Constructing a Nervous System
Author: Margo Jefferson
Publisher: Granta Books
This eloquently written book by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Margo Jefferson is both a critique and self-examination. Selecting the jazz and blues icons whom the author idolised as a child in the 1950s, Margo talks about the ideas and notions of what the female body could be. Citing examples of Black iconic artists such as jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, Ike Turner, and Nat King Cole among others, Margo writes how they shaped her and had a deep impact on herself and society as a whole. Bing Crosby and Ike Turner are among the author’s alter egos. Jefferson deftly manages to touch upon the stars, athletes, jazz luminaries, and her own family members who have been part of the thrill and shrill moments in her life. The celebrated writer brings these characters to life and makes them perform through her power of words in her stunningly original book which will leave a lasting impression on your Nervous System as well!
West Asia At War: Repression, Resistance and Great Power Games
Author: Talmiz Ahmad
Publisher: HarperCollins
This book is extremely relevant in the turbulent times that we all are living in. Constant sectarian violence, wars, faith-based divisions, regional conflicts, and volatile political and economic situations in West Asia have made it the cynosure of all eyes. Ahmad’s book explains how a new world order is asserting its claims across Eurasia and the Indian Ocean. West Asia is witnessing new diplomatic changes which will reshape regional alignments and new alliances. Ahmad, a veteran diplomat combines his knowledge and deep understanding of the diverse forces that are shaping the politics and economics of this region. We all know that West Asia is a destination for millions of pilgrims of the three Abrahamic faiths – Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It is also at the heart of global energy, trade, and financial dynamics one-upmanship. In this book, the writer paints a portrait that is at once grim, painful, colourful, and exciting.
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You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Author: Akwaeke Emezi
Publisher: Atria Books
This fresh and seductive novel talks about love, loss, and the struggles of falling in love again with the perfect person. Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again. It’s been five years since the fatal mishap that killed the love of her life.
From steamy rooftop encounters to a luxury trip to a tropical island, from dining in glamorous celebrity homes to locking eyes with the person who makes Feyi go weak in her knees, this novel is a summer whirlwind. The characters literally jump out of the book with their witty lines and confused state of mind. Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of love, loss, possibilities, and healing. And the constant courage of choosing love against all odds.
The Tiger of Drass: Capt. Anuj Nayyar, 23, Kargil Hero
Author: Meena Nayyar and Himmat Singh Shekhawat
Publisher: HarperCollins
This book is a true story of a young martyr. In May 1999, the Kargil insurgency was being viewed as a routine affair. No one quite understood how the infiltrators had captured high-altitude posts vacated by Indian soldiers during the winter months. For the next month or so, Capt. Anuj Nayyar (23) and the men of 17 Jat went on missions in the boulder-strewn Drass sector where enemy troops had set up base. They fought a gruesome battle for two nights in July, before securing the peak that was critical to the success of Operation Vijay and India's victory in Kargil. During the attack on the fourth bunker, Capt. Nayyar was hit by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade. He died instantly but saved the lives of 15 men. An extraordinary action of valor. Capt. Anuj Nayyar was awarded India's second-highest gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra, in 2000. The book is an honest saga narrated by a mother. A fitting tribute to a braveheart. This is his story.
Vladimir: A Novel
Author: Julia May Jonas
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
This sexually charged riveting novel opens with an unconscious Vladimir shackled to a chair. It is the story of a married professor who is smitten and obsessed with a young writer. A beloved English professor is facing a slew of accusations against her charismatic professor husband by former students.
Some of the scenes are a bit stretched and the characters complex but it is a terrific read. Things become steamy and spiral out of control when the professor’s wife develops an obsession of her own... The adulterous couple has a mutual understanding between them when it comes to extra-marital affairs and one-night stands, these new allegations turn their comfortable lives upside down.
And when the narrator gets infatuated with Vladimir, a celebrated, married young novelist, their tinder box world is on the verge of explosion. Vladimir cleverly taps on the personal and political minefield of our current times.
