Where David Threw Stones - book review

 

Where David Threw Stones
by
Elyse Hoffman
Genre : Mixture of Historical fiction, Fantasy and Mystery.

"Sweet kids raised on poison grow into twisted bastards" - Where David Threw Stones


When I picked up the book to read, I thought the novel would be something about a boy named David and the German Goliath - Hitler and Nazis and how they were brought down in WW2. The author Elyse Hoffman proved me wrong as the story begins in 1968 when a kid named David Saidel blames himself for his parents' death even though they are killed by neo-nazis in Munich. The child is sent to Brennenbach to live with his maternal grandfather. David becomes the child who refuses to smile and then you are introduced to fantasy and history as the town reverts back to Hitler's Germany of 1943 at the stroke of midnight and  stays that way before changing over to 1968 during the day.

David is warned not to step out during midnight but he does anyway one day when he loses his grandfather's dog Mozart. What he faces during the hours is part of the mystery and what a mystery it is. So does David learn about himself and does the curse on Brennenbach ever end? Read the book to find out.

The writing style is crisp, the pace is fast and the book is a page turner. This is a fascinating mix of historical fiction, fantasy and mystery, meshed together and told in a riveting, heart wrenching and unique style which I never thought was possible. The author manages to zip through genres with the ease of a magician while keeping the reader glued to the pages.

As I read it, two things struck me about this book. It is very relevant for the world today where hate as an ideology is being spread against some "other" and there is a generation growing up only knowing hate and frankly it scares me as it is becoming the new normal. The second is for the forgotten genocides in other parts of the world like the Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka in 2009 when over 300,000 people were killed in a week using cluster bombs and other banned weapons provided by 21 countries which either directly or indirectly participated with the Sri Lankan Army in the genocide irrespective of their ideologies - both sides of the Cold War bloc. Even today people in Lanka are yet to reconcile and the simmering hatred is still justified in the name of a falsified history and superiority provided by militant Buddhist monks and Sinhalese majority that is taught to children and the people stay silent because they fear speaking up or speaking out.

Everyone should read this book - doesn't matter if you are from the west or east, north, south, majority or minority in any part of the world. I hope this book changes the way you think about your own race, religion, language, identity and about "others" and helps you speak up and speak out. Never forget where and to whom you are born is just an accident of birth.

Buy the book on Amazon

Book review: Probably the most important book you will ever read - China Syndrome

 

China Syndrome
by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Genre: Non-fiction
2006, Harper Collins

“He then announced a new policy called “The Three Nos,” which came straight from the Communist Party Publicity Department: no talking to the media about the nature of SARS, no talking to the public about doctors’ personal experience treating the disease, and no communicating with the WHO about anything to do with SARS." - China Syndrome

This is the most important book you can ever read possibly in this century about the SARS coronavirus. Armed with detailed research and personal experience, the author takes you through the politics, economics, cultural and environmental parts of the epidemic which is continuing to this day in its mutated form. It includes what had been the behavioral or environmental change that had created the right circumstances for coronavirus to jump species - urbanization, consumerism, so called "development" and globalization.

While the world was watching and debating the War on Iraq and eyeballs worldwide were glued to TV screens on what was happening in Iraq, the world was facing a deadly global outbreak as the coronavirus had jumped species and human - human transmission was happening in what was then termed SARS. Just when the whole world was questioning the use of the existence of UN because the Iraq war was taking place, the health arm of the UN namely the WHO was working hard trying to get the Chinese government to open up. It was coordinating with multiple countries where the disease outbreak  was seen like US,Vietnam, India, Thailand, Japan, Mongolia, and of course the originator, China.While American CDC discovered it was the coronavirus that caused SARS, the Chinese CDC did too but the the Chinese government gagged them from announcing it apart from indulging in under reporting of deaths, closing of industry which led to migrant worker problems and super spreading as they arrived back in remote parts of China. All the politburo did was try to save face and made it illegal to even share samples inside China  which doctors from Hong Kong managed to smuggle in at great personal loss to identify. The whistle blower was Dr.Jiang Yanyong who was placed under house arrest for sending letters to the Chinese media and Communist party that they needed to inform the world and did through the TIME magazine website. Then there was Dr. Guan Yi who identified the virus and the animal which was spreading it namely the masked palm civet which is popular food in the wet markets in Shenzhen,China and Vietnam apart from SriLankan Dr. Malik Peiris who was working with Yi in HongKong.

It led to the fall of Jiang Zemin and rise of Hu Jianto. By making China, especially Southern China the global manufacturing hub for all things as the whole world chanted the mantra of "More but Cheap" during the Era of Wild Flavor and wet markets created conditions for the virus to jump species. Development and globalisation which leads to cramped work environments is perfect for the virus as it aids in  speeding up replication.With globalisation in travel, we ensured the virus could be in all parts of the world within a day's time.

The writing is crisp, factual and has the humane touch which is hard to come by in this genre. It reads like a thriller which keeps

bringing the line "Truth is stranger than fiction" to mind repeatedly The last words are ominous in the book as the world is now seeing so called waves of the coronavirus aka Covid-19. Greenfeld writes about how it  had already spread from civets to chickens to pigs in 2004 itself and how it was contained and treated. The virus was still among us and while the infectious disease network kept track of it, the rest of the world went back to its merry self pretending the virus is not mutating or doesn't exist.

If only this book had been made mandatory reading for all medical students worldwide, we might have been able to control the

outbreak in 2019 instead of repeating the mistakes the Chinese government did in 2002 which was replicated  by governments

worldwide thanks to international flights and forgetting the SARS outbreak that was contained initially by massive killing of

certain animals. Media and social media failed to spread awareness during SARS, avian flu, swine flu and now Covid-19 - which

seems to be a mutated form of the same virus  which in 2003 was termed "Breath taker" before it was given the term SARS.

 

Failing to review this book and following it up with stories on the ground seems to be the massive mistake that the world media has made and concentrating on the so called "War on Terror" experiences. If only there had been awareness, research for vaccines could have begun almost 20 years ago and millions of lives would have been saved and we would have been relatively less likely to be in this mess we are in now worldwide.

Buy the book here

Tell A Thousand Lies - book review

Tell a Thousand Lies
by Rasana Atreya
Genre: Fiction

A widowed grandmother is saddled with three grand daughters -  older one named Malli and her twin sisters -Pullamma and Lata. Her daughter dies giving birth to the twins while her son-in-law runs away from the responsibility of being a father in search of  God to the Himalayas. The strong spirited grandmother raises her grand daughters. There is a problem however. Malli and Lata are the pretty ones but Pullamma is dark skinned like her dead grand father.So according to the grandmother's friends getting Malli and Lata married off won't be tough but what to do with Pullamma ? Some suggest it is just as well she was born dark that she can take care of the grandmother when she grows old as marriage is next to impossible.

Though twins, Pullamma and Lata are completely different. Pullamma is a tall, gawky teenager who doesn't mind being teased though she makes a promise to herself that when she has children,she would give her children, beautiful names. She has no great ambitions but is well aware of her grandmother's hardships and tries her best to help out by doing most of the chores. Her twin, Lata on the other hand is pretty, wants a career and doesn't want to be married or do chores. Malli's bride viewing is to take place. Enter Kondal Rao, a politician and husband of the grandmother's best friend and Pullamma's life is turned upside down.

From a small village in Andra Pradesh to Hyderabad, from Bangalore to all over the place, the story of Pullamma is the story of  many women in India. It is also a story about how Indian women despite all the crap piled on them overcome adversity and remain strong.I noticed many reviewers had stated this could happen only in rural India. Hanh! This happens all over India  even today - in cities, towns and villages. Except they have been given new names - dowry has become gifts, skin colour is now glow/complexion. Sure, girls have made strides in education beating the boys and literacy rate has gone up but they do both work and "homework". As for politics and politicians, to this day it happens in India and across the world - manipulation of people's lives without their knowing it.

This book made me laugh and cry, something no book has done in a long time. It reminded me of so many women who I used to know as a kid and as a teen, made me pause to think what they all might have gone through despite living in villages, towns and cities. At that time, I used to think they were being rude  to someone I knew but considering how a widow had to become a man overnight to take care of the family and even now is not allowed to participate in so called auspicious rituals, the book made me understand why some women behave the way they do  even though they were extremely progressive in their views.

The writing is clear, focused and the turns unexpected. It is one heck of an emotional ride - realistic, warm, sad, shocking, loving and logical. That is a hard feat to pull off. I look forward to the author's next books in 2021.

I suggest all Indians, especially Indian women buy and read it.

To buy the book, click here

The Vault of Vishnu - book review

The Vault of Vishnu
by Ashwin Sanghi
Genre : Fiction

"One cannot avoid death unless one is already dead.Even then one cannot avoid the endless cycles that follows." 

The above quote from the novel is so apt and comforting in these Covid-19 time.

The novel starts brilliantly in Doklam and with a lot of promise. But Sanghi doesn't meet the reader's expectation as the pace just doesn't slowdown but almost stops before it picks up for a while before it is again brought down to a painful trot. The author kills you slowly as he strays away from the main story to narrate  Xuanzang's travels to India which lasted for over 19 years. This completely breaks the pace of narration as it keeps to start,long stop, start, long stop formula.  Sanghi could have easily used a single sentence or at the maximum a paragraph or even a page to reveal why Xuanzang's  travel was important just as he did it for Faxian's travel to India or Bodhidharma's travels to China.

I had hoped this novel would beat his Chanakya's Chant but it is worse than his Krishna Key where at least the pace was good with extremely well formed characters. Also, the author doesn't understand the difference between AI and genetic mutation which he seems to confuse while writing the book. I laughed out loud when I came across his explanation of the name Ikoalikum, the head of the mysterious tribe. Sanghi must have used Google translate to translate I Akankaramazhikum would have made more sense but I had to remind myself Sanghi probably doesn't know Tamizh or have Tamizh friends. Also he has hurriedly tried to cover everything just because of Doklam conflict and Xi's visit to Mahabalipuram.

The only good thing about the book is Hanuman. Strange I should be writing this on Hanuman Jayanti. The ending is almost satisfactory but getting through the book was a challenge. If you like challenges and since we are in a lock down, you might try reading the book.

Keepers of the Kalachakra - book review

Keepers of the Kalachakra
by Ashwin Sanghi
420 pages, Westland
Genre: Thriller

Leaders and people holding important positions in governments die  across the world in a mysteriously similar manner. No one understands how this is happening. Simultaneously sinkholes are appearing world wide killing ordinary people. One secret organization appears to be responsible for it as they believe in eliminating liberals and promoting right wingers while  working in tandem with an a Islamic fundamentalist who is the fountainhead of  spreading radical Islam worldwide. Both believe the clash of civilizations is inevitable and has to be hastened Can they be stopped ? Ashwin Sanghi asks and answers these questions in his novel, Keepers of the Kalachakra.

Zigzagging from the lawns of the Whitehouse US to mysterious labs in India, from  Russian secret service  to facilities in China, Sanghi begins well. Once inside the secret lab facility and in trying to explain the Tibetan Book of the Dead, he loses pace. He picks it up again with action sequences but frankly it is a bit disappointing when he tries to explain Hindu and Buddhist philosophy as well as Christian, Jewish and Islamic history as it stretches the reader's patience as so much info is dropped in, especially in the middle of an action sequence.

All said and done, the ending will leave you stunned if you read the book completely. I will say a brisk beginning, intriguing center that slowly drops into a winding read and a fast and stunning end that will leave people wondering if this is what is really happening as it is too close to actual political events.

Don't include all your research Mr. Sanghi in your books. Fascinating as it is, it slows down the thriller.

If you wish to buy the book, go here  Click to buy it from Amazon

Before Baahubali - The Rise of Sivagami

The Rise of Sivagami
by Anand Neelakantan
492 pages, Westland, 2017
Genre : Fiction
Language : English and mutliple Indian languages.


With people going mad about Baahubali2 - the conclusion, and social media pointing out the box office record - 1000 crores in nine days already, I am sure the director must be a happy man. However, I would suggest, people like me who have not seen the movie yet, read the book first to get a sense of people,  place and its history. This was missing in Baahubali 1.

How did a casteless society descend into slavery and child murder? Why are the corrupt allowed to live while the innocent murdered without question ? How did Mahishmathi descend to such a level and to protect what secret? Why is skin color which was unimportant before now so important? Neelakantan asks and answers these questions and more in his book, The Rise of Sivagami.

Sivagami is an orphan whose father, Devarayya is killed and branded a traitor. Her only aim in life is to demolish the royal family and seek revenge for her father's death. Neelakantan tells the story of orphan Sivagami and her rise to the level of Bhoomipathi - a title her father once held.  By telling the story of Sivagami and her  friend Kamakshi, we are also taken through the stories of young slaves obedient Kattappa and his rebellious brother Shivappa who longs for freedom, the young princes Bijjala and Mahadeva, siblings who are complete opposites in character, the original tribes who had been driven out of their land and are forced to take refuge in the forest by betrayal and not by war, the pirates who raid villages, rape women and kidnap children so they can be sold in the kingdom while the royal family and the bureaucrats of the kingdom turn a blind eye. It is a place where loyal people are killed while the corrupt are rewarded. What is damning secret in the document that Sivagami finds in the ancient language which she cannot read?

The pace is fast. The prose is poetic at many points but predictable at times if you had already seen Baahubali 1 in which some of the scenes slowly makes sense now. Since this is a story of three generations and a horrible secret hidden from the people of the kindgom, I look forward to reading the sequel as the book ends abruptly with a teaser - Sivagami now has to kill her father's best friend or be killed. And how does she go from being the destroyer of the royal family to becoming its Raja Matha?

Go here to buy the book

The Sari woven in prison by Nehru for Indira Gandhi's wedding

The Red Sari
by Javier Moro
Genre: Non-fiction
Available in different formats and languages.

In India, Sonia Gandhi is a mystery, especially for the generations born after 1960 in India. While some may remember Indira and Rajiv Gandhi and their horrible assassinations which wounded their psyche as children and chose to forget it as it is too painful that made the rise of the Hindu Right in the late 80s possible, this novel makes it hard to forget and gives a glimpse into the life of Sonia Gandhi.

The Red Sari is almost a biographical account of Sonia Gandhi and addresses most of the accusation filled rhetoric of the media and  politicians of different parties in India against Sonia Gandhi who they describe as "a person with power but no responsibility." Her Italian origins are mocked at and some go to the extent of claiming that she is a foreign spy. This book answers their accusations.

The style is crisp. It lifts the curtain behind the mystery that is Sonia Gandhi and introduces the reader to her family, her love story, the story of Indira, Sanjay and Rajiv ever since she became the elder daughter-in-law, her children and grandchildren, the 1971 war, the emergency, Operation Blue Star, the Bofors scandal, the security scares and the reason she agreed to become Congress President finally even though she was offered it on a platter again and again since Rajiv's murder. It is like reading the history of India from 1968 with all its triumphs and tragedies and the challenges faced by the leaders.

This is a must read for all Indians born after 1960 and for those interested in Indian politics. Amazing this book has been ignored by the media.

You can buy the book here  or here in India

The Karachi Deception – an intelligent thriller

The Karachi Deception

By Shatrujeet Nath

Genre: Spy Thriller

Available in different formats

Irshad Dilawar is an underworld don wanted in several countries including the country that protects him, Pakistan. Multiple operations are mounted to kill him in the city of Karachi simultaneously. Who will succeed in getting him or will the ISI manage to protect him or does he get away on his own? What exactly is the role of the ex-Intelligence officials of various countries in the war on terror? Shatrujeet Nath asks and answers this in his wonderful book, The Karachi Deception.

It has been a long time since I read a good spy thriller and that too based in the Indian subcontinent without involving US, Europe or Israeli players. The first 50 pages are what you would expect from most spy thrillers but after that, Nath is in a league of his own.

From a parking lot in Mali to an apartment in Amsterdam, from homes in India to safe houses in Pakistan, Nath spins a tale of double intrigue and triple betrayal.  I think this is probably the only spy thriller I have read that doesn’t have the main antagonist make an appearance except for two lines in the entire book but nevertheless doesn’t fail to thrill. It is a rare feat to pull off in fiction and especially in this genre and that too for a debut novel. The ending made me chuckle though Americans would be angered, especially the Democrats supporting Hillary.

The style of the author is crisp, engaging and easy to read as the reader is able to identify with this book on some personal level. To use a cliché, this book is a page turner.

It is a pity the author lives in India or this would have made the New York Best Seller list. To read it was like eating your favourite meal with all your favourite people in the world joining you.

Buy the book here and judge for yourself.

 

The Karachi Deception – an intelligent thriller

The Karachi Deception

By Shatrujeet Nath

Genre: Spy Thriller

Available in different formats

Irshad Dilawar is an underworld don wanted in several countries including the country that protects him, Pakistan. Multiple operations are mounted to kill him in the city of Karachi simultaneously. Who will succeed in getting him or will the ISI manage to protect him or does he get away on his own? What exactly is the role of the ex-Intelligence officials of various countries in the war on terror? Shatrujeet Nath asks and answers this in his wonderful book, The Karachi Deception.

It has been a long time since I read a good spy thriller and that too based in the Indian subcontinent without involving US, Europe or Israeli players. The first 50 pages are what you would expect from most spy thrillers but after that, Nath is in a league of his own.

From a parking lot in Mali to an apartment in Amsterdam, from homes in India to safe houses in Pakistan, Nath spins a tale of double intrigue and triple betrayal.  I think this is probably the only spy thriller I have read that doesn’t have the main antagonist make an appearance except for two lines in the entire book but nevertheless doesn’t fail to thrill. It is a rare feat to pull off in fiction and especially in this genre and that too for a debut novel. The ending made me chuckle though Americans would be angered, especially the Democrats supporting Hillary.

The style of the author is crisp, engaging and easy to read as the reader is able to identify with this book on some personal level. To use a cliché, this book is a page turner.

It is a pity the author lives in India or this would have made the New York Best Seller list. To read it was like eating your favourite meal with all your favourite people in the world joining you.

Buy the book here and judge for yourself.