Parsis - The Zoarastrians of India Sooni Taraporevala
“Sooni’s book is an intimate epic. A monumental book, magnificent in its sweep yet always retaining its love for the particular. This is a remarkable marriage of heart and mind a book of photographs that tells many good stories"
-Mira Nair
Reading Is Fundamental
Because India has approximately 350 million people
who cannot read or write,
the United Nations Children's Fund has said
that it is the most illiterate country in the world.
With the help of our readers, we have compiled a list
of what we think are some of the most compelling
and or fascinating books of our time.
These books either challenged us in the way we think
or look at the world.
We have also made it easy for you to purchase these books
by providing a direct link to a sister site
where you may add these titles to your collection
Off The Shelf
We Thought You Would Be Prettier
by Laurie Notaro
The wonderful thing about Laurie Notaro is that she taps into the 30 something year old strapped into a totally inappropriate but oh so much fun pink prom dress. She's bitter, she's funny, she's not perfect and willing to share just how much NOT perfect she is with the rest of us.
The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls
It's probably the best account ever written of a dysfunctional family -- and it must have taken Walls so much courage to put pen to paper and recount the details of her rather bizarre childhood - - which although it's like none other and is so dramatic - - any reader will relate to it. Readers will find bits and pieces of their own parents in Rex and Rose Mary Walls.
The Day I Turned Uncool
by Dan Zevin
These likable, well-crafted Gen-X essays explore the surface disillusionment and middle-class compromises of growing older. With comic skill, Zevin (The Nearly-Wed Handbook; Entry-Level Life) takes a sentimental first-person approach to suburban adult dilemmas such as wine tastings, lawn care, the starter home and the contrast between the freewheeling college semester abroad and the fearful, sensible 30-something European vacation.
Possible Side Effects
by Augusten Burroughs
These often hilarious, sometimes contrived essays put the "me" in "confessional memoir" front and center. Burroughs recounts scenes from the floridly dysfunctional childhood chronicled in his bestselling Running with Scissors, along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer.
The Bookseller of Kabul
by Asne Seierstad
That said, the book does provide a penetrating look at a complex and complicated family forced to live under horrific conditions. Within the context of his society, Sultan Khan is an enlightened and liberal man. No fundamentalist, he reads widely and believes in freedom of thought and speech. But for all that Khan is a liberal man in a conservative society---he is still a product of a highly conservative society. As such, he is a polygamist and a man who forces his sons to bind to his will.
Blankets
by Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson's Illustrated Novel "Blankets" is a masterpiece. His story is well told and his imagery supplements it. Thompson's layouts are innovative and push the boundaries of the traditional graphic novel layout. overall the work is very strong. The term graphic novel, often applied loosely to this genre has true meaning in this book in that it truly is a Novel.
I'll Be Your Mirror
by Nan Golden
This is one of the most important books available in contemporary photography. i admire it for its bold reality, honesty and shockingly moving images. Anyone who takes documentary photo seriously should own this book. there is no pomp or frill here just the pain, disapointments and celebrations of life and death.
Maximum City: Bombay
by Sukhetu Mehta
"Bombay is the future of urban civilization on the planet. God help us," Mehta writes. As the world's third-largest metropolis at 18 million people, and with the fifth-highest density at 17,550 per square mile, Bombay ("Mumbai") commands attention. Mehta, a fiction writer and journalist, left Bombay as a teen to return 21 years later to try to grapple with his vastly changed hometown.
This is his perspective as both a newcomber and insider.
Recently Reviewed
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
For two years before she left Iran in 1997, Nafisi gathered seven young women at her house every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. They were shy and uncomfortable at first, unaccustomed to being asked to speak their minds, but soon they began to open up and to speak more freely, not only about the novels they were reading but also about themselves, their dreams and disappointments. Their stories intertwined with those they were reading—Pride and Prejudice, Washington Square, Daisy Miller and Lolita—their Lolita, as they imagined her in Tehran.
The Monk Downstairs : A Novel by Tim Farrington
I think this shall be one of my all time favorite books. It speaks to the risk of love versus the acceptance of a safe, yet solitary existence. It speaks to the risk of one exploring and accepting another versus that of one gliding from one superficial entanglement to another, precluding real intimacy. One wants the happy ending... but is it worth all the pain that accompanies the risks?
A Story Book Life by Philip-Lorca diCorcia
A Storybook Life is an attempt to discover the possibilities of meaning in the interaction of seemingly unrelated images in the hope that content can constantly mutate according to both the external and internal condition of the viewer, but remain meaningful because of it’s inherent, but latent content. The conscious and subconscious decisions made in editing the photographs is the real work of A Storybook Life.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The earth turns and the wind blows and sometimes some marvelous scrap of paper is blown against the fence for us to find. And once found, we become aware there are places out there that are both foreign and familiar. Funny what the wind brings. And now it brings "The Kite Runner," a beautiful novel by Afghan-American Khaled Hosseini that ranks among the best-written and provocative stories of the year so far.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Yann Martel's imaginative and unforgettable Life of Pi is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith. Life of Pi, Yann Martel's second novel, should prove to be a breakout book in the U.S. At one point in his journey, Pi recounts, "My greatest wish--other than salvation--was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One that I could read again and again, with new eyes and fresh understanding each time." It's safe to say that the fabulous, fablelike Life of Pi is such a book.
Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur
Anurag Mathur weaves with great sensitivity and panache a tale of a small-town boy who goes straight to the Big Apple. This book is hilarious at times, without any malice, touching at times, and always thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are wonderfully alive and immeditaly strike a chord with readers. Let your hair down when you read this book, allow yourself to laugh, and you will love it.
English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee
"English, August" is the story of Agastya Sen, a young civil servant who is posted to Madna, a small town in rural Deccan. His experiences of Madna bring into sharp focus the vast social, cultural and economic differences in India.
At times, "English, August" is a very funny book, as Agastya meets the locals and becomes acquainted with their habits and peculiarities. In many ways, it's a kind of colonial story - are Agastya and his colleagues much different from their British counterparts under the Raj?
Swimming Lessons : and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag by ROHINTON MISTRY
Mistry shows the world once again why he is one of the treasures of world literature. "Swimming Lessons", although taking place entirely in an apartment block in Bombay offers characters, stories, and sentiments that everyone can appreciate. These stories are timeless and can communicate their emotions even to those of us who have never been to India. Filled with characters who are both absurd and familiar (I think we've all known a Rustomji the Curmudgeon in our time) you cannot but help feel compelled and connected with each of their lives. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good story.
Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat
IIT. The acronym that carries 10 times more weight than its simple utterance, means different things to different people. Whether you have an opinion about IIT or not, Five Point Someone will take you through a guided tour of four years at the Institution, fixing a permanent smile on your face in the process.
