Ever since I opted out of the corporate world, my reading has increased. By the time 2019 ends, I would have read 30 books. (It would be more than 30 as I counted only the ones I had reviewed on Twitter.) I have always been a voracious reader, but, daily routine & circumstances made my reading take a hit. So, I am satisfied with this number.

I am glad I have recovered my reading as it is a therapy for me. Books transport me to another world, where I am friendlier with characters than I can be in real life. Books help me escape the tyranny of my boring life. In a few books, I see myself in a character. In others, it shows me possibilities I had not thought of. A few books have introduced me to new concepts. I may agree/ disagree with them, but it is always a great feeling to know about something new (and/ or different).

So, with this preamble, I list down my three favorite books out of all I read in 2019.

Girl in The Dark by Anna Lyndsey

Imagine life without light. I mean literally. What if sunlight, artificial lights, any kind of light hurt you? What if it made your skin burn? Imagine spending your entire life confined in a dark room! That’s how Anna Lyndsey lives.

I did not know about photo sensitivity. It is the name given to the condition occurring when skin has an abnormal reaction to light. Anna Lyndsey worked for the British government in London. What started as a burning sensation seeing the computer screen turned into a full-blown photo sensitivity. Her condition was so critical that she had to keep herself confined to a dark room. She could not pull the curtains apart & she could not switch on any light. She ate in the dark, exercised in the dark, & socialized in the dark. This book is her memoir of her ‘dark’ days including how it all began.

Surprisingly, even with advanced medicine, there does not seem to be a cure for photo sensitivity. Anna could only prevent it. & deal with it. Living the way described above is enough to put a person into depression. The memoir is about Anna going through the ‘change’ cycle & finally finding ways to deal with her condition. I found it inspirational & realistic.

At one point, she writes, “The noblest truth is ‘There is suffering.’ The whole of history having been filled with such exotic & multifarious forms of it, ‘Why me?’ is the question of an idiot. The sensible person says simply, ‘Why not?’“

This resonated with me. I have had the ‘why me?’ tendency too. It is only now that I am trying to cure it by practicing gratitude.

If you want a reality check on your blessings, read Girl in The Dark.

Why I Recommend – To become aware of photo sensitivity. & to never take for granted what you have; you do not know who may be struggling for the same…

Amma by Vaasanthi

I am not a fan of biographies/ autobiographies, but, am happy to have read Amma. It is a fast-paced biography of the larger – than – life Jayalalithaa. It helped me understand Tamil Nadu politics & the Jayalalithaa- Karunanidhi rivalry.

It seems slut-shaming isn’t a new phenomenon. From time immemorial, bold women have had their characters assassinated. It was the same for the late Jayalalithaa too. Sample these lines from the biography:

“He projected Jayalalithaa as a temptress.“

“They projected her as a cheap woman.“

“The DMK seized on her remark that she had joined politics to ‘serve the people’ to make lewd comments.“

Life is easy for insecure men (& women too) when faced with a strong woman. Just cast aspersions on her character.

I had heard about Jayalalithaa’s megalomania. The book confirms it.

“‘Amma’ is written on every household article- the grinder, the mixie, the rice bag, the laptop, the cycle and the water bottles.“

“When the time came to vote, she was confident the people would remember the Amma canteens, Amma water, Amma baby kit, Amma cement, Amma pharmacies and Amma seeds…“

Wow!

I hear & read a lot being said about press freedom in India nowadays. It seems Jayalalithaa was quite a front runner in curbing it following as a close second to Mrs. Indira Gandhi:

“When the Tamil weekly Kumudam wrote an editorial comparing the dispensations of MGR & Jayalalithaa, which contained a mildly critical remark, a mob ransacked its office & beat up a few workers.“

“The editor & publisher were arrested & cases filed against them, & the Nakkeeran office was attacked by AIADMK party workers.“

“After a brief honeymoon, she too shunned the press & more than a hundred defamation cases were filed against papers & journals that were ‘unfriendly’ to her.“

Reading this makes me think that all the brouhaha about press freedom is more of a perception than a reality.

The book helped me summarize the two mega politicians of Tamil Nadu in simple statements:

When Jayalalithaa in power: Corruption

When Karunanidhi in power: Gunda Raj

(P.S. I can see a parallel to this in Uttar Pradesh.)

Never a dull moment in the book!

Why I Recommend – Sorry if this sounds like a stereotype but north Indians should read this biography to understand the dynamics of Tamil Nadu politics. Also, all young women must read it to see how one can become strong despite (or because of) adversities.

Abolishing the Death Penalty by Gopalkrishna Gandhi

I support the capital punishment. As it is not a topic that one discusses in everyday life, it was interesting to find out what the detractors of the death penalty have to say. Who knows it may make me change my mind?

In the book, Mr. Gandhi puts forth a few excellent points on why India should say no to capital punishment.

One of the points I agreed with regards terrorists. Mr. Gandhi writes ‘A terrorist dead, like a murderer hanged, is a possible future martyr.‘ Haven’t we already seen this in Yakub Memon & Burhan Wani cases?

But, apart from this, the book could not convince me about abolishing the death penalty! My reasons:

1. How do you convince the victim’s next of kin? The author himself says, ‘To try to explain the reasons for abolishing the death penalty to the bereaved would not just be futile, it would be callous.’

2. Why should the Indian taxpayer continue to fund incarceration? Mr. Gandhi does not touch upon this.

3. The author mentions, ‘This also means that they are to be denied the chance to redefine themselves through remorse.‘ It is an assumption on Mr Gandhi’s part that a criminal will feel remorseful. We know how all the accused in the Nirbhaya case practically gloated about their ‘accomplishment’!

So, as of now, I will stick with capital punishment retention. Will only advocate a better method than hanging; maybe a lethal injection.

Something that Gopalkrishna Gandhi writes in Abolishing The Death Penalty irked me. He writes: “The kind who writes nothing, reads little, does vigorous press-ups, and is generally regarded as one who shouldn’t be messed with is likely to speak for the retention of the death penalty (in keeping with the masculine image, which the state also aspires to).“

This kind of summarizes the problem I have with ‘intellectuals’. They believe anyone who holds a view contradictory to theirs is an illiterate fool. Mr. Gandhi, I write, I read a lot, & I do not do press-ups! I’m a woman, & thus, do not have to keep up a masculine image. But, yes, I am regarded as someone who must not be messed with (Shouldn’t all of us be?) Yet, I support the death penalty.

My unsolicited advice to the ‘intelligentsia’: If you claim to be liberal, please be open to alternate viewpoints, without resorting to generalizations.

Why I Recommend – I recommend this book to people like me who support the capital punishment. It will give you an alternate perspective to the death penalty, something that you can mull over. Perhaps, you will be able to see points of view I missed. &, maybe, we can engage in further discussion on this. Again, who knows, you may change your belief on the capital punishment after reading this.

With this, I wrap up my reading season for 2019. This is one part of my life that I do not want to change.