Books to Get You Thinking

As the year 2011 slowly recedes into the past, we remember the special moments and events that made the year memorable - the Uprising in the Middle East, the Economic Crisis of Europe, the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear disaster in Japan.  Throughout these tumultuous times, several books emerged as timely reflections on both current events and topics of historical importance. This month’s picks for our readers feature notable books that have received recognition by the editorial boards of top publications across the world. They range from reflections on current events to in-depth exploration of significant moments in our history, as well as some more personal reflections of individuals who have faced extraordinary challenges.

New York Times
A Boy in the Moon: A Father’s Journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son by Ian Brown
A truly poignant and  hauntingly beautiful book, where the author offers readers a  glimpse into his life as he and his wife care for, and bring up Walker, their child born with a rare genetic disorder called cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFC). Walker unable to speak or eat or develop normally needed constant care and attention. The Browns progress from desperately trying to find a cure or medical treatment that might help improve Walker’s condition but ultimately learn to accept his condition and love him for the unique individual who he was. Through the struggle to take care of and understand his son, the author tries to find an answer to the eternal question of what a human life is worth and what contribution children like Walker can make to our lives.

A World On Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman
Using extensive research,  Amanda Foreman, author of her previous prize winning  biography, Georgiana Duchess of  Devonshire gives  an absorbing  account of the political twists and turns involved in the discussions and policy making  in both England and America in the era of the Civil War. Vivid portraits of the political leaders, soldiers and civilians engaged on either side of the Atlantic offer fresh insights into the maneuvers and dynamics of the Civil War. The Civil War not just divided America into two opposing factions, but this division was closely mirrored in England as well, with support for the Union on the one hand, and tacit support for the Confederacy on the other stemming from the economic dependency on cotton imports from the South.


Financial Times
Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Dufflo
Winner of the 2011 Financial Times and the Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, this book provides an innovative approach to analyzing the problem of poverty that entrenches millions all around the world despite the best efforts of governments, non profits and global aid.  Based on fifteen years of randomized trials as well as a large body of well researched evidence from dozens of countries,  two Professors from MIT focus on the rationale behind the decisions that the poor make as a key component of any successful solutions or policies aimed at alleviating poverty. By factoring in the complexities and contradictions that frequently prevail in decision making by the poor, solutions can be found that specifically target and help break the vicious cycle of poverty through strategic intervention.

That Used to be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World it Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas L Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
This well researched book will be of immense interest to all readers concerned about  the present condition and the future prospects for  America. The authors give a compelling and rigorous analysis of the economic challenges facing America today and identify different critical areas where the nation needs to focus. Investment in education, research, infrastructure, and energy efficient policies, as well as a reinforcement of the  intrinsic values of hard work, and pursuit of excellence   is deemed critically important to break out of the cycle of slow decline that is gripping the American economy today.  An interesting component of the book are the many profiles of people from diverse areas – CEOs, school administrators, and politicians  who have set an example of success in meeting challenges  that can be emulated at the national level and that provides hope for a better tomorrow.

Washington Post 
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra F. Vogel
The emergence of China as a global power, and  its recent role in the recovery of the European economy brings to the fore the question of how a nation radically transformed itself and what ideas and personal initiatives have shaped and defined the emergence of a new superpower. This book will give readers the personal side of China’s triumph, and how the individual creativity of Deng Xiaoping helped negotiate the tough strategies and choices made over the years  to promote economic growth. The author presents a compelling picture of the many contradictions that embodied Deng Xiaoping, a bold strategist who recognized the role of science and modern technology in transforming the economy and who reversed the closed door policies of his predecessors but yet remained grounded in his authoritarian roots that led to the Tiananmen Square killings in 1989.

The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War  by Peter Englund
The pain and suffering of war is an eternal theme that has been the subject of many writings. In this remarkable book, Peter Englund, a Swedish historian, author and permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy  provides a unique insight into the real  experiences of twenty men and women whose lives were touched in different ways by the ravages of the First World War. They come from diverse backgrounds - a German schoolgirl, an English nurse in the Russian Army, an American ambulance driver and a French civil servant. The book also spans the war raging in different parts of the world - not just the Western Front but also the Alps, Mesopotamia, East Africa, the Balkans and the Eastern Front.   The book is not so much about the events that shaped the War but reverberates, in the words of the author, with “feelings, impressions, experiences and moods” of the many people intrinsically affected by the agonies and tribulations of the War.                                                                                                                      

-Nita Mathur