Book Review : My Mother's Secret

Title : My Mother's Secret

Author : J.L.Witterick

Publisher : IUniverse

ISBN : 9781475962574

A lot has been chronicled about the events that led to World War II, the barbarity that many underwent during that time, the unhealed scars, the aftermaths of the war and widespread destruction that those years caused. This period is nothing short of a black mark on the face of humankind.

Having said that, if times like these bring out the worst in many, many rise much above the rest, forgetting their personal security and survival to epitomize a true human. These ordinary individuals with their compassion and sympathy become angels for others. And the more we read about such individuals the lesser it is. J.K. Witterick is one author who wanted to write to make a difference. Through 'My Mother's Secret', she brings out a courageous story of a mother and a daughter based on a true story in the times of Holocaust.

Franciszka takes a firm decision to leave Germany and her Nazi sympathizer husband for Poland when Hitler became chancellor in 1933. Her elder son Damian and daughter Helena are more than pleased to leave their father. Poland at that point was a melting pot of people who were Polish, Ukrainians and Jews, though all mistrusting each other.

Piece by piece Franciszka built a decent life for her children but it was not lost on them that Poland would soon be taken over by Germany and that happened in 1939 with complete invasion in 1941 disrespecting the pact that was signed by Hitler and Stalin.

Franciszka and Helena were not immune to the happenings around them either. They could chose to save their skin over being philanthropic but magnanimous hearts find it hard to see helplessness and yet remain inactive. They ended up hiding two Jewish families and  a German soldier in their house for not just a day or two but for 20 odd months. All through this time Helena had to undergo a pain in the heart for hiding this secret from the love of her life, her fiancé.

The stories of Jewish families and that of German soldier build up separately and it is amazing to read how their paths led them to the house of their benefactress Franciszka. The foresightedness, intelligence and selflessness of the mother saw all of them through this difficult time and eventually all did come out from the hiding to lead their normal lives.

The book though set at the most unfortunate of times manages to evoke warm and uplifting feelings. After the story ends the readers are left with hope and belief in the goodness of individuals rather than bad taste for the savagery which dominated that time. My Mother's Secret is one of those books that are perfect to introduce young adults to the historical happenings. It is supposed to be the author's first creation yet she handles the subject with utmost care and sensitivity. A wonderful piece of writing.

Worth mentioning quotes are sprinkled all over the narrative and this goes on to reiterate how adversity brings out the best in people and how sometimes smooth sailing makes a race impassive.

A few excerpts from the book -

"If you choose to do the right thing,  it’s a conscious decision at first. Then it becomes second nature."

"I always thought that courageous people were those who were not afraid. Meeting Franciszka and her daughter, I realize that

courageous people are afraid like everyone else. They just act despite the fear."

Book Review : The Alchemist

Title : The Alchemist

Author : Paulo Coelho

Publisher : Harper Collins

ISBN : 9780061233845

There is time for everything. Nothing happens by chance because there is the force of universe that makes things happen the way they happen and when they have to happen. I must confess that though I have heard so many good things about the book 'The Alchemist' as well as the author, - Paulo Coelho, it took me a long time to pick this book up and read it. It has been on my reading wish list for the longest period of time. But it is indeed true, there is time for everything and nothing can pre-pone or postpone the natural occurrence of that happening.

Now after having read this book, I can say sometimes delay is for good. Perhaps it was waiting for that space and attention in my mind which it deserved and I am happy that it could get its worth. Even after having read it a couple of weeks back, I have taken so many days to write about the book. I wanted the written matter of the book to sink it, get digested and get soaked in my self. This sinking, digesting and soaking is perhaps one of those things which Paulo Coelho categorizes as "It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary" and the extraordinary-ness of the same is understood only by experiencing it.

The Alchemist is a story of a young shepherd boy who ventures to follow his dreams of treasure in a distant place. On the journey, many experiences, incidents and people await him to transform him into a wise and enlightened individual. Paulo Coelho beautifully accentuates the significance of the journey over that of the destination. The treasure could be anything - riches, love or divine wisdom but the same becomes secondary compared to what all is gathered and what all is assimilated on the way to reach the destination. And once that is done, it becomes immaterial whether destination is actually reached or not as the pleasurable journey itself becomes the goal.

The Alchemist is one of those unique books which are packed with insightful acumen without overwhelming the readers.  The ability to listen to one's personal legend, understanding the closeness to the Soul of the World, utilising the positive force to achieve the personal legend is what this life is all about. And universe ensures that to an individual who is determined enough, the Personal Legend does get revealed.

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"Everyone when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend. "

The enthusiasm to take every moment as it comes, the dexterity to give the best to that moment and then the gratification of  having given done one's best, is all that is required for a successful living. Its when we try to steer our life's sail against the tide because of innumerable fears and apprehensions, that the problem begins."We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand."

The author talks about significance of various other aspects in our lives like - voice of heart, dreams as God's messages, role of an individual in the cycle of life and positive force working its magic strangely. The written text would inspire you - to follow your intuition no matter how illogical it may sound to others, to unlearn a few things in order to make room for new, to explore beyond obvious, to see past prejudices and perceptions and much more. 

Undoubtedly, a 'must read' book.

Tech Review : Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Storage Device (1 TB)

The Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Device Storage is a boon for people who are looking to enhance the storage capacity of their devices. If you want a safe location to consolidate your media collection, you can’t go wrong with this device. It worked beautifully for my media storage needs; one secure location to enjoy my music, photos, books and other content anywhere, any time!

Seagate Wireless Plus : First Things First

Seagate Wireless Plus : Fill It, Take It, Enjoy It

Seagate Wireless Plus : Cost Benefit Analysis

The Redeemers

Title : The Redeemers

Author : Suresh Taneja

My first attempt at editing a book. It has been a great learning experience overall :) 

Here is a youtube video introducing this inspiring book - The Redeemers in which youngsters took it in their hands to change their destiny and that of the country's...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS8oqQ_0gus

Hope you enjoy it :)

Book Review : Where's Green?

Title : Where's Green? (The EnteleTrons Series)

Author : Renee Heiss and Gary A. Stewart

Illustrated by : Fay Cofrancesco

'Where's Green?' introduces us to three EnteleTrons : Ellie - the electron, Priti - the Proton and Ning - the Neutron. And in tune with the typical characteristics of these particles, Ellie is always looking for ways to make connections and sometimes ends up making mistakes too. Priti, the Proton brings positivity to everything around her. She is a loving character taking strength from her positive outlook towards people and life in general. Many times she gently nudges Ellie to correct her mistakes too. Finally the mediator, the most neutral character is the Ning. He is the one looking to solve problems and to work on challenges. He is an expert in using various devices that are available in their EnteleLab.

The author has very intelligently chosen the names for these significant particles highlighting the essence of their personalities . The name Ellie is of Greek origin meaning Light, name Priti is Indian and means love and Ning is of Chinese origin which means peaceful.

This time all three of them are trying to investigate the reason for the green color to be missing from the plants, trees and even from the rainbow. They decide to question the primary colors first for the reason behind the disappearance of green color from among them. They come to know that the bickering of all the rest of the colors annoyed the calm green color to such an extent that it decided to leave the group.

Thanks to Ellie, Priti and Ning, the rainbow colors realize their folly and agree that the natural order was indeed the best way to be. This appeased the green color too and it wooshed back at its rightful place.

A colorful book for young readers and a step towards starting them early on the concepts of science in a fun and light way. The rainbow colors, the three particles of matter, the prism, separation of visible light and many other things are introduced in a very simple manner through an interesting tale. Moreover, the life lesson of working together and in unison is also conveyed beautifully here. The after notes written by the author are worth mentioning too - "When you read about the EnteleTrons and their adventures, think about how tiny they are in size, but how huge they are in their effect on the universe. You can be just like the EnteleTrons.  Think about how you can make a huge difference in other people's lives too."

More activities, experiments and interesting discussions can be accessed at www.entelechyed.com

Book Review : What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

'What I Talk About When I Talk About' has been on my reading list for a very long time and thanks to MySmartPrice, I had my copy to read and review.

Got a mail from Spark, the online magazine if I could contribute one of my latest reviews there. I was working on the review of 'What...' and shared the same with them. Now please hop on to  Spark's Turn of the Page for the book review.

Interview : Akhil Khanna

Akhil Khanna an MBA with specialization in the field of Financial Management from the University of Sheffield (U.K.), wanted to make the financial world a little more accessible to the common man and his attempt led to the book 'Let's Talk About Money' (reviewed here). 

Here is a brief e-interview that I conducted with him for the readers of Literary Sojourn.

1.     What all led to the writing of the book?

 In the year 2007, I was handed over the responsibility of managing the family portfolio of investments. I found that most people belonging to the middle income group invested in some asset class based on either recommendation of their friends and relatives or based on advice of the experts in the media. Following this investment method, a large no. of them lost a substantial portion of their savings after a period of few years. This led me to research about the reasons why an investor should invest in a particular asset class. My research led me to believe that a global financial crisis was brewing, which was likely to affect almost every human life on earth. I started writing articles on Global Financial Crisis in 2009 which were published on the net and were well received by the readers.

I realized that people can better manage their savings if they understood money in a simplified manner without the fancy jargon thrown at them. Moreover if the middle class of the society were shown the bigger economic picture with logical reasoning, they would be in a position to take judicious decisions as to the level of risk they would like to expose their savings. The response to my articles gave me the confidence to write this book which explains money management to a non finance person using illustrations which they can relate to in their day to day lives. This book identifies and evaluates various investment options and tries to logically link the effect of the ongoing Global Financial Crises on these investments.

2.     Do you think you have been able to achieve what you wanted to through this book?

 I think I have been able to achieve my objective because I believe that if anyone older than a high school student from any profession like lawyer, doctor, engineer etc takes out time to read the book “Let’s Talk Money”, he/she will be able to manage the individual savings in a better manner and enjoy a better standard of living in the long run.

3.     What do you think is the major hurdle for a layman to understand the financial system?

 There are two hurdles that prevent an investor from understanding the financial system, one is procrastination and the other is the belief that someone else out there in the world will make my life better or is actually interested in making me rich. Every investor has to realize that no one is more interested in your financial well being than you yourself and for that you have to devote time and effort to understand money and the rules of the game as they exist today and change from time to time.

4.     How much expertise is required in managing one's own money?

 The only thing required to manage one’s money is the intention and willingness to do so. The whole financial system is much simpler than it is made out to be. We have to keep in mind that a normal investor is not out to become a financial wizard but is looking for enough information that helps one to broadly decide the level of risk one wants to take with the savings. Such a call can only be taken when an individual knows the level of risks associated with the different investment alternatives available. Moreover an understanding of the overall economy is important because there is no investment strategy that works at all times and it is necessary to change investments in response to the changes in the financial environment.

5.     What are the two mantras that every individual should keep in mind with regard to money and its management?

I agree with Will Smith’s quote that summarizes today’s thought process about money

“Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want to impress people they don't like.” 

The two mantas that can help an investor with regards to investment is :

• Never put your money in anything that you do not understand. If you badly want to put your money in it, take out time and effort to understand it first.
• If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

  

6.     What next after 'Let's Talk Money'? In the world of sequels, do you plan to write one too?

My main aim regarding “Lets Talk Money” was to simplify the basics of investing and the explanation of the ongoing Global Financial Crises to a normal investor as I believe that this unstable financial environment is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. Moreover the inherent weakness in the political systems and democracy prevalent today is likely to ensure that this crisis gets much worse before it gets better. I have tried to assign logical reasoning and highlight the key issues which led me to my conclusions.  The sequel of “Lets Talk Money’ is only likely if there is a change in the way the global central bankers and politicians tackle the ongoing crisis. Till then all the likely outcomes that I can think of are already covered in this book.

7.     How easy/difficult was it to get your book published? What were the challenges that you faced in the whole process?

This is my first attempt to write a book. A new author is rarely backed by established publishing houses. My manuscript was turned away by a no. of publishing houses because it is a non fiction book and not a topic of mass appeal. I am grateful to Times Group Books for the confidence they placed in my manuscript and their willingness to publish it.  I had made up my mind that in the worst case scenario I would go ahead and publish the book on my own as my intention to bring financial literacy to the middle class non financial background was bigger than the profit or loss made in publishing the book. 

Book Review : Bijoy and the Big River

Title : Bijoy and the Big River

Author : Praba Ram and Meera Sriram

Publisher : Tulika

ISBN : 93-5046-326-1

Since primeval ages rivers have given birth to many civilizations near their banks and ever since rivers have hidden innumerable stories in their dancing waves. Almost every crest and trough of these life wires of a nation witness and chronicle myriad incidents, episodes, happenings and life stories. One such story is that of Bijoy presented beautifully by Praba and Meera.

As the big river Brahmaputra (Burha Luit in Assamese) rocks, bends, winds, coils, curls, rolls, twirls, swings and sways from Himalayas on China side, to enter the Indian borders in Arunachal Pradesh, it cascades down the plains and forests of Assam and there it enters the lives of Bijoy and his people. The story takes us through Bijoy's first ferry ride on the river as he accompanies his father to the silk village of Sualkuchi. Bijoy's father raises eri silkworms in their backyard. Eri culture is the most eco-friendly and non-violent method of obtaining silk and hence the silk is also known as 'Peace Silk'.

As Bijoy's day's routine unfolds, a slice of Assam gets revealed page after page through various photographs, relevant art by Koel Basu along with nuggets of factual information on various aspects of lifestyle, culture, flora and fauna of that part of our country. Tall bamboos and coconuts, one-horned rhino in Kaziranga National Park, endangered Gangetic river dolphin Xihu, people celebrating Bihu and the fine golden silk Muga - the book offers a peak into myriad of things. The young readers are sure to get enriched with information about eri, the biodiversity and the ecosystem sustaining in the natural environs of Assam and much more. It is amazing to notice that people living so close to nature know exactly how to acknowledge and bow down in front of the various moods and forms of nature. Bijoy and the Big River is a tribute to the river as well as to the people and other creatures who have their lives entwined with the endless flow of water.

Tulika books under the 'Where I Live' section are committed to bring traditions and lifestyles from various parts of India for the young readers. 'Bijoy and the Big River' makes this category proud by its presence there.

I feel really proud to mention that I am part of Saffron Tree, the seeds of which were sown by Praba and which has now matured into a blooming tree guiding many parents to pick age appropriate gems for their little ones.

I conducted a brief e-interview with Praba and Meera and I am pleased to share it with the readers of Literary Sojourn here.

1. How do you pick a topic?

Broadly speaking, environmental and cultural themes appeal to our combined curiosities. Even simple things that we see or use everyday can set us thinking about a certain idea. Sometimes, questions or reactions from our own children spark off a train of thought. In general, we find ourselves often inclining toward stories that have not been explored before, in both fiction and non-fiction.  

2.  What all research goes in creating a fine book?

The narratives in both the books we have written so far for Tulika are a mix of fiction-non-fiction. For those, we do first decide on a certain topic and try to create a story around it. In Dinaben and the  Lions of Gir, we wanted to tell the story of ghee. Reading about different dairy-farming communities in India gave us a clearer idea about what exactly we wanted in our narrative. And after weeks of research, the story of Asiatic lions in that region and the Maldhari community seemed even more compelling than a simple ghee story. We chose the forests as the backdrop and decided to showcase their harmonious co-existence in Gir.

In Bijoy and the Big River, we thought it would be exciting for kids to read about silk and silk weaving. It was clear to us it had to be about the silk varieties of Assam. Our research led us straight to the Brahmaputra. The big river and its background had so many beautiful tales to tell. Plugging in them together had its own set of challenges. But they did eventually blend well. And yet again, we were amazed how seamlessly they came together for what started as a simple silk story. 

3.     What all led you to the life of Bijoy?

With Bijoy, we knew we wanted to keep the focus on Assam.  So we were trying to bring out several cultural and regional details through our Assamese boy growing up near the river.  And through Bijoy, we decided to weave a quiet narrative capturing the non-violent eri silkworms, the Gangetic dolphins and in general, the lives of people and the bio-diversity around the big river. It was a fascinating journey writing Bijoy!

4. From the forests of Gir (Dinaben and Lions of Gir) to bustling waves of Brahmaputra (Bijoy and the Big River), where do you see your creative flight taking you next?

We have some more ideas in the pipe for Tulika. Another book from Mango Books, D.C. is out for print. It’s a piece of non-fiction about animals that are endangered in India

5. What ambition do you nurture in terms of writing books for children?

We feel the need and desire to continue sharing stories that involve nature, wildlife, people and communities.   And we often feel the desire to tell stories that capture the diverse world we live in, in a way that children can enjoy.  But now and then, we find ourselves toying with totally off-beat, goofy, crazy stories!  It’s probably safe to say we don’t quite know where our next story will take us to

6.  How has the journey of being authors been so far? What is the biggest joy of being one? 

It is always a joy to reach out to children and see their responses first-hand to our books. Their interactive questions during read-alouds are heart-warming and are also tremendous fun to answer.  Both our families are definitely the first audience for our stories, and we look forward to their first feedback. Our children have been incredible in their enthusiasm around every new book and we are grateful for the multiple readings they have sat through. Also, our research connects us to people who are also deeply passionate about some of the things we write about – like nature conservationists, wildlife photographers and people who love to travel. Overall, we are very pleased with what we’ve chosen to do and the experience has been very gratifying for us.

This will be a five-day-long blog tour - with five different perspectives. Here are the dates and places where our readers can find Bijoy and the Big River.

March 18th - Saffron Tree. Sandhya Renukamba.
March 19th - Literary Sojourn. Vibha Sharma.
March 20th - The not-so artful dodger. Artnavy.
March 21st - Mamma of Twins. Itchingtowrite.
March 22nd - The Mad Momma. Lavanya D / Prateek.

Do visit!

Book Review : Let's Talk Money

Title : Let's Talk Money : Road to Riches Made Easy

Author : Akhil Khanna

Publisher : Times Group Books

ISBN : 978-93-80942-88-9

If financial terms overwhelm you and if you are looking for a primer course in order to understand the fundamentals of financial jargon then this is the book for you. It is with this objective that Akhil Khanna has written this book, to enable and empower the people from non-financial background so that they are able to take informed decisions related to money matters. Money is one topic which is feared the most by many but pervades every single sphere of our life. Then instead of running away from discussing this topic, the best option is to face it by understanding it and using it for your benefit because knowledge begets power.

The content is divided into chapters and each chapter introduces a topic first followed by detailed explanation and concludes by reiterating the lessons taught. Very useful nuggets of wisdom are presented at the end of each chapter in the from of points to ponder. In all, the author does try very hard to bring home the point through elaborating upon every point that he is making with various simple yet relatable examples and recapitulating it many times over.

The stage is first set by introducing money and how it changes hands, the factors which impact the price of any commodity, how the demand and supply equation impacts pricing of the services/commodities and what makes a nation's economy. Once the fundamentals are established then he proceeds on to discuss topics ranging from personal investment options to global scenario. The information is appropriately presented in a very simplistic manner so that it capacitates a beginner to handle the financial matters. At the least this handbook would not let an individual feel handicapped in managing one's own money. The book sufficiently warns readers against the risks of some investments and how to be wary of the same. It is very wise of Akhil Khanna to have included chapters on Global Environment and World Financial Crisis. Former becomes extremely significant in the wake of shrinking world through wired reality of current times and the lecture on latter is a kind of analysis of the factors that led to the fall of big names in the crisis and lessons learnt from those mistakes. The chapter on 'Invest in Happiness' deserves special mention and it should form the fundamental baseline of an individual's life.

However the narrative is not free of grammatical mistakes altogether. The author makes it very clear what the book is aimed for and manages to achieve the objective wonderfully.  It is amazing that he has touched all the topics of concern to a layman yet staying clear of the rigmarole of this field. So my compliments to the author for having offered this kind of a light introductory course to novices in financial world. 

a palanquin stitched...

After savoring the art work of Indu Harikumar in Palanquin Bearers and after getting more inspiration from
here, I could not take the image of palanquin out of my mind and had to try stitching it myself.

Though it is not as brilliant as Indu's work, I am happy to satisfy the urge...