The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Despite the stellar reviews and recommendation by Bill Gates, I was still holding out from expecting much from this book. But boy, did it exceed expectations! It was enjoyable to read a love-story written from the perspective of a man who’s clinically unable to empathize, unable to love.
It was truly enlightening to read the account of life from the view of an offbeat character Don, who’s self-diagnosed to be autistic. Despite being wired to not experience empathy, there are numerous occasions from his sister’s and Daphne’s death, the difficult situation of his student who’s found to be cheating in his assignments, him being unable to help himself and go to unbelievable extent to help Rosie find her biological father, change himself to make himself suitable for Rosie’s love. All this makes for a wonderful, heart-warming read. It’ll make you laugh as you read Don’s inner thoughts and smile ear-to-ear when you read the end.
Just the end reveal of Rosie’s biological father which has been the chase in the entire book seems rushed by the author. It was a little obscure. Also the part about why Phil hits Gene is not clear. Barring these, the book was a fun read! Definitely recommend!
PS - A very unfair comparison is made to the character of Sheldon from ‘The Big Bang Theory’. The only attribute is that they’re both socially awkward.
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Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m sure after reading this book, you’ll agree that Trevor Noah is an inspiration. If you’ve watched his Daily Show episodes and thus expected this book to be a similar funny account we’ve come to expect from him, you’d be disappointed. While still being peppered with his dry humor and his unique narration style, this book takes you through the times of apartheid to now.
Trevor Noah’s mom, Patricia Noah, is a rockstar! Set during the time when apartheid wasn’t abolished, the book talks about the arduous circumstances under which Patricia was raised to how she came to raise her colored son when his bare existence was a literal crime.
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Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Having read several such books talking about how these companies had been founded, it’s important to read them with a grain of salt. Why? These books are written by the author following hours of interviews, accounts of numerous people and extensive research. Add to that, perception of those events will also vary depending on the individual’s bias towards or against different characters involved in the story. Now more than ever have I realized that when we refer to the press releases by any company which is supposed to be the ground zero of truth representing the company’s stance about something, it can be a huge farce and distant from what must have truly conspired in the boardroom or the offices of the company.
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Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Tremendously useful book underlining the value provided by deep work.
First part of the book attempts to convince the readers about the importance of deep work.
Second part of the book describes the methods to help you adopt the practice of deep work.
In short, read it and follow the advice. DEEP WORK IS VALUABLE, DEEP WORK IS RARE, DEEP WORK IS MEANINGFUL.
Instead of trying to cram the amazing takeaways from this book in my review here, I’ve decided to create a read-only Google doc with my notes, which are in effect summary of this book, for those who’re interested in reading it.
I’m going to re-edit this post with the link once ready. Feel free to create a copy or share it with others.
Edit - As promised, here’s the link to the Google doc - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b…
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Becoming by Michelle Obama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Don’t miss this book! Michelle Obama is a great role-model!
First out, I want to laud the title of the book! It’s such a thoughtful title to indicate the different stages in life as outlined in the book - becoming me, becoming us, becoming more. Always transient!
More than wife of the first Black President of the United States or the first Black First Lady, this book simply shows how there’s so much more to Michelle Obama than these titles.
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