If you’re looking to explore some of the lesser known pathways of history, this is a fantastic book to pick up. 6-page pops of by-lanes from before and during the Raj make up the first two sections. The third is a commentary for the times we live in – inclusivity and hyper-nationalism in a complicated fabric.
The premise is excellent. Our consumption, sharing and creation of data could tell us a lot about our society and the evolution of our culture in different parts of the world. The problem is, the book is based solely on the authors’ experiments with datasets using Google Books Ngram Viewer. 30 million books digitized by Google. A lot of books, but still a small subset. The book doesn’t match the expectations set by the title, but is still an interesting read.
I found this book a refreshing perspective, when compared to the other books that I have read on the subject. From the system of the brain and the construction of emotions to the subject of free will, there are a bunch of interesting lines of thought. The understanding of emotions, and our ability/inability to control them have implications on a lot of things from our own daily behaviour to how we deliver justice as a society. While the topics are complex, the book has an excellent narrative style and is very accessible.
As technology continues to accelerate changes, asymmetry, complexity and uncertainty have become the underlying themes across the world. Using nine themes, Joi Ito and Jeff Howe provide both perspectives and food for thought on the kind of adaptive thinking that is required to survive the future.
A political novel written in 1935 that’s prescient about how an authoritarian regime could actually take power in the United States. Though it begins with a democratic victory, it soon becomes a “corporatist” regime with its own paramilitary force called Minute Men. Through the struggles of Doremus Jessup, a liberal, we see the journey downhill. The references to real life personalities might require some research, but a great read nevertheless.