Book Review - The One You Cannot Have

Synopsis from the back cover :
How long does it take to heal a broken heart? Can you ever forget that one perfect relationship you had? Anjali knows who she wants, she wants Aman. Aman too knows who he wants, he wants Shruti. Shruti and Aman were once inseparable. Theirs was a love that would last forever and more. Then, out of the blue, Shruti left Aman. A devastated Aman moved abroad in the hope of forgetting Shruti and to heal. Shruti married Rishabh. Now Aman is back in India and looking for a fresh start. But he is still haunted by memories of his love. Can he ever break free from it? His head tells him to move on, to find love with Anjali, but his heart wont listen. No matter what he does, Shruti's shadow looms large. Can there be a happily-ever-after for any of them? A straight-from-the-heart modern-day romance of unrequited love, of complicated relationships and about moving on when you realise that there will always be the one you cannot have.

Why should you read the book : 
It explains the modern day relationships aptly : how 'letting go' and 'moving on' are easier said than done and redefines the meaning of happy endings. The characters resemble people we know. The best part of the book is it's narrative which changes in each chapter and yet manages to form a strong plot without confusing us.


My Rating :3.2/5

Book Review - The Tipping Point

"Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push - in just the right place - it can be tipped."

 How did Sesame Street become the most beloved T.V. program of its generation ?
 How did a social psycologist persuade a group of college senior students at Yale University to get a    tetanus shot ?
How have suicides tipped ?

The Tipping Point explains how certain ideas,  products and behaviours spread just like viruses do. How small things can make a big difference in these epidemics. Certain trends emerge - the transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, the rise of teenage smoking, the rise of Hush Puppies, the rise of crime in certain areas over a lapse of time and so on.

Malcom Gladwell explains the three laws governing the spread of these epidemics :-
1.The Law of the Few - There are three kinds of people responsible for spreading these epidemics -
    (a)The Connectors ,the people who have a strong network and know everyone.
    (b)The Mavens, the stores of information who like to be helpers in the marketplace.
    (c)The Salesmen are pros in the art of convincing people to buy a particular product.
2. The Stickiness Factor - There is a simple way to package information that under the right circumstances can make it irresistible .
 3.The Power Of Context says that human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they seem.These three points form the framework of the book through which Gladwell cites fascinating examples.

He talks about the bystander problem which we experience in our daily life - when people are in a group, responsibility for acting is diffused. They assume that somebody else will make the call, or that because no one is acting, the apparent problem isn't really a problem.

Among the many interesting narratives, he talks about smoking -"Smoking was never cool .Smokers were cool." How things like genetic factors have an effect over one's smoking habits. He talks about parenting and how crime can be prevented in the first place.

This book is not only for the people opting for a marketing degree but for everyone.
My Rating :3.5/5

Book Review - Tuesdays with Morrie

Have you really had a teacher ? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that with wisdom could be polished to a proud shine ? If you are lucky enough to find your way back to teachers, you will always find your way back.Sometimes it is only in your head.Sometimes it is right alongside their bedside.

Morrie Schwartz has ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), an unforgiving illness of the neurological system which has no cure.The same disease that has reduced Stephen Hawking into a man frozen in his own flesh.Morrie does not have much time left and when his old student Mitch comes to know about it he goes to visit him.

The last class of his old professor's life took place once a week on Tuesdays, in his home, by a window in his study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink flowers.The subject was meaning of life.He speaks about detachment beautifully-

"Take any emotion - love for a woman, or grief for a loved one, or what I'm going through- fear and pain from a deadly illness.If you hold back on the emotions- if you don't allow yourself to go all the way through them- you can never get to being detached, you're busy being afraid.You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. "

About forgiveness he says - "Forgive yourself first before you die.Then forgive others. "

About Death he says - "Death ends a life, not a relationship."

The final class is the most touching class as Mitch hugs Morrie goodbye and you finally realise what it feels like to lose a loved one.

This is a beautiful book with simple explanations drawn from real life experiences.
My Rating : 4/5