Book Review: Your Seat Cushion is a Floatation Device

“I’d like to inspire people to realize they are enough”

Dushka Zapata presents her stories succinctly and honestly in her fourth book, Your Seat Cushion is a Floatation Device. The book is filled with anecdotes and nuggets of wisdom. Yet, it does not feel overwhelming, therein lies the charm of the book - it’s simplicity.

Zapata’s stories are often centered around the day-to-day experience of human existence - dinner, heartbreaks, dates, friendships and much more. However, quite often her perspective of it is not as commonplace. It is more eloquent and often deeper. It makes the reader ponder and become more aware of the texture of their life, making the reading experience seem cathartic at some points.

Overall the book is a friendly roadmap for the curious. It provides a window into the valleys and peaks of life, as experienced by the author. Thereby encouraging the reader to take a leaf from her book, breathe deeply and experience life affectionately and skillfully.

Book Review: We Have no Idea - A guide to the unknown universe

“That’s right, we are being bombarded by millions of extremely high-energy particles on a daily basis, and we have no idea what could be creating them”

Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson provide an entertaining narrative about the Universe in We have No Idea. As physicists Cham and Whiteson, provide an informed look into what we know about the universe and in the process provide a window into everything that we don’t know. The book uses humor, illustrations and clear explanations to whet our appetite for future research.

Cham and Whiteson begin by highlighting that we have some understanding of about 5% of the universe. The remaining unknown can potentially be explained as dark matter and dark energy. In the proceeding text, Cham and Whiteson execute the challenging task of providing simple, yet profound explanations for each of these topics armed with illustrations. Not only do they rise to the challenge, they do so with humor, puns and aplomb. They highlight how science and art are fused together, both literally and figuratively. Along the way, Cham and Whiteson invite the reader ask the creative and wild questions in a quest to understand our mysterious universe.

The book offers a rare balance of rationale, beauty and humor. Cham and Whiteson highlight how the philosophical questions of today have the potential of becoming the scientific experiments of tomorrow. As a citizen of the Information Age, reading this book and realizing the extent and numerosity of unknowns is humbling and exciting. Reading this book can provide the inspiration to believe in reincarnation and ghosts, if only to witness some of these mysteries unfold.

Book Review: Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

“The word introvert is not a synonym for hermit or misanthrope”

Susan Cain’s Quiet compassionately explains introverts through a combination of science and case studies. It is the author’s compassion which makes the book standout. In the beginning, Cain hits a chord with the reader by describing how the culture of personality engulfed America in the 1900s and placed extrovert characteristics on a pedestal. By extension, this meant that introvert characteristics were devalued. In the remainder of her book Cain presents the case for introverts, doing what introverts tend to avoid, bringing them in the limelight.

She leverages neuroscience to explain why introverts tend to get overstimulated easily and how this avoidance of seeking more noise helps introverts focus more. Cain builds on this to demonstrate and explain the positive side of being less loquacious. She cites examples of successful leaders, hedge fund managers and professors to affirm the fact that being an introvert can actually be an advantage. The book explores being an introvert across many settings - academic, professional, social, family and romantic, to discuss the introvert-specific challenges and suggests ways to overcome them. Along the way, Cain also emphasizes on how being an introvert is not the same as being shy or sensitive. This is a particularly useful insight since it makes room for shy and/or sensitive extroverts.

Overall, Cain uses a combination of scientific studies and interviews to drive home the idea that being true to yourself should not be at odds with being successful in today’s world, even for introverts. As an introvert, I found the book to be uplifting. It encouraged me to understand and leverage my introverted behavior instead of hiding it and making excuses for it. Cain’s writing style balances reason and emotion well, providing an entertaining education of introverted behavior.

Book Review: The Nordic Theory of Everything - In Search of a Better Life

“Finland’s experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition but on cooperation, and not on choice but on equity”

Anu Partanen, makes a compelling case for the Nordic theory of Love, a theory which focuses on providing equal opportunity to all, above all else. She explains how this idea has led to the popular Nordic policies of free healthcare, free education, a higher (but reasonable, she argues) tax rate and corporate innovation. Been born and brought up in Finland, Partanen moved to USA in 2008. She channels the duality of her experiences in Finland and America to dispel popular American misconceptions about the Nordic nations. In the process, Partanen exposes the current rift between American ideals and American reality.

Through the varying issues, Partanen maintains that the Nordic social contract is designed to promote individual expression. This is possible only when one’s social responsibilities, such as infant care, health care and work pressures, do not threaten to consume an individual. It requires for the Nordic governments to step-in to ensure that these social responsibilities are reasonably distributed between the government and the individual. It also requires the Nordic citizens to pool their resources in terms of trust and taxes for use by everyone. Partanen explains, carefully and compellingly, that this is a deliberate exercise in preserving and promoting the happiness of an individual. Many happy individuals together form a happy nation. This is the opposite of the concepts of socialism and the welfare state.

As a reader, the highlight of Partanen’s book was its flow. The arguments were well-structured. In addition, the balance between the emotional and the rational appeal meant that the book always had my complete attention. Even though the book highlights the positives of the Nordic life, it does not viciously attack the American life. Partanen, does not impose, but proposes that borrowing a trick or two from the Nordic books might help American reality come much closer to the highly regarded American ideal of individual sovereignty.

Book Review: The Old Man and The Sea

"I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends"

Ernest Hemingway presents an intriguing tale of a determined and aged fisherman in his classic The Old Man and The Sea. Hemingway builds a narrative which uses a few words to express many themes, running from the beauty of the sea to the doings of the human Ego. Therein lies the hook of The Old Man and The Sea, it engages your mind long after you have completed reading it.

Hemingway explores the musings of the human mind through Santiago, the aged fisherman who is determined to catch a large fish even if he has to stay at sea for days, and sacrifice other, if smaller fish. His thoughts during the hunt explore the determinedness and the foolishness of men. He overcomes his fears and physical pain through thorough thought and ingenuity. Even in the midst of all this, he mulls the morality of going after such a big fish. Hemingway subtly engages the reader in the battle of practicality and morality, almost to remind us that for all of our nobility we are composed of some savagery as well.

In another masterful use of opposites, Hemingway sets the tussle between Man and Beast against the backdrop of the beautiful and mostly serene sea. The imagery of playful porpoises, phosphorescence, golden dolphins and the Marlin who stayed with its companion until the end, almost makes the reader forget that this is also the setting of a hunt. Even in the midst of this brutality the sea continues to calm the reader, by holding both, suffering and joy at the same time.

The Old Man and The Sea, is a poignant tale that uniquely captures the human state in the midst of nature. It is a book that will leave you with an appreciation of nature, an admiration for the human spirit and a thought or two about the co-existence of opposites.

Book Review: Galápagos

Kurt Vonnegut’s post apocalyptic novel Galápagos provides a sombre commentary on the human state under the guise of dry-wit. Vonnegut, narrating the story as a ghost who died during the construction of the ship claims that our big brains led to the fall of humankind as we know it. The only survivors were a motley bunch which landed on the Galapagos islands in the aforementioned. Correcting its erroneous ways, natural selection dictated that the survival of the human race was best continued with smaller, less problematic brains.

From a literary standpoint, the book exhibits Vonnegut’s excellence and confidence. His narrative threads between the future (which is a million years hence) and the present-day. Curiously, Vonnegut does not feel the need to keep the reader in suspense. He is forthright about the imminent deaths of various characters, to the point of being nonchalant. The subtle commentary about the interconnected ness of human society, the futility of war and the dangers of a mind left unchallenged is more effective than unexpected plot twists at keeping the reader hooked.

Galápagos is one of those books which can be read again and again. Each time being a different experience depending on what the reader chooses to focus on - the dry wit, the price that humans pay for their big brains or the possibility of evolution replacing our arms with flippers. The books promises a worthwhile and different story for every time that it is read. Therein lies its greatest strength.

Book Review: An Anthropologist on Mars

Oliver Sacks documents seven interesting cases that he came across during his career as a neurologist in An Anthropologist on Mars. The book provides an insight into the workings of the human mind. For someone without a degree in the medical field, the book proves to be an engaging introduction into the workings of the human mind. Sacks’ writing does not stop there though, he delves deeper into the perceptions and perspectives of the mind.

As he chronicles the lives of a savant, a surgeon with Tourettes syndrome and a blind painter (among others), he highlights the productive side of the brain impairment story. His accounts show how the human brain adapts in situations where there is a deviation from the norm, much like nature. How lacking in one, the brain can become very enriched in another aspect.

His detailed recollections serve to soften the narrative of a mind which is not perceived as normal. Reading through the book evokes feelings of compassion, understanding and belonging. It highlights how complex our brains can be and how much more can be learnt about it. As a sum, reading the book makes one aware of the subjectivity of normalcy, as the human brain dictates it.

Glimmer

Breathe in, Breathe out,

The clock keeps ticking on

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Drown out the words in the background

Breathe in, Breathe out,

There is a glimmer hiding in the shadows,

What is real and what is not?

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Synchronize with the beat of the heart

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Push down the urge to collapse

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Await the glimmer in the shadows,

Is it real or Is it not?

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Fight the urge to renounce the heart

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Await the embrace to heal the hurt

Breathe in, Breathe out,

In the battles of the world, pick the battles for the self

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Seek out the glimmer in the shadows,

Is it real or is it not?

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Book Review: Proust was a Neuroscientist

Proust was a Neuroscientist, by Jonah Lehrer is an insightful read for both, the left and the right brain. The book commemorates famous artists such as Virginia Woolf, Paul Ceźanne and Auguste Escoffier by highlighting how their work exposed a unique underlying brain mechanism. Lehrer narrative romanticizes the brain through art.

Among other things, Lehrer highlights how the brain processes sights, sounds and memories differently than we perceive them. He explains through science and depicts through art how a recollection is not the same as the event being recollected; how the verve of a scene is likely borrowed from our past instead of the sight itself; how any sound which teases us with the promise of pattern becomes melodious to us. In essence, Lehrer reminds us that our mind reflects us in the experiences around us. Every mind has its own reality.

Another common thread running through the book is plasticity. The idea that we are constantly changing and adapting to different situations. The you now is different than the you yesterday. The fact that change is so deeply coded into our being, is reassuring in a constantly changing world.

The book builds on itself. In that the more I read, the more I understood the theme of the book, the more I was hooked. This also meant that the beginning of the book was a bit slow even though my interest level picked up speed soon enough.

Overall, Lehrer has created an eye-opening and thought-provoking piece of work. One which leaves the reader with a sense of wonder and awe at the unlikely amalgamation of science and art both, within the reader's mind and reflected in the world around.

Book Review: How to be ferociously happy and other essays

Dushka Zapata wraps her life experiences in a steadfast manner in her first book, How to be ferociously happy and other essays. Through her stories, Zapata simultaneously cocoons the reader in the warmth of her words and prods them to ponder about their life.

Zapata’s writing is calming. Her sentences are concise and her stories rarely meander away from their core. Each essay leaves room for the reader to breathe, to digest and to contemplate. As a bibliophile, I also appreciate the generous references that she makes to books that have influenced her. It provides room to grow beyond the bounds of her words.

I read this book within a day. Sometimes, I was unable to give myself enough time to fully absorb an essay before moving to the next one. As a result, the reading experience was at times choppy. I wasn’t done contemplating about the previous essay and I was already trying to absorb the next. When I re-read this book, I will read one essay a day. Experience it completely, before consuming the next.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

The Present

Hindsight is the Past’s companion,

and the Present’s relentless stalker.

For it eschews the uninhibited for the embellished.

Chipping away at the Present,

Bit by Bit,

Until the sculptured and polished Past remains.

Strive to be audacious and embrace every bit of the Present;

For fond remembrance is the duty of the Past,

but being honest to every unfettered moment,

to build a life worthy of remembrance is the duty of the Present.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Book Review: Mother Night

Kurt Vonnegut presents an intriguing tale of Howard W. Campbell Jr. (fictional), a WWII American spy, imprisoned in Israel for being a propagandist for the Nazis in Mother Night. Mr. Campbell narrates his life as a memoir that he is writing while in prison. In the process he challenges the reader to consider some of the ethically gray areas of life.

Mr. Campbell’s story blends the heroism of a spy with the cunning of being a Nazi, the warmth of friendship with the betrayal of trust to present a messy but accurate moral state of the world. Vonnegut narrates how men who are extremist in thought consider circumstances to have only one dimension. He contrasts such characters with those who are moderate in thought and therefore, almost nonchalant towards extremism. Finally, Vonnegut displays how in the interaction of these two kinds of characters, it might look like the former kind seem to have an upper hand. Whether that is really the case, is left to the discretion of the reader. On the optimistic side, Vonnegut demonstrates how intrinsic values such as friendship, loyalty and love survive narrow mindedness and extremism.

Overall, the use of black comedy provides some light moments to the readers as they consider the heavy topics of loneliness, hatred and WWII. Anyone looking for a compelling story which presents the multi-faceted and long-lasting effect of war on humanity will not be disappointed by this book.

Isn't it strange?

Isn’t it strange, that the wandering man who embraces change,

Is the one that finds the fidelity to stay constant to his ultimate self?

Isn’t it strange, that the quiet soul which lives through ennui,

Is the one that finds the dexterity to weave tales out of thin air?

Isn’t it strange, that the strong feet which leave the hearth to explore new grounds,

Are the ones that find the tenderness to build a warm Home?

Isn’t it strange, that the ambitious mind which relentlessly pursues knowledge,

Is the one that finds the humility to accept its smallness?

Isn’t it strange, that the fragile heart which lives through strife and despair,

Is the one that finds the strength to support relentless faith?

Isn’t it strange, that the naive man who faces the threat of indifference,

Is the one that finds the elusive wisdom of unconditional Love?

Isn’t it strange, that the fearful soul which surrenders to the experiences of living,

Is the one that finds the fearlessness to face the shortening of life?

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Yet

And yet, they keep on walking, maybe slowly, sometimes draggingly

And yet, they keep on walking, in the direction in which the heart points, however convoluted

And yet, they keep on walking, and trust that the sane head will protect them from the thorns and the storms

And yet, they keep on walking, even as they climb the same snow-capped treacherous mountain, thrice

And yet, they keep on walking, believing only in the map imprinted by their determined hearts

And yet, they keep on walking, only knowing the direction and not the physical destination,

maybe slowly,

sometimes draggingly,

and yet, they keep on walking

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody