dyogesh

• Rated 3 stars

“I read half the book before loosing it. But I guess that is good enough to have some opinion on it. The cons overweigh the pros easily. For a historical book, there is over-dramatization of events. And what put me off was the authors clear bias towards British and subtle mockery of Indian traditions and culture. Also the words on Maharajahs are clearly tinged with sarcasm. We all know that the Maharajah's did have their peculiar and sometimes outrageous indulgences. But wasn't it the case everywhere in world ? The authors language somehow made me feel that except for Indian Kings , the others were noble rulers of people. I do agree that there will always be two points of view on anything related to British Rule in India. But the authors of a Historical book need to be careful of threading the neutral path. The inadequacies in researching show themselves up as one progresses through the book. There seems to be fair amount of guesswork. Passages explaining the working of Gandhi's mind in minute detail suit fiction more than History. What really went through his mind is anybody's guess.

The authors seem to be in awe of Mountbatten. He is portrayed as a man with midas touch. It looks like he never put a foot wrong. I have not even seen modern day bloated biographies of sportsman being so profuse in their praise of their heroes. And this hardly suits a history book.
It was later when I came to know that the author's next book was Mountbatten's biography that I figured out the reason for their admiration of everything about Mountbatten. The author's focus rests lot on Mountbatten and Gandhi. Hence the title is slightly misleading. Yes, they do talk of the rest a lot but they all seem like supporting characters.

The book does contain some interesting historical facts that one might have not known from school history books. The book is generously littered with such facts. Thats probably the best thing about the book. Some anecdotes and British quotes are also worth reading.

All said and done, a historical book cannot blind the reader of a second perspective on the events. For the authors to win the confidence of the readers, it is essential that they thoroughly read contrasting takes on history. This is required more so in respect to British rule in India. That seems to be one of the singular failures in this book. The language is of utmost importance in such a book. Sadly the wording is quite sarcastic at many places when it comes to Indian Culture or Kings. This is perhaps also due to their lack of understanding of Indian Culture. Well, I wonder if they did try to understand the culture and traditions of India before writing the book. No doubt, it is a hard task to understand a foreign culture. But if one is not ready for it, why bother writing a book ? Look at "Sixty Million Frenchmen can't be Wrong". It is conspicous that the authors there have really taken efforts to understand the local culture well before writing the book.

The book surely makes it more suitable for westerner's or more precisely , this is to those westerner's living in their own bubble and don't want to read of other perspectives. My final word is that it is a book i started reading with lot of interest and ended up in disappointment. ”

dyogesh wrote this review Friday, October 30 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Any decent cricket fan will know of Dickie Bird and his name shall be always associated with good umpiring. Well-respected by players, media and spectators for his umpiring and management skills and loved for his eccentricities. His autobiography is not one for controversies or mud-slinging. This is a very pleasant read compared to the great many boastful, score-settling ones that are cropping up now. The book has more authority as it is from one who has seen the game first-hand for more than 30 years. With every player having a couple of successful years at the top writing an autobiography now a days, this is a much better read.

Bird was known for his stories and humour. He doesn't disappoint the reader on both the counts. The anecdotes of his own as well as of others are one of the highlights of the book. The book testifies that not for nothing was Bird known as a 'raconteur'.

The book has good words for many and bad word for none. His love for the game is conspicous in the pages of the book. It would be better if certain passages are read by moder-day umpires struggling to come to terms with sledging and aggressive appealing in the game. The important passages are his accounts on how he stood up against intimidatory bowling and his management of the difficult characters. He is absolutely right when he says that the most important thing for umpires is to earn the respect of players. This view is even more important in light of the recent india-aus sydney test. Umpires with bloated egos need to read the book. Listening, Steve Bucknor ?

His opinions on the game are more orthodox but sensible. His criticism on modern-day training is interesting as currently there is hardly any clarity on why there are more injuries in this age than before. His opinions on ODIs will find appreciation from all true lovers of the game. Wonder, how he would react to T20. The photos and he wry-humoured comments also add to the pleasure of reading the book.

There are a few things that did not please me. His overt royalism was one. The other was yorkshire chauvinism appearing more than necessary. This was a bit reminding of glorification of Mumbai cricket in "Sunny Days". Another bad trait of older auto-biographies sticks to him also. The one of glorification of all and sundry that hs ever bowled or batted. I would expect him to name his contemporaries ahead of modern-day greats in his book. That is fair and not surprising. But his accounts of players on county circuit would make you believe that there were Michael Hussey's all over the place. There were abundant world-class english players failing to make it to the international stage as the men at the top where greater. This is what some parts of the book would like you to believe. Well, I am no Ian chappell to trash the english cricket. But still, they weren't the best team of the age or near to the top ? Atleast statistics say so. And for modern-day controversy-loving media, the lack of excerpts criticising a player or someone might be a put-off.

Apart from these glitches, the book is a very fine read. All the more readable for the author's love for the game and modesty. Go for this if you are a cricket anecdote lover and interested a bit in older days of the game. ”

dyogesh wrote this review Friday, October 30 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“One of the those rarest books that I struggle to put down. In fact, I am now reading some of it again. Mathematicians have long been painted as aloof people lost in their world and immune to their surroundings. E.T. Bell in a brilliantly written book tries to quash many such cliches about mathematicians. There are bound to be historical fallacies in such an effort. A mammoth effort in following the progress of mathematics through the milleniums. And to view the progress through the lives of mathematicians.

Some of his claims are disputable as are some stories. But I can forgive Bell for all this and more. Simply because the book in spirit is still worth many a read. It is more than an unforgiving task to explain the driving principles of calculus at such an elementary level. Halmos, the great mathematician, said that "one should be able to explain his mathematics to the first man he comes across on a street". Forget a man on the street. Just try explaining some of the most fundamental principles in mathematics to the first student you come across in an high school. That is the task Bell sought to accompolish and has come out in flying colours.

There is a fair bit of subjective opinion on the mathematicians and their lives such as Descartes tutoring of the swedish princess worsening his health. Another is Pascal being a mathematician who happened to indulge in theology among other things. Even Bell's biography of Pascal indicates everything to the contrary.

But make no mistake about one fact. This is truly an inspiring piece on mathematics. No wonder that John Nash among others was inspired to be a mathematician by this masterpiece.

Another fascinating aspect of the book is the way Bell dares to proclaim his opinion on mathematicians. He doesn't hesitate to give definitive opinions on mathematicians and the importance of their work. Not merely that, he proceeds to reason out his opinion well. Even some researchers in mathematics might find interesting to read that what they have been taught in 20 minutes in college took Newton 20 years. Bell correctly places strong emphasis on such achievements which due to the the effort of succeeding generations have been made accessible to even high school students and made to look as natural progression of thoughts. But such discoveries or theories or results were far from that. They were borne out of flashes of genius and deep thoughts. Many of these ideas were out of reach to even some of their brilliant contemporaries should really drive home the point.

Further Bell portrays vividly the socio-politico-economic environment in which these men lived. The religious influence and other external factors that made their job easier or difficult. He doesn't miss an oppurtunity to delve into their personal lives to make the point that many mathematicians have led interesting lives. The influence of their upringings, exhibitions of precocity at childhood and many more tales find space in this book.

If you are interested in mathematics or mathematicians (like me) and do still retain something about your high-school mathematics, pick this book straightaway.”

dyogesh wrote this review Thursday, July 31 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“If you are looking for a sometimes witty and mostly honest account, this is a very good read. As an avid cricket fan and one who was highly admiring of the ways of John Wright, i found the book interesting.

Well, with insane media coverage of cricket in india and extreme reactions, Wright's view provides an outsider's view of things. His descriptions of the hysterical welcome to the post, his shock at a very lousy first practice session , the talented team, unprofessional board & team too, craze for cricket in the country are generously sprinkled with a dose of humour. Some of the fun directed at himself too. His understanding of the politics that goes in the selections and other things in the system is well-known except that this gives a little more authenticity as it is by one who has seen it first-hand.

He doesn't take names or indulge in settling scores through the book. He does hold the players in high esteem but also points out the flaws without naming anyone in particular. This is very much expected from one who knows that such lines would invariably fill up a few columns in newspapers for weeks to come.

The book shows the love of the man for the country and the welfare of cricket. This really is the highlight of the book. He accepts that India and not Lords is the place he would want to see a cricket match. His line on the country gripping one amidst chaos and madness testifies his understanding of the country and his love for it. And Wright does rise in my esteem after a read of this book.

A book to be read for any Indian Cricket fan and for anyone wishing to know the workings of Indian Cricket. For a more detailed and better review go to

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/259690.html




”

dyogesh wrote this review Sunday, September 2 2007. ( reply | view 2 replies | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“Awe-struck by grandeur and historical richness of France and its buildings, monuments etc.? Irritated by the wide-spread anti-english sentiment prevalent in France? Confused by bureacratic and political system? Admiring their public transport and many other public services? Found 35 hr /week work-rule strange? why did France resist internet , globalization etc..? This is a good book that explains all this and more about a country in a phase of transition as they say. A country that is not entirely rid of its past and neither totally with it. If you are interested in knowing about the spirit behind many a french culture and system, the book will grip you like anything.


A very good book to read once you have experienced french oddities or "bizarre" as the french term it. But even before experiencing france, if you do know something about france , you shall appreciate the book a lot. The best part of the book is that it answers the question it asks : Why french system works the way it is? It does point out the flaws as well as the merits of the france. And the authors have to be greatly appreciated for the middle part they tread with great care. This is even more appreciable considering their american-canadian background. They profusely quote hysterical reactions on the other side of the atlantic against france to put their previously existing bias against the country in proper light. Their numerous experiences and willingness to explore shows their earnestness to learn about france and it reflects very well on the book.

The book is highly informative about the french political, bureaucratic, education system etc. And it is sprinkled with enough facts of french history unknown to foreigners.

The only downside to the book is that it is more written for american audience and at some places could have provided little bit better explanations for non-americans. For example, the statistics quoted are restricted mainly to US, UK , Canada and Germany. Say a few more countries here & there could have helped other people to understand it better. Some of its political discussions are not for people with naive understanding of politics like me. ”

dyogesh wrote this review Saturday, September 1 2007. ( reply | permalink )