Bookrack for the week (Jan 21 to Jan 28)

New releases of the week (Jan 21 to Jan 28)

Breaking Barriers

Nafees Fazal and Sandhya Mendonca

Konark Publn, pp 232, Rs 750

This is the autobiography of Nafees Fazal, the first Muslim woman to become a minister in South India and promises to be a readable account of her political and personal struggles, triumphs and achievements. The author’s narration of the many political twists and turns in her path, and the Machiavellian tactics used by her opponents make for absorbing reading. She is frank about what she terms the ‘downfall’ of the Congress party under Rahul Gandhi and is forthright in talking about her religion, and what she thinks needs improving.

Age Of Vice

Deepti Kapoor

Juggernaut, pp 560, Rs 899

Transporting readers from the dusty and violent towns of Uttar Pradesh to the corrosive, glittering energy of New Delhi, this is a novel about power, corruption, and the ways it works in India today.

Private And Controversial

Smriti Parsheera (Ed)

HarperCollins
pp 428, Rs 699

Set against the background of the Covid pandemic, and the ongoing debate on data protection, this collection of essays explores the intersection between privacy and public
health.

Friends With Benefits

Seema Sirohi

HarperCollins
pp 496, Rs 699

Using first-hand reportage and drawing on conversations with key diplomats, foreign policymakers and former CIA operatives, the author brings a frank and anecdotal perspective to a thrilling tale of diplomacy.