The White Tiger - Arabind Adiga (2008)

It's always hard to review books which has been awarded or acclaimed by critics. The problem with such books is, it has appealed a good number of intellectual minds to be able to provide any negative commentary.

However, to me "The White Tiger" looked like just another novel. Not something that will need any special recognition. From rickshaw puller's son destined to work as a laborer to reach to the levels of a budding entrepreneur definitely adds the "Slumdog Millionaire" element to it. I sometimes find it repulsive when authors compare various country's political and social plight in front of foreign nationals. Addressing the whole of Indian issues to the Chinese premier definitely brought out a negative element in the book. In the whole India Shining era some shortcuts to success has become reality but to claim that it exposes the underbelly of the IT boom in the sillicon city of India is a gross overstatement made by some critics.

Should one read the book?

The writing style is impeccable. The book can be read in just one sitting. You will find it a quasi-Slumdog Millionaire in some sense.

The HP Way - How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company - David Packard (1996)

Quite an interesting book when it comes to understanding how one of the oldest and respected companies in the technology community was born out of a garage. But I felt the book has lived its life. For most part, when you think of when HP achieved the feats David Packard has claimed you will definitely find the company way ahead of its time. But when you look at it 12 years later, I do not think you will find anything strongly appealing.

A recommended book if you enjoy reading a history book. From the current context you may not find it very appealing.

The Enterprise and Scrum - Ken Schwaber (2007)

This book is not about doing Scrum in software development if you are doing it for the first time. This is a book for the pros. I will suggest for this book be read by all the senior management of every firm who are thinking Scrum as a panacea to every illness they have seen in their software development.

Scrum affects the enterprise in strange ways. The most important change being the classical product management role goes through a different spin. The role changes from that of providing what to working closely with the team and operate within the team's limitations (velocities). Teams are empowered and expected to self manage and lead. There is very little scope for ego or going against the team's will. For the management there is enough provision to monitor but very little scope to control.

With so much of changes in place, it's never easy to implement Scrum, particularly when you have been used to a line organization. For senior management it's important to start from this book. For people in the mid or start of career they should read this book after they develop some confidence in the Scrum methodology. The book will provide food for thought for both. I think this book should be referred to once very few months to internalize the concepts.

I fail to write a synopsis for this book as the book is fairly short and can be finished in 1-2 hours. More importantly, this book in some sense is a summary in itself can only be appreciated once read and internalized.

Survival of the Sickest - Dr. Sharon Moalem, Jonathan Prince (2006)

In lines of The Survival of the Fittest which was coined by Herbert Spencer in 1864 as a sequel to Darwin's theory of natural selection, this book presents why some diseases as we know today are there. Are they truely diseases or genetic survival techniques for the human race? The author gives quite a few reasons why certain diseases as we know them are mere survival genetic activities in the gene pool. It's like reading a science fiction on human existence.

Excellent book to read and will definitely make you think.

The Village by the Sea - Anita Desai (1982)

A simple story of a village boy and his family who are going through the life of abject poverty, an ill mother and a drunkard father. The interest of the industries to develop the village to a fertilizer plant has created a fear for its dwellers and in protest in front of the govt in Mumbai. The boy joins the crowd although he had no land nor had any fishing boat to survive on. As fate could have it he gets some livelihood in Mumbai and earns a small living. Similarly, a Mumbaikar who comes to the village on vacation enjoys the service of the boy's sisters in their household activities. He also admits their mother to the nearest hospital. With some earnings from providing household services to these few visitors and the boy's earnings from Mumbai, the children dream of a sustainable future even if the factories may affect the livelihood of most of the fishermen in the village.

The overall book is a simple depiction of life through these children. Though ends with a reasonably positive hope the book definitely raises the issues on rapid urbanization and the effect of that on people's livelihood and existence for future.

A nice book to read on survival.

Lord Curzon - The Last of the British Moghuls (1993) by Nayana Goradia

A biography of one of the most talked about Viceroys of India. In short, Lord Curzon was a man with a value system of his own, a set of his defined principles which he followed without much of influence from the society at large. The history of India has denounced Curzon for various reasons and most importantly blaming him for the Bengal partitions. However, this book shows a definitely different picture. Curzon had some positive thoughts for India and has contributed significantly in setting up of Archaeological Survey of India, maintaining a law and order situation in the country rather than the Indians getting bulldozed by the oppressive British elements in the Government. In Nehru's language Curzon saved everything that's beautiuful in India.

Why was he misunderstood?

People typically of high esteem for themselves work on an agenda of their own which they find hard to express before the stakeholders. This is what probably happened in Curzon's life. Indians never understood the administrative reasons which he had in mind in Bengal partition nor he had enough friends in the British government. He was a man of honor and principle but could not become a people's person. Losing his Vice-royalty and later the prime ministerial candidature speaks a lot of this.

The book is quite well written but the facts may have very little significance to the modern readers. Indian history is general has very little reference to Viceroys of British Empire. It may be a good read if you are interested in just reading about Curzon. The significance of the book to a larger goal of knowing Indian history better may not be achieved through this book.

Above Average - Amitabha Bagchi (2007)

Yet another book by an IITian. With the IIT brand getting global there is a lot of interest in getting to know what IIT life is all about. This book is not another Five Point Someone. This is more natural and far closer to reality. There is of course a lot more details about Delhi and a lot of reference due to author's association with the city and weekend visits home. Five point someone was more focused to a hostel life. Incidents in this book are genuine look more like the young adult dreams and not quite sensational.

Writing skills wise I still Chetan Bhagat definitely is a master storyteller, while Bagchi is a far more balanced storyteller. He brings various facts and attaches them around each character he wants to portray. It may not keep you too involved at places where there is a bit of technical discussions on computer science.

But overall I will say the book is great and far more autobiographical and much more appealing to IITians.