A $2,500 book on US decline is suddenly a must-read in China

After chaos engulfed the US Capitol last week, some Chinese intellectuals found themselves searching for copies of an out-of-print book to make sense of events. “America Against America” forecast the US’s decline due to domestic conflicts more than 30 years ago.

 

Among the things driving the demand was the author: Wang Huning, the Communist Party’s No. 5 leader and top political theorist to three Chinese presidents. Some copies have surged to more than 16,600 yuan ($2,500) on Kungfuzi, an online marketplace for antiques. That’s more than 3,000 times its original asking price in 1991, when Japan was more widely seen as America’s big economic rival.

“The interest in the book is the result of a renewed desire to understand a US that is in the midst of a civil Cold War,” said Wang Wen, executive dean of Renmin University’s Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. “China’s doubts about the US will certainly increase in light of recent events.”

 

The Capitol Hill turmoil is being read in Beijing as the most powerful sign yet that societal fissures in the US are behind increasingly erratic foreign policy shifts. That’s feeding Chinese apprehension about reaching agreements on trade or other politically charged disputes with President-elect Joe Biden.

10 Intro Books On Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come a long way over the past few years in simulating human intelligence. Today, AI is the lifeblood of almost every organization cutting across sectors including, retail, financial, healthcare, among others.

Here’s an updated list of 10 best intro books on artificial intelligence geared towards  AI enthusiasts.

1. Artificial Intelligence Engines: A Tutorial Introduction to the Mathematics of Deep Learning
2.  Artificial Intelligence Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction
3.  Artificial Intelligence – A Modern Approach (3rd Edition)
4.  Artificial Intelligence For Dummies
5.  Artificial Intelligence for Humans
6.  Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
7.  A First Course in Artificial Intelligence
8.  Artificial Intelligence: The Basics
9.  Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence
10.  Human Compatible – AI and the Problem of Control

 

Which one is your favorite book on AI, have you read any of these books, if yes then please review in comment section. 

Thought-provoking books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

International bestselling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on September 15, 1977 in Nigeria. After studying medicine for some time, she left for the United States in 1997, where she studied communication and political science.

 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

Balancing her time between Nigeria and the United States, she got a master’s degree in creative writing from John Hopkins University and studied African history at Yale University. She has received multiple awards and honours, including the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007) and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (2008).

Adichie’s 2009 TED Talk, ‘The Danger of A Single Story’, is currently one of the most viewed TED Talks ever. Her 2012 talk ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ began a global conversation about women's liberation and feminism, so much so that it was later published as a book in 2014.

 

These are all the thought-provoking books written by Adichie  -

1. Purple Hibiscus'
2. Half of a Yellow Sun'
3. Americanah'
4. The Thing Around Your Neck'
5. We Should All Be Feminists'
6. Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions’

 

Have you read any of these books or any other book written by adichie? tell us in comments.

The Best Books from Afghanistan

Some of the best contemporary literary fiction and non-fiction to come out of Afghanistan, from both Afghan and international authors, and looks at how these books interpret the culture, society and history of this unsettled landscape.

 

US Soldier getting water from little Afghan girl

Modern Afghan authors have opened up their country to the world like never before, but Afghanistan has always had a treasure-trove of rich culture and heritage; it was said in ancient Pashtun texts that if you stretched your leg in Kabul you were in danger of kicking a poet.

Here is the list of popular books - 

 

1. Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner
2. Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns
3. Andrea Busfield – Born Under a Million Shadows
4. Nadeem Aslam – The Wasted Vigil
5. Atiq Rahimi – Earth and Ashes
6. Abdul Salam Zaeef – My Life with the Taliban
7. Jason Elliot – An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan

 

Have you read any book from the above list, or you have read a different one which is not in the list? Tell us in comment, also tell something about this list.

Guess What the New Sally Rooney Book Is About

New Sally Rooney alert: This September, we’re finally getting a new book from the breakout Irish author whose two earlier novels — both set in Ireland, both featuring tortured relationships and miscommunications aplenty — were unputdownable. The forthcoming book, titled Beautiful World, Where Are You, will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

Sally Rooney

 And you’ll never guess what it’s about. According to the New York Times, it’s set in Dublin and centers on four characters (“a novelist named Alice, her best friend Eileen, and their respective love interests, Felix and Simon”), and their attempts to balance their love and work lives. But they’re also, as FSG publisher Mitzi Angel put it to the Times, “contemplating a world in which the future is very uncertain for them — what’s the world of work going to look like, what’s going to happen to the planet, what are the politics we are all living through.”

Sound familiar? Yes, perhaps a little, and we approve. Give us another book with brooding characters who find themselves in complicated romantic relationships, set against the backdrop of gloomy Ireland in late capitalism. Force us to reexamine how power dynamics play out in our own interpersonal relationships. Make us feel a perplexing cocktail of emotions, prominently featuring emotional anguish and horniness.

One more thrilling detail, from the Times report: Beautiful World, Where Are You being only the first of a two-book deal that Angel acquired from the Wylie Agency, meaning we’ll definitely be getting a fourth new Sally Rooney at some point. While we know nothing about this second book, and FSG declined to offer up any details, we have a rough inkling of its themes.

Books by legendary cricketers

Cricket is not just a game, but a religion for millions of fans of the sport across the world. For people who live and breathe cricket, here we list down some books written by legendary cricketers which you should read. 

Checkout the list here and don't forget to add these books to your reading list!

 

 

1.  Sunny Days: Sunil Gavaskar's Own Story' by Sunil Gavaskar
   
2.  Playing It My Way: My Autobiography' by Sachin Tendulkar
3.  On Fire: My Story of England's Summer to Remember' by Ben Stokes
4.  A Century is Not Enough' by Sourav Ganguly
5.  The Test of My Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back' by Yuvraj Singh
6.  281 and Beyond' by VVS Laxman
7.  No Spin: My Autobiography' by Shane Warne
8.  AB: The Autobiography' by A B de Villiers

 

Have you read any of these? How was it and which one? Any other book you think we have missed in this list?

3 most anticipated books of 2021

If you are a bibliophile like us who ranks their years according to the number of great new books being published, here is a literary gold mine with 3 of the most anticipated books of 2021

 

 1. The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone

This Hollywood actor’s memoir chronicles her efforts to rebuild her life after suffering a massive stroke that hit her health, career, family, fortune and global fame adversely. Brutally honest, the book exposes Stone’s imperfections and how she grappled with them courageously. The book is slated to be published on March 30.

2. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

Written after nearly a decade by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Whereabouts is slated to be published on April 27. Set in an unnamed dreamy Italian city, the novel narrates the haunting portrait of a woman in her mid-40s and how her solitude infuses with her conversations and her decisions as she moves through the lonely city.

3. What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

Coming at just the right time as many of us tackle the COVID-19 fog after coming out of 2020, this non-fiction by renowned child trauma expert and neuroscientist, Dr Bruce D Perry and Oprah Winfrey discusses the legacy and impact of trauma and its adversity apart from exploring its healing with a shift from asking, “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” The book is slated to be published on April 27.

Which books are you looking forward to in 2021?

Books You Should Be Reading in 2021

Reading has the power to quiet our minds in disorientating moments, offering a sense of escapism which could hardly be more welcome in these somewhat chaotic times. Armed with a good book you have the power to educate and entertain yourself for hours, and all without the blue light comedown of an hour spent scrolling Twitter.

 

2021 is set to be a stellar year for books if nothing else. Here's our pick of the lot.

1. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
2. Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic
3. Luster by Raven Leilani
4. The Unusual Suspect by Ben Machell
5. A Burning by Megha Majumdar
6. Sea State by Tabitha Lasley
7. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
8. Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler
9. no one is talking about this by Patricia Lockwood
10. Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro


Have you chosen any book in advance to read this year? Please tell us in comment.

Guwahati (Assam, India) Book Fair 2021 shows impressive footfall

With nearly 60,000 visitors on an average daily, the Guwahati book fair has managed to maintain its legacy even after a gap of two years.

After a gap of two years, Assam Publication Board has managed to bring back the Guwahati Book Fair. The 33rd edition of the book fair is being held at the Assam Engineering Institute playground at Chandmari. The Guwahati book fair kick-started from December 30 and will conclude on January 10.

 

Pramod Kalita, secretary, Assam Publication Board, said the ongoing book fair has started with an impressive footfall. The book fair has witnessed an impressive number of around 60,000 visitors daily, on an average, with over 115 book stands at the venue. The book fair has also witnessed publication houses from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Delhi amongst others.

Team EastMojo’s ground report showed that the entry is free for the book fair, and the event has been organised following all the COVID-19 protocols issued by the government.

"This is the first mega event organised by the Assam government post-COVID-19 pandemic and has done a business of more than Rs 5 crore till Wednesday," said Pramod Kalita, secretary of Assam Publication Board.

 

"I have been setting up my bookstall at the Guwahati book fair for more than 20 years. We have received a good response from the visitors this year, maybe because it took place after the pandemic hit us and also because it has taken place after two years," said the owner of Nayyar bookstall. He also said that they give a discount of 20-40 per cent to the visitors.

The Guwahati book fair came in as good news for all the bibliophiles across the state since even the North-East book fair was recently rescheduled to November 2021.

Books about how the animal kingdom's mamas and pappas love their young ones

Vaishali Karthikeyan and Vaishnavi Giri's books Mammas in the Wild and Pappas in the Wild are a delight to read and are definitely for keeps. This is why you should read it too.

Parents are all love when it comes to their children. Whether it's us humans or our friends from the animal kingdom. The books Mammas in the Wild and Pappas in the Wild, which were launched on January 7, attempt to show children this love that moves the world. Written from a place of experience by Vaishali Karthikeyan, Montessori teacher and a TEDx speaker and illustrated with acumen by Vaishnavi Giri, Founder of Wildpaper, these books attempt to prove the same statement with which we started this story, that parenting is all love.

Vaishnavi is absolutely psyched about the self-published book's launch and her energy is infectious. It was three days after Mother's Day (May 10), 2020 that the duo started working on this project. "Both Vaishali and I agreed on the fact that we needed to speak about parenting on a wholesome level so that even a child can understand. There are so many kinds of parents and with them, come different kinds of love. And the best way for them to learn is via nature," says Vaishnavi. The 32-year-old had started Wildpaper in 2019 via which she retails early learning cards (her most popular product) and floor puzzles. It was with the birth of her children Bhumi and Nakshatra that she got interested in designing these cards and puzzles and she used her UI/UX skills to good use for it. 

For more on them, check out wildpaper. in

Costa Book Awards for 2020

The Costa Book Awards for 2020, under several categories, have been announced. 

 

First Novel Award 2020 has been awarded to Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud, while the Novel Award 2020 has been given to The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Love Story by Monique Roffey. The Louder I Will Sing by Lee Lawrence won the Biography Award while The Historians by Eavan Boland won the Poetry Award. Children’s Award has been given to Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant.

The Louder I Will Sing by Lawrence is a powerful memoir detailing his journey for justice for his mother who was shot in 1985 by London police.

In a long Twitter thread, Lee expressed his gratitude and shared the way his mother would have reacted to the news. “This is a moment in time that I know that my mum, Cherry Groce, would have been proud to see. Her story, the injustice inflicted upon her and the subsequent fight to achieve recognition has not been in vain.”

“Since writing The Louder I Will Sing, there has been a re-ignition and expansion of allyship and togetherness throughout our community and far beyond. People who didn’t know our history are now being introduced to it for the first time and it’s creating a shift,” he further added.

10 must-read technology books for 2021

Gain a new perspective on core and emerging technologies - from robotics to virtual reality - and the related leadership challenges. Put these technology books on your reading list

Let’s hope – for all the curve balls that 2020 threw our way – that one of the unexpected benefits of this tumultuous year has been a little more time to tick some books off your reading list. Last year at this time, we recommended a number of then-forthcoming titles for CIOs looking to take a deeper dive into technology topics, from AI to the ins and outs of technology experimentation and innovation.

 

This year, we are again offering up our recommended technology reads for the new year, beginning with an overview of the technology likely to top the agenda in 2021.

These are the books - 

1. The Year in Tech 2021: Tools for Preparing Your Team for the Future
2. What To Expect When You’re Expecting Robots: The Future of Human-Robot Collaboration
3. My Robot Gets Me: How Social Design Can Make New Products More Human
4. User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play
5. Reality Check: How Immersive Technologies Can Transform Your Business
6. Agile Transformation: Using the Integral Agile Transformation Framework to Think and Lead Differently
7. Ask Your Developer: How to Harness the Power of Software Developers and Win in the 21st Century
8. The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
9. The Imagination Machine: How to Create Ideas and Bring Them to Life
10. Eat, Sleep, Innovate: How to Make Creativity an Everyday Habit Inside Your Organization

Tell us in comment what is your best technology book you have read so far and which one you will choose from this list to read.