It's Only Words.....

"A Man is known by the books he reads" Ralph Waldo Emerson

While the world is still recovering and we often get embroiled in discussion how to maintain sanity amidst the current turmoil. Most of our office spaces have been shut and remote working is the order of the day, and with screen time soaring new heights reading books can be therapeutic in a non disruptive way. All you need is a good book, a chair and a bit of coffee/tea and Viola!! World is all yours. Out of all the book read over a period of time, there are always few which are always special. It may be due to the subject, or writing style or there is a compelling storytelling done by the author. Few of them which became part of me are....

Animal Farm - George Orwell (1945)

Its hard to believe that Orwell wrote this allegorical masterpiece in the backdrop of WWII and yet his writing sounds so contemporary. Narration by George builds up a satirical fairy tale that records the inception of revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their irresponsible human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy in an ideal world with Seven commandments. As the rebellion takes shape and takes role & responsibilities, the illusion breaks and belief crumbles. Although, a short fable and a light read, this book is full of symbolism and one of the best political satire ever written. Readers are in for a hilarious ride all along. Pun intended!

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse (1922)

Recommended by Dr. Vishal Sikka in his blog while he was leaving SAP, I read it thereafter and have been in awe ever since. Siddhartha, originally written in German, deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha. Although one may find similarity, due to the names being used, with Gautam Buddha but the central idea is way beyond. All learning and wisdom comes from self-realization and from the River.

"Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it."

Teaching and formal way of learning is all superficial in terms of self-realization, “Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?" That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future". Just like river, this book comes with gushes of freshness.

Alexander - Valerio Massimo Manfredi (1998)

Valerio Massimo Manfredi's historical fiction comes in three volumes namely Child of a Dream, Sands of Ammon & The Ends of the Earth encompassing an epic story of Alexander the Great.

Story of Alexander has been told many a times in the past but the way Manfredi has narrated the story is compelling. The imagery woven with pristine historic details, usage of metaphors and similes seems intricate and yet delightful. Reader transcend back to the times of Macedonia and gets a flavor of socio economic policies of King Philip. Rest of the journey is with Alexander as he marches on with his majestic force and the magic of Manfredi's storytelling does the rest. The life & journey of legendary Alexander is spent between the two compelling quotes.

"And you, Alexander, sleepless in the dead of night Where do your eyes roam? Where does your heart wander? Yours is a quest for far off lands Where the constellations set. Where the last waves of the ocean die" Child of a Dream

“There is no conquest that has any meaning, there is no war worth fighting. In the end, the only earth left to us is the earth in which we are buried. " The Ends of the Earth

PS: Alexander trilogy is unputdownable. Plan your work accordingly.

Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl (1945)

During the second world war, Viktor Frankl was in confinement across four different concentration camps and this book chronicles his personal experiences. Many people are attracted to this book because of his compelling story of triumph over adversity.

Strong sense of purpose can make humans more resilient and be able to overcome adversity. Tough times do call for tough measures. In the turbulent times that we are going through, one must have the conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. Logotherapy was developed by the author during his lifetime as a school of psychotherapy based on the premise that the primary motivational force of an individual is to find a meaning/purpose in life.

“So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!”

No Ass hole rule - Bob Sutton (2007)

Although written from a workplace angle, one can extrapolate the framework to personal & social circle as well since the chances of finding a "mean-spirited" person is everywhere. I stumbled upon this book as a recommendation by my ex-colleague while I was going through bumpy ride.

Written with lot of wit and humor, one can easily relate to the world of "Dilbert" by Scott Adams and just like him, Bob is addressing a real world concern in his much researched essay turned into a book.

While the book will help navigate mean-spirited person but also make the reader understand not to become one, which according to me is a larger take of this book.

“Hatfield and her colleagues sum up emotional contagion research with an Arabic proverb: “A wise man associating with the vicious becomes an idiot.”

Many world leaders are into book reading and encourage us to read from time to time. In case you are looking for recommendations do follow Gates Note or Barack Obama's recommendation.

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book" Groucho Marx