I have been really late in posting reviews of the books I have been reading. Blame it on my lackadaisical attitude or my other assignments and engagements. Let me share that this is not the book I read just after Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things.
I also read a book called 1000 Days on the River Kwai by Carry Owtram. I read this one because of YouTube or Facebook—I don’t remember exactly which one. I saw an ad there about a movie on the River Kwai. I was a bit curious about the story and started researching it on the web. I was almost enticed to read this piece of history from WWII, based on the discoveries I made on the internet—the trauma, the journey, the Allied Force POWs, and the sufferings of the soldier-prisoners during their arduous captivity of more than three years in Siam (Thailand).
This work has been published based on the memoir/journal of a British colonel (the author). The book narrates daily life, hope, the longing to be free again, and, more importantly, how a POW camp functions. It has much information to offer, I would say. The trauma, the wounds, the gunshots, and a hidden radio set—all of these tell the story of the tragedy that the author and his countrymen had to endure during those years of ordeal.
Unpredictable and harsh were his enemies, as stated in his diary. He had to go to great lengths to keep this diary hidden from his adversaries. I would say this is the first book of this kind that I have read, and I am glad that I did. Your perspective changes, and you begin to sense the life that war brings. A war like WWII makes that experience even more embittered.
A garden, a church, a makeshift hospital, a welfare fund in a POW camp—yes! Unbelievable, but true. The book explains how the captivity did not deter the bravest souls from trying their best to make life livable amidst such squalor. Then came 1945. A sense of being free again became palpable, the tables turned, and history was rewritten once again!
Look, the winner always writes the history in war—that’s how it is! So, the author’s perspective could have been countered in the enemy’s memoir. War is something that shapes narratives, and sometimes narratives shape the war. The latter is more prevalent in the 21st century, where released information, the media, and push-news articles keep the world busy pondering who is actually winning the war.
Somewhere I read, “The first casualty in war is the truth.” This is a fact of today’s war machinery.
Back to the book. I can confidently suggest that you go ahead and read it. It costs just 52 rupees on Kindle (I’m not sure about the price of the physical book, though). This piece definitely offers an eccentric perspective on war, capture, captivity, and the ordeal.
I would suggest that you read it with an unbiased mind, as I said, “The winner writes the history
The second one, “Iran, Israel, and the Middle East Explained” by Levi Kavan. It’s a book published in 2026 that sheds light on the Middle East crisis, the reasons behind it, its history, religion, and much more. This piece is a terrific find for me, as I had been intrigued by the history of this troubled region for a long time, and the author’s minimal use of jargon made my reading much easier. One of the top books for me in 2026, without a doubt.
The book starts with the Abrahamic teachings and their nuances. It explains how these teachings, or the covenant as it is known, were absorbed differently into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This is where it all starts.
Political ambitions wrapped in religion produced enormous losses, battered lives, and catastrophe across the region. Oil played its part, obviously, and the external players played theirs. Religion offered the justification, the logic—no questions asked—whereas political ambitions knew no bounds.
Monarchies and authoritarian systems controlled the region based on lines drawn by occupiers who had no interest in resolving it properly. Promises were made, back channels activated, petrodollars flowed, and the human beings on the ground suffered—a story that continues.
The beauty of this book is how it records the nuances and presents them to its readers in plain English—readable and comprehensible. Regional potential hegemons didn’t leave any stone unturned to stamp their authority through diplomacy, proxies, wars, and sanctions. The further divide among people based on teachings and beliefs within the religions complicated the issue even more—the misfortune continued.
Invasions and coups became everyday words for the troubled territory. Friends became enemies, the tables turned, enemies became friends, the tables turned again—the story grew even more complicated!
Remember the famous straight-line boundaries of the Middle East. These were gifts (without any consideration for affinities, tribes, or cultures) from colonizers, external players, sympathizers, occupiers, or suppressors—whatever you want to call them depends on you, your perspective, and, more importantly, the regional affiliations you have.
Go ahead and grab it if you would like to know more about the current conflict and its history!
“Your friends are my friends, but your enemies are not necessarily my enemies” – credit to today’s geopolitics.
Nope, I am not done with the Middle East. Another one—rather, a short one of around 70 pages—takes you back to 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, and Tunisia. Recalled something?
One day, Mohamed was selling his wares when a police officer came and confiscated his weighing machine. Despondency set in, and he immolated himself. His cousin recorded the video!
Here started an agitation that would scar almost the entire region. Hardly any country was spared. Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, and Syria, to name a few.
The book is “ARAB SPRING” by HOURLY HISTORY.
As the book rightly says, it’s a simplified history with timelines. I had never dived into the details of the Arab Spring. This book provided me with an opportunity to do so real quick. Dates, countries, and events—everything has been recorded without using much jargon.
Countries resorted to compromise, give-ins, while some used brutal hard power. The Arab world has mostly been ruled by monarchies, with exceptions in just a few places. Ottomans, World War I, occupiers (I didn’t get a better word, though), World War II, occupiers, self-determination, monarchies—I hope this order is correct… LOL.
The Resource Curse—the Arab world enjoys it and rues it. They seem to be in a juxtaposition, unable to decide which one weighs more. Oil, petrodollars, lack of innovation, subsidies—the Arab world tries to balance them perpetually.
Go ahead and read it. It does not take more than a couple of hours and is available for free on Kindle Unlimited.
My Takeaways:
Humanity, historians, and intellectuals will always argue about democracy v/s authoritarian systems. Arguments in favor of both types of governance are perpetual. Weighing the pros and cons, I would say, has baffled all of us—we end up even more confused.
Strictly in my opinion, a controlled democratic system is the best approach, where the interests of the country remain the top priority and, at the same time, the welfare of its citizens is amply taken care of.
When I say welfare, I mean preparing for the worst, uplifting people through training and skill development, providing a uniform platform for all to excel and prosper, avoiding freebies, and banning populist politics. More importantly, it means envisioning a system that continues to work despite changes in leadership.
Take Japan and Australia, for example. How many prime ministers have we seen in our lifetime that we have lost count? Yet, they have systems in place that never falter.
India lacks such a system. Yes, we are constantly refining and improving it—be it education, defence, healthcare, or the support systems in place—but we still have a long way to go on this journey.
Respecting protests while maintaining zero tolerance for vandalism and the destruction of public facilities is equally important. Law and order should be enforced more strictly, establishing a BIG NO for corrupt practices.
Another suggestion I have is to introduce a culture of self-reliance and greater awareness of civic sense in school and college curricula.
That’s all for these three books. Ciao!
Have a happy day! Keep reading, keep exploring!