Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
post
page
product
Want to stay in the loop with latest bookish news and views? Subscribe to HarperBroadcast!
harpercollins-broadcast
close
search

Rooting around in History: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar’s book recommendations

Share

Here are seven books on history and politics that our host of the month thinks you should read!

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

When I was suddenly seized by the writing impulse amidst my corporate career, this was the book that took my hand and taught me so much. A beautiful meditation on the nature of art, what it means to be a writer, and how to bring one’s authentic self to what is a calling, not a career.

Maus by Art Spiegelman

A powerful graphic novel that uses the device of animals as people to reconstruct the story of the lives of his parents, survivors of the Jewish holocaust. The personal and the political come together in riveting form. A must read for anyone seeking to understand historical trauma.

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

A book that taught me how to use the English language to wrestle with the Punjabi milieu and bring the story of Partition alive on page. Rooted in the soil of Punjab, this dramatic narrative is harrowing, yet shot through with love.

Stern Reckoning by G.D. Khosla

Justice Khosla wrote this book in the immediate aftermath of Partition and documents in great detail the violence that erupted, casualty figures, and political occurrences. A first-hand and first-rate scholarly account.

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru

This book made me fall in love with my country. Written by Pandit Nehru during his jail term in Ahmednagar Fort, without the aid of google or research material, this is a homage to the idea of India/Bharat/Hindustan.

Raiders in Kashmir by Akbar Khan

This is a memoir of the Kabaili invasion of Kashmir written by the soldier who spearheaded the effort that was planned in Lahore by senior Pakistani officials. Riveting.

The Wager by David Grann

A powerful retelling of a shipwreck that steers clear of tropes. Naval explorations were at the heart of empire-building and Grann lays open the racism and greed at the heart of this enterprise. A masterclass in narrative non-fiction writing.


Deprecated: File Theme without comments.php is deprecated since version 3.0.0 with no alternative available. Please include a comments.php template in your theme. in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6085

There are no comments.


Warning: Undefined variable $aria_req in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-content/themes/harpercollins/comments.php on line 67

Warning: Undefined variable $aria_req in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-content/themes/harpercollins/comments.php on line 68

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Favourite Banner
Your favourite literary newsletter just got a makeover!

New Releases • Author Speak • Events & Festivals Recommendations • First Look • After School Tales Press Room • Pre Orders • Coming Soon • Special Offers Trending • Just In • Also Read • And much more...