Open - An autobiography by Andre Agassi

Autobiographies can be very tricky. Authors tend to balance " Candor" and " Political correctness" and in the end create a mashup that looks confusing.

Andre Agassi's autobiography is very different from any other book that I have read. Its the outpouring of a tormented soul who hated tennis with all his heart yet became a darling of the masses. The more he hated the sport and rebeled against it, the more fans he acquired. In this riveting book he tells it all and doesn't spare anyone, including himself. The characters that stand out in the book are his dominating father, demanding coach Nick, trainer Gil and his glamorous ex-wife - Brooke Shields.

He displays scant respect for his opponents and lays bare his feelings for them all. Sorry, if you are looking for a " politically correct" book , this isn't one. The charm of this book is that he makes his enormous tennis talent look so simple. With the exception of Sampras & Federer, there ain't a champion like Agassi in the last 20 years of Tennis.

Andre, give that soul some rest and heal the wounds. Don't hate the game so much. We all love you either way.

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson - Book review

Three cups of Tea is the exciting story of Greg who failed to climb K2 , the world's second highest peak located in Pakistan, but ended up scaling a much higher peak - opening more than 75 schools in remote areas of Pakistan & Afghanistan to educate illiterate children.

The story unravels from the early failures of an ordinary man with extraordinary willpower who gives every ounce of his energy to make the world a better place. Greg's Childhood in Africa, the support of the eccentric Jean Hoerni and death threats from mullahs make up for an engrossing read.

What Greg is doing is extra-ordinary. May his tribe grow !

P.S : The prose and editing should have been more crisp. It almost feels as if the book was written as a movie screenplay moving between Pakistan & California ( a little too much for its own good).

The Appeal - John Grisham - Book Review

I rarely read fiction these days but can always make an exception for Grisham. A master storyteller and the father of the " Legal thriller" genre, Grisham held sway over readers across the world with his early novels such as Pelican Brief, The Firm, Client ( most of which were made into blockbuster movies). Then he tried his hand at non-legal fiction and that is where he lost steam.

"The Appeal" is a mixture of " Legal thriller" and " Political lobbying" in a cocktail. Its Big greedy business vs small county citizens - David Vs Goliath story though in the end the Goliath wins ( which am sure disappointed many readers). I thought the ending reflected the reality of today's world where more Goliaths than Davids win. So my verdict : Its like most movies - Great first half that loses pace in the end.

On a Separate note, the book offers a quick glimpse of the clash of Social Liberalism Vs Conservatism in rural America. Issues that still deeply divide the nation - Pro-business ( Vs Pro-people) , Gun Control, Homosexuality, Abortion and Death Penalty.

It got me thinking of own stand on these issues ( Though none would care for my views !) . Well, I would reserve that for another blog post.

Gang leader for a Day - Book Review

Its one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. In fact I still consider it too incredulous to be true.

Sudhir Venkatesh, now a professor of Sociology at Columbia University, writes about the years he spent as a research student in the slums of Chicago studying crime, gangs and poverty ( amongst black people). I first heard of Sudhir when I read the book " Freakonomics".

In this book, he recounts the seven years he spent at the Robert Taylor homes project and his friendship with J.T ( A gang leader) and his gang. The book is riveting, with never a dull moment, and is an honest assessment of the ground realities in the poor slums of Chicago. The characterization is excellent, the tone is neither condescending nor salutory and the author grabs you by your collar deep into the lives of gang wars and poverty.

I still think the tale is too good to be true.

P.S : Its amazing that a Vegetarian survived for seven years, practically living every day in that slum !

CHINDIA - Book Review


I just finished reading the book " CHINDIA - How China and India are revolutionizing global business" . The book is a collection of articles that appeared in BusinessWeek over the last few years. This is not exactly a Bible on China & India but nevertheless a good primer about these countries. Read it if you find time.