When Fiction list is ready, can Non-Fiction be far behind….
Last week, I put my favorite fiction novels of 2023 into a listicle for you to explore and just like fiction is the place where you take your imagination out on a date, non-fiction is the friend you need to explore a better life, understand an important historical event, gain a better perspective on an issue, or sometimes just need an outward gaze to understand something deeper in you.
The first two in the list are having to do with the eternal question in the development sector: Does charity work?
In the words of a famous Assistant to Regional Manager:
But Dwight was also known to fall prey to Jim’s silliest of pranks, so let’s read on….
Poor Economics: What can you expect from a Booker prize winning duo? A highly readable and referenceable take on whether foreign aids help or just unhelpfully hover. This book developed my interest in Public Policy and Developmental Economics, helped me find answers to my career in development sector. Is aid a solution, or a problem? It is written in lay person’s language, has contemporary examples and findings from random controlled trials and meta studies that indicate the success of aid when it’s localized and engaging. The book is is so well written that it should be taught in classrooms across the globe.
Dead Aid: I strongly recommend reading it before reading Poor Economics and then forming your own judgement, I have listed it lower because I read it after Poor Economics, a rookie mistake. and I like to prefer the arguments in Poor Economics a tad bit over the latter. I may well be biased after having spent a decade in the development sector, and having first hand experience and exposure the world of good charity does in fields like education, life skills and maternal and child health, Having said that, what Dambisa argues against is countries giving aid to what they consider developing countries, mostly those in Africa and Asia. Taking from her own work, she argues that official aid is easy money that aids
corruption and distorts economies, creating a culture of dependency and economic laziness. She is building her case against systematic cash transfers to governments, via grants or concessional loans—omitting humanitarian, emergency, and charity-based assistance directly to the needy.
The Meadow: Again an author duo- Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott Clark, both seasoned investigative journalists. The Meadow is a heart-wrenching and adrenaline pumping tale of state espionage and terrorism during the bloodied 90s Kashmir. It follows the kidnapping of five international tourists visiting a remote spot in the heart of the insurgency in Indian Kashmir. The book dives into the lives of the kidnapped tourists through their diaries, in depth interviews with the loved ones, classified police reports, government negotiations and interviews with the insurgents, Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark’s leave no stone unturned. This one will keep you awake for days. I was extremely saddened by what happened to Hans Christian Otto.
The Discovery of India: This had to be on the list. My father ( even though not a Nehruvian) had gifted the book to me when I was in school and I didn’t immediately take to it. I was more into romance fiction back then ( no surprises there); the book stayed behind at my parents and it wasn’t only recently that I rediscovered it on Kindle. In the simplest terms, it captures India’s story from the ancient to the modern( post independence). Pt. Nehru was ( and remains) a celebrated scholar with extensive knowledge across theology, history and science. He leans on his strengths to paint an accurate picture of India, its essence, read it to understand how India, despite numerous invasions, remains a pluralistic and functioning democracy. Many ( including me ) would argue that we are increasingly letting go of our inclusive values and following the bigoted footsteps of some of our neighbors, but I read this book to find hope in the idea of India.
So, that’s a wrap up on the 2023 Book trail, but given how big of a book reader I am, I have decided to devote a section on my blog to all the books that you could read and the next up on the list is my favorite Historical fiction ( it won’t just be Wuthering Heights and Gone with the wind folks, cos there is a widely explored romance fiction world created by Indian authors). It would be weekly posts at first and I sincerely hope to make it a Book lover’s paradise.
Happy Reading!!!
Fingers in symphony 