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Showing posts with label debut author. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debut author. Show all posts

Saturday 1 October 2016

Book Review: She Walks, She Leads by Gunjan Jain


About the Book : “She Walks, She Leads”

The book is an authorized anthology of India’s most dynamic women leaders, it profiles life stories of 24 prolific women at the acme of their careers. The book features Nita Ambani, Indra Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Mira Nair, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Rajshree Birla, Shobhana Bhartiya, Chanda Kochhar, Anamika Khanna amongst others.
She Walks, She Leads has received an overwhelming response from some of the tallest names in the country.
Mr. Shahrukh Khan , Mrs. Nita Ambani, Mr. Deepak Parekh released the  book on 21st July 2016 at a gathering in Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai and in attendance were who’s who of India Inc.
From industry giants to social leaders, the most respected voices in India have given the book their note of confidence and trust and you can see these endorsements on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GunjanJainOfficial  and endorsement section of the website www.gunjanjain.com
More than 130 leading personalities of India from a wide-range of professions have lent their voices on the 24 women featured in She Walks, She Leads that provide rare insights into the life of the protagonists and considerably enrich their stories.

About the author

With an academic record spread across five countries and three continents, Gunjan has been privileged to have had several worlds open up before her fairly early. She is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Economics and Finance, U.S.A. and has earned her Masters in Wealth Management from Cass Business School, City University, U.K. Gunjan is currently enrolled in a General Management programme from Harvard Business School, Harvard University, U.S.A .Gunjan holds a diploma in Image Management from the London Image Institute as well as the Academy of Image Mastery in Singapore. She has received a diploma on International Etiquette and Protocol from the Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland, and a Masters Practitioners degree in Neuro-linguistic Programming from the Society of NLP in USA – making her one among very few Indians to receive such accreditation. More about Gunjan’s bio is available  here https://www.gunjanjain.com/about

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My Review:

Holding the huge book in one's hand, one can easily imagine why the book is amassing the praise that it is. Chronicling and bringing together stories of 24 influential and inspirational women personalities from different walk of life, the effort that has gone in the book is fairly evident.
It has been a very well-thought, well-put and well-executed assignment of a book, which is admirable because such a fine work from beginning till the end is so rare. The format basically goes like this: the writer's account of her meeting with them, putting together the work they did and the struggles, followed by an interview of someone close to her. In this context, Gunjan Jain has coupled up as a biographer and as an interviewer, and that brings two different dimensions to what we read. And who doesn't like learning about the multiple layers that characterise every person?

And then, there are the unassuming lessons hidden within the stories, which as an ingredient, single-handedly add to the charm of reading the book. "Never start anything with diffidence, always start with confidence. And when you are successful you must give back to society"
The biographies are varied, in that different people belong to different generations and hence have had distinct struggles, which means as a reader, one finds a part more relatable than the others, but it works fine as long as there are takeaways like these lessons.

The best part about the book however, is this: it is a warm reminder for us to see beyond the glitter and attraction of success. It forces one to think about the journey behind the achievements.
Successful women from different walks of life have shared their stories, up-close and personal.
I especially liked reading the sketches which emanated a personal touch, like Shabana Azmi's. The family/friend/confidante of the women telling more about them is also heart-warming at times, despite being too repeatedly positive.

The catch here is that it is written in a journalistic tone, sort of like the cover story of a feature magazine, and considering there are 24 such accounts, it is tricky to read in one go. You will need to make an effort to read perhaps one sketch each day. But it will be worth the while because the accounts are colorful and vivid, touching carefully the fragile struggles and the eventual success.


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Source of the review copy: Book Received from the author, in exchange of an honest review




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Saturday 7 November 2015

Book Review: #IAM16ICanRape by Kirtida Gautam

About the book:

Title:  #IAm16ICanRape
Published by
Paperback, 1 edition, 593 pages
Published August 22nd 2015 by Read Out Loud Publishing LLP 
Rating:  3.5/5
Blurb:
26156207
To destroy great EVIL, GOOD has to shed tears of blood. 

Rudransh Kashyap is a self-made billionaire and man of high moral fiber. His life is shattered when he returns home one day to find that his prodigy, his 16-year-old grandson, Aarush, has been arrested and accused of a brutal gang rape. It is easy to say, “Kill the Rapist” but what if the accused is your child? 

This case takes an unprecedented turn when Aarush’s identity is made public on social media. Rudransh finds himself living a nightmare as he fights against tremendous odds to get justice for Aarush, to save him and to bring him back home… But what if the unthinkable is true? Can Rudransh save his grandson, or will he end up fighting a different battle altogether?

About the author

Kirtida GautamKirtida is a clinical psychologist turned screenplay writer who completed her education from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, India. Her passion for psychology and writing inspired her into writing psychological thrillers. While the readers are reading this introduction, the next thriller is in the making...


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My Review:

First off, one cannot just read this book and not commend the author for the stand that she has taken.
She has not just discussed and deliberated the issue on the surface, but through her carefully etched plot and characters, she has managed to bring an entire gamut of secondary and primary issues related to the crime into the big picture. I really cannot commend her enough.

It is a long book, but a simple one, and with the resonance of December 16 in its plot, it creeps the goosebumps out of you. Reading the book, you realise it is your moral responsibility to give a little more thought to all of this than you do now, to make this world a better place.
The story follows many themes and explores a lot of relationships, between a teenager and his domestic help, between him and his estranged parents, etc. And it makes you think that maybe we should care more about how dysfunctional and broken  families have larger consequences than we ever thought.
It shows that a lot of effort has gone into the alternate narration given to multiple characters. Keeping up a plot of this intensity, and twists is really an arduous task well done in this case.


And, it also emphasis a point that has me in complete agreement: that we can never fully understand a human mind, and questioning should become a habit. Individualism is the truth and we cannot really make conclusions about a family based on one person.

I do feel that the book could have benefited a lot from a little more editing that could've made it seamless and racy, but the effort that has gone into it shows.

Links to the book:





Source of the review copy: Author


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Sunday 28 June 2015

Book Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

About the book:
Title: Everything, Everything
Published by:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published on: September 1st, 2015
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Young-adult
Rating: 5/5
Book Blurb: This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster

About the author
Nicola Yoon grew up in Jamaica (the island) and Brooklyn (part of Long Island). She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.

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My Review:

Everything, Everything is the kind of young-adult book which you will hate and love in equal measures, and you certainly wouldn't be able to leave it once you start it. Touching upon themes like love, relationships (and not just romantic ones), rare disease, coping with grief, this book is certainly one of the best you'll read this year, and certainly one of the best in the genre.

It is a fictional account of Maddy who suffers from an illness called SCID, and she'll endear herself to you in practically no time.
The opening lines go like this, "I’VE READ MANY more books than you. It doesn’t matter how
many you’ve read. I’ve read more. Believe me. I’ve had the time"
These lines are like a trailer to the rest of the book. It has a warmth, an innocence, a humor, a playfulness and a certain poignant feel of tragedy, which is so unknown of books in this genre.
If I've ever read a book which encompassed so many human emotions in gloriously heart-warming paragraphs, I'd say it was in John Green's Paper Towns.

"My birthday is the one day of the year that we’re both most
acutely aware of my illness. It’s the acknowledging of the passage
of time that does it. Another whole year of being sick, no
hope for a cure on the horizon. Another year of missing all
the normal teenagery things—learner’s permit, first kiss, prom,
first heartbreak, first fender bender. Another year of my mom
doing nothing but working and taking care of me. Every other
day these omissions are easy, easier at least, to ignore.
This year is a little harder than the previous. Maybe it’s because
I’m eighteen now. Technically, I’m an adult. I should be
leaving home, going off to college. My mom should be dreading
empty-nest syndrome. But because of SCID, I’m not going
anywhere."
For many of us, this book has been resting on our to-read shelves for half as long as it took for this book to transform from a manuscript into a published masterpiece. Because, this is the kind of book that stays with you long after you've deserted it.

I use the adjective heart-warming. But I do believe that the plot is both heart-warming and heart-shattering at the same time. The brilliance with which the plot has been etched is so sheer, and so well-executed that I cannot even talk about the author's creative prowess without giving it all away.
To say that the story line is well thought out, would be an understatement- it is far too perfect for a debut.
The protagonist of our story, Madeline Whittier is doctored by her mother, who puts her medical skills to the best use. But her skills cannot help much, for when you are allergic to the whole world, so vulnerable and so fragile, life doesn't appear very exciting no matter what. This is when her neighbours move in, and it changes everything. What the story has in store of you is humor, warmth, romance, defiance, revelations, and tests of relationships unlike ever before, and in abundance.

The characters are equally well thought-out, what with their quirks and eccentricities.
The book, through its unforgettable characters unfailingly brings out human foibles  and the oddities and frailties of life. It is an absolute intriguing read. It will make you stare in disbelief at the twists of fate, it will choke your heart with a fullness that only certain actions can provoke. You'll cry. But not once will you think of leaving the book- this is how strong the charm is.

What also makes this book a fast read, is the use of vignettes, diary entries, charts, illustrations, images.
Carla, Madaline's nurse, Olly and his family- all characters are so important to the plot, and so unforgettable. Never once do you feel like skimming through the pages, rather you re-read the paragraphs, devour them and let them ruin your peace or make you erupt in laughter.

Olly's and maddy's romance will have you gleaming in childish delight, and you'll ship them in no time.
If this book doesn't give you the feels, you perhaps haven't read it right.
Just a warning, though: You might throw this book after reading because it will hurt too much when reality and truth strike.

Links to the book:




                                         



Quotes from the book:



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Source of the review copy: Netgalley



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To get your book reviewed, read my review policy here. And then contact me here.

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