Your Heart, My Hands: The Remarkable Life of One of America's Most Prolific Cardiac Surgeons

Rags to riches stories are always a sure hit considering how many people are lost and looking to get back on track in life. Along that story line we have Dr. Arun Singh's book Your Heart, My Hands which is coming out shortly. Dr. Singh a long time cardiothoracic surgeon with self-declared 15000+ heart surgeries chronicles his journey from a small town in India to becoming a preeminent surgeon in the US. Born in a lower middle class family ( It's an assumption based on the facts presented) with all the qualities of a mischievous child who is always getting in trouble like many kids of that age do with no clear direction in life finally buckles down after some life altering events and self-reflection and eventually gets an opportunity to come to the US to do surgical internship and eventually becoming a successful surgeon. Along the way, he had to face his share of racism as was very common during that time but how with hard work and little luck he overcame it all and went on to have a long and successful career as a cardiothoracic surgeon. But alas, old age and some institutional level politics forced him to retire. 


Overall, I think this is a good motivational biography yet thought provoking.

The Corporation: An Epic Story of the Cuban American Underworld

Fascinating and thrilling story of Cuban American Underworld by T.J. English. This is almost an investigative journalism account of  the Godfather of Cuban mafia, a product of failed American Diplomacy with Cuba turned mob boss, a story of a decorated war hero of Bay of Pigs invasion. What started as a small time gambling venture morphed into an enterprise(The Corporation) involving putting out hits, racketeering, money laundering, drugs business under the leadership of Jose Miguel Battle who was given asylum in the US due to failed bay of pigs invasion. With complex structural organization this was truly a Corporation. After ruling the mob scene for years, a hardworking and a dedicated cop David Shanks eventually brought the Corporation and it's key players to their knees. Overall this is an interesting book and if you are looking for a fictional thriller that is really a true crime story, a mob or gangs historian or a history buff you will enjoy this book. 

The Atlas of Disease: Mapping deadly epidemics and contagion from the plague to the zika virus

Being a physician albiet a Radiologist, I decided to check this book out called " The Atlas of Disease" and to be honest it brought back all those memories of medical school Microbiology lectures. I have to admit I barely remember a fraction of what I knew about the subject matter from back in med school.but this book provided a quick refresher. Obviously this time I enjoyed reading the book rather than trying to cramp for some exam. 

The pathogens are categorized depending on their origin with brief historic significance regarding their origin, geographical distribution, signs, symptoms and just fun tit-bits about the entity. 

If you are  a student of infectious diseases getting a PhD or a medical resident/fellow or a medical student this book will make a good addition to your book shelf. 

How Finance Works The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers by Mihir Desai

Awesome book on the subject by Mihir Desai is what this book is. I have been trying to educate myself for quite sometime about Stock Market and Investing. I have read few books on the subject matter and while most books that I have read addresses at least one to two chapters on decoding a financial statements, I have never found the coverage satisfactorily. They just list definitions and equations but in this book that is entirely dedicated to understanding the subject matter of finance, the author takes a didactic approach and walks you through the concepts in a very tutored environment. The definitions are clear and easy to understand and periodically there are vignettes to make you reflect on whatever is being discussed. If you are looking for a book to familiarize yourself with financial concepts and lingo or learning how to evaluate a company before investing in it or are starting a job or already in a job that requires you to communicate with financial personnel this book is for you. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that is easy to read and comprehensible enough even for someone with no commerce or business background.

P.S: This book has been given to me by Harvard Business Review Press for my unbiased opinion of this book.

Trailer Park Wives: Double-wide Edition.

Ok so usually I don't read much fiction let alone a book that has "Trailer Park Wives" in it's title but this book was given to me (the audio version) for my unbiased review and let me tell you I was not disappointed. Yep it's a story of trailer park wives, drugs, sex, debauchery, infidelity, murder but it's intriguing. I bet such things are common occurrence at a community like the one portrayed in the book. The story keeps you on your toes and you just can't stop. The suspense, the mystery.  I recommend this book if you are looking for some light community drama.

Also, you do not need to have read Trailer Park Wives:Single-wide edition to understand the story plot in the Double-wide version.

P.S: This book was given to me for free for my unbiased opinion and review of the book.

The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago

Thrilling, sensual, nostalgia provoking story of gunner girls of Chicago of early 20th century that was eventually turned into a Broadway play and a movie called Chicago. Story of Belva Gaertner, Buelah Annan and Wanda Stopa the three of the beautiful gun girls of my hometown Chicago from 1920s who were never convicted of the crimes they committed because of the well during that time you couldn't be convicted if you are beautiful and it was all male jury. The story of these three murderess covered by Maurine Watkins one of the few female crime reporters sheds lights on the social and political times in Chicago during early part of the 20th century. If you are from Chicago or feeling nostalgia pick up this book and enjoy the times of jazz, bootleggers, gangs and of course Chicago's gun girls.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an IKEA Wardrobe

Very entertaining book of a fakir/magician/conman from a small village in Rajasthan, India to France with sideway journeys into various European countries. Entertaining yet thought provoking. Traveling makes your horizons broad and that's what happened to Ajita Shatru the main character in this novel. It does have a Bollywood type end.

Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side by Julia Shaw

Is Evil an absolute entity or does it depend on our perspective i.e is it subjective judgement hat we pass related to an act? How do you define Evil? Are some people evil and others by dichotomy not evil? The book Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Site by Julia Shaw sheds light on these and many more perceived or factual biases against what our society considers Evil. I think we all have evil tendencies but they are sub-clinical that let's us function and be considered "normal" in the eyes of society we dwell in. Overall, this book is a good read and makes a case against evaluating one's own self before compartmentalizing acts as evil or not-evil.

P.S: Thank you ABRAMS book for forwarding me a copy for free in return for my unbiased opinion about this book.

The Age of Shiva

After reading The Death of  Vishnu few years ago, I wanted to give this book a shot hoping that Manil Suri will recreate the magic and he has to some extent but this book is not as interesting as The Death of Vishnu. The story of a middle child whose fate is sealed in the form of a marriage the moment she lets her teenage curiosity take her into the arms of her sister's ex-boyfriend. The plot of this novel is so common among Indian families in 1950s-60s that it is easy to relate to the events unfurling as the story goes on.  

This Is Cuba: An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow

This Is Cuba by David Ariosto offers an in-depth analysis of Cuba from investigative journalistic point of view. Cuba like North Korea has been an object of fascination with it's Soviet Era style administration and life. While North Korea is way more restrictive, Cuba is relatively less restrictive offering anyone with no intentions to interfere in governmental administration a fair chance to visit and experience the "time capsule". While written from personal experience of the author while his stay in Cuba as a journalist for CNN, he goes way beyond the nitty gritty of daily living and delves into the socioeconomic, political and ideological differences that separates it from other nations. Past administrations, the last one being Obama administration has taken first step towards befriending the nation so that both the nations can mutually benefit but the current administration seem to have taken steps back to place both the nation where it was. Who knew Cuba offered medical services to nations suffering from natural disasters or loaned spies to other nations in exchange for money. Who knew that Cuban scientist's are making breakthroughs in biotechnology that US could benefit from. Cuba just 90 miles from the US border is an untapped market for business and cultural exchange and in my opinion steps should be taken to let go of the Cold War era differences. Overall, this book is well-written, is interesting and definitely will add to your fascination for Cuba.