follows is never ascribed to prejudice. The betrayal I now felt was greater because it had been perpetrated with the greatest of charm and courtesy.

One of the best books that I have read, “To Sir with Love” lingers in mind posing varied questions to the reader. Autobiographic, the book speaks against prejudices of all hues.

Unaccostomed Earth

“Unaccustomed Earth” by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories. Identity Crisis of Immigrants to an unknown land leaving their ancestral land is the needle that knits the stories together in a book. Most of the stories bring out the negative side of human nature when confronted with varied crisis in life, overpowered with determination or at times chance.

Skipped few of the stories and took a long time to complete!
( Probably because the book was not pulling enough !)

Lajja ( Shame ) - Taslima Nasrin

Written in less than 10 days, Taslima Nasrin’s ‘Lajja’ portrays the torture, humiliation and man-hunting that Hindus in Bangladesh were subjected to after the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Precise and poignant the book throws light on religious fundamentalism and communalism and how its repercussions are felt in human relationships.

Storyline:
The story revolves around the lives of a four member family, who had to sell their land in Mymensingh on the banks of Brahmaputra and move out to Dhaka in search of security.

Sudhamoy, a medical practitioner by profession, simple, honest, idealistic and a great humanitarian at heart, detested communalism in all its shades. So, they decided to stay back in Bangladesh, when many of their friends and relatives migrated to India for a secure and safe future. Kironmoyee, his wife, is portrayed as a courageous and enduring woman who stands by her husband through all the hardships that they encountered. Suranjan, their elder son, though brilliant and studious , being a Hindu is unable to find himself work and stays back home. His relationship with Parveen, a Muslim girl breaks up when he refuses to accept her plea to convert to Islam. The family is emotionally shattered when their younger daughter, Maya is abducted and does not return.

Hastily written and unimaginative the book leaves several ends open. But it hooks the reader to the end and qualifies for a good one time read.

Amen - Autobiography of a nun - Sister Jesmi

Written in Malayalam and published by DC Books , Sister Jesmi’s ‘Amen’ is an autobiographical narration of incidents in her convent-life. Open and sharp, the book is a courageous effort towards bringing to light the little known dark world of convent life. Already reeling under issues like the ‘Sister Abhaya Murder Case’ and suicide of nuns, the book poses a big question in front of the Church to seriously reconsider the security that it provides to its sisters.

The incidents of homo and hetero sexual behaviors in the convent and jealousy and feuds among sisters, ignites any civilized mind to seriously consider the need for such an institution. I feel women outside are safer than sisters inside the walls of the convent, where they are not bound by the vow of obedience to at least scream when subjected to injustice and sexual abuses.

Confronted with numerous issues ranging from backstabs from co-sisters to attempts to treat her for mental instability, sister Jesmi finally leaves the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC), an institution of which she was a part for more than 33 years.

A truly Courageous attempt at autobiography.

City of Joy- Dominique Lapierre

Is a book on Calcutta, a city on the banks of river Hoogly in West Bengal, India. Lapierre successfully captures the spirit of Calcutta in descriptive yet pleasing language. Written in little more than 500 pages, the book tries to answer the mystery of happiness that overflows the lives of ordinary people living in severely deplorable conditions in the slums of Calcutta.

The City is presented as seen through the lives of Stephen Kovalski, the polish priest who dedicated his life to the service of lepers and other dwellers of ‘Anathnager’ as Calcutta is otherwise known. Other important characters in the book are Hasari Pal and Max Leob. Hasari Pal, is a peasant who migrated to the streets of Calcutta with his wife and kids to earn a living for his family awaiting the amount that he sends back home every month. The hardships that follows Hasari who manages his livelihood pulling rickshaws is heart rending. Max Leob , is an American doctor that Kovalski gets to treat the slum dwellers. Leob’s perception of life and happiness undergoes a dramatic change after his life in the slums .

Hats off to the effort, dedication and research that has gone into creating such a masterpiece…!!!