Category: Non fiction

The Moment of Lift

Melinda French Gates gets a lot of things right with the book. Starting with the acknowledgement that she shares from a position of privilege, she approaches the subjects with intellectual honesty. The book covers a lot of ground – maternal and newborn health, the importance of contraceptives and family planning, education for girls, the unpaid work that women do, and gender inequity in the workplace. It’s an excellent read that is full of anecdotes and insights without being prescriptive.

The Origins of Political Order

These days, we assume that a liberal democracy is the best form of government. But the world wasn’t always like this. How did we get here, and why did different countries get here at different times? From biological foundations of human behaviour to language and development of political systems, this is an enlightening read that helps us better understand the world we live in.

The Sixth Extinction

The world has seen five big extinctions in the last 500 million years, each of which led to the decimation of more than 75% of the species. But for the first time in history, we have a species which is capable of not just causing an extinction but being aware of it as well. I loved the book for the curiosity it evoked and adding a sense of romanticism in science.