Category: book reviews

Drive My Car: A Short Story

In this short story collection, all of the seven men are immensely curious and on the basis of their curiosity, each story moves forward. In the first short story, ‘Drive My Car’ the protagonist is a veteran actor who lost his wife to advanced uterian cancer. Kafuku, the curious widower has been living his days seeking for answers for his dead wife’s infidelity. He has been in love with her for twenty long years to the extent where he knowingly ignored the four affairs his wife had been in, after they both lost their three days old child at the hospital. He finds solace in the company of the female driver whom he hires, even though he had always been doubtful of women drivers. He loses his beautiful wife but he can’t lose the thought of she making love with her colleague. He ends up meeting her last partner, after her death. Kafuku befriends him in order to find a fatal flaw which he would use against him as a way to punish him for sleeping with his wife. Only he couldn’t. He couldn’t punish the other man. He lets the other man go. But, curiosity doesn’t leave Kafuku.

Haruki Murakami is one of the most popular bestseller authors across the globe. All of his works are his masterpieces, his words keep the readers hooked to the story until the very last. He got immense popularity with his novel, The Norwegian Wood, a gem of a book. He is not only a bestseller in his native place but also a bestseller all around the world. He has done an excellent work with his novel, Men Without Women. He has completely hypnotized the readers with his magic words and beautiful minute details. The book has seven tales of seven different characters, bound together only on one point – the lack of one woman in their lives. All the protagonists are male, and their lives are halved and they are left lonely without women.

The entire plot of the short story revolves around curiosity. Murakami, through his narration, brought out the nature of every character present in the story. You definitely should read the story, to understand the depths of human mind. Their are many intricacies in human mind, and Murakami miraculously excels every single time with his extraordinary words, and a sense of getting deep inside the reader’s thoughts. He brings out the rhythms to the heart’s music, and plays it, according to his convenience. We read, what he writes for us, in a way that our desires get fulfilled. It is extremely hard to put down any work of Haruki Murakami, before finishing. But, the most beautiful part of reading Murakami’s works are, you can read them as many times you want, but every time you open the page to the same old story, trust me, the words would speak differently to you.

In my opinion, the universe would become a sad but happy place, if you read the short story, ‘Drive My Car.’ It is one of a kind, which provides you with a sense of calm, yet holds your attention until the very last, and even then, you would wish the story to continue, you would wish to know more about the characters, and you stay oddly unsatisfied yet satisfied with the story.

Will India have SUPERPOWERS like USA?

The world is almost ruled by powerful countries like USA, China, Japan, Russia etc. and its none of the wonder that developed countries are helping as well as exploiting the developing countries. Developing countries like India, Pakistan, Srilanka and many more… are mostly dependent on the developed countries, but the biggest question arises will India be list of the superpower countries by 2050. The answer would be yes, but unfortunately due to pandemic situation that number will rise to 2055-2060 because India faced a major setback due to this and also India build a strong relation with other countries with help of our respected Prime Minister sir. Let us look out which factors are going to help to build a nation with superpowers:

1- Economic growth

Chinese economy is based on foreign investment, while India is growing based on a more local economic sector. So if we look in future i.e. after 30-40 India will overtake as it is very slow process. We know very well that many MNCs have begun to invest tremendously in India and has started to rely on Indian engineers for their next generation products. Companies like GM, Boeing, Motorola and many others have begun to build their Research and Development facilities and Asian headquarters in India. They see more potential on Indian market. If India is able to maintain this steady growth, it can definitely become 2nd largest economy by 2050.

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Photo by Dom J on Pexels.com

 

3) Military power

India stands on 4th rank in terms of defense with the budget of 54 billion $ and 13L+ army man. India has a total of 2,102 aircrafts and a naval strength of 295 and is ready to tackle any military emergency. India is gaining new technology and ideas from world and also our DRDO is working very efficient like wise India adopted 5th generation fighter plane from Russia and Defense Drone technology from USA and other technology too from Israel. Therefore if India increases the defense budget in next 3-4 decades, specially in Air force and cyber and New technology than India definitely can handle any worse situation.

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Image source: economictimes.com

3- Diplomacy and international relations

India’s Diplomacy is standing at a good potions no matter still there are many internal disputes but in the eyes of world India is at a better place. India is able to maintain relation with foreign countries in a stable and steady manner which will ultimately help the people of India. In the coming years India will be able to maintain permanent seat in UN Security Council which will be biggest achievement in diplomatic point of view.

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Image source: Kosha group

4) Population

India has highest number of fresh minds, they are handled correctly with innovative and interesting education system than none of the country can stop India to be listed in top 5 countries. Youth is the biggest asset of India and no other country has this much amount of youth in their population. In the coming years, some of the strong nations of the world will face problem of decrease in populations and this will lead to, a decline in workforce, India will face no such problem.

India’s education system need to be modified a bit and student instead of memorizing theories, they should be taught to learn and understand the concept. The subject related to entrepreneurship should be added at early age so that they get knowledge of business at early age which would help them and ultimately help the nation.

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Image source: Indiannewsonweb.com

5- Science and Technology

India has greatest potential yet to be showed to the world in the field of science and technology. New and new startups are evolving around us day by day and that will help a lot. Our scientist proved that India can even complete the mission on a budget of bollywood movie. India is also 4th country to land on the moon. India is emerging slowly in the field of software and will create a great impact in the near future.

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

 

BASICS OF A MICROBIOLOGY LAB

Microbiology is the study of microbes i.e. the organisms which we can’t see with the naked eyes. Although many microorganisms are beneficial for the human use, some are pathogenic also which causes diseases. Clinical Microbiological Laboratory is concerned with finding of those infectious, pathogenic microbes.

MATERIALS USED IN MICROBIOLOGY LAB
Laminar flow hood, Incubator, Autoclave, Refrigerator, Bunsen Burner, Wire loop, Petri plates, Glass slides, Weighing balance, Media plates, Sensitivity disks, Staining rack, Microscope, Bio safety Cabinet, Centrifuge etc.

INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENT MEDIA
Some of the media used in the microbiology lab are :

  1. MacCONKEY AGAR : It is the selective and differential media used for the isolation of Gram-negative Bacteria. This media can be used for differentiating Lactose fermenting and Non-lactose fermenting bacteria.
  2. BLOOD AGAR : It is the enriched media for the growth of bacteria such as streptococci.
  3. CHOCOLATE AGAR : It is the lysed Blood Agar. The only difference in blood agar and chocolate agar is that in blood agar RBCs are lysed. This enriched media is suitable for the growth of bacteria that are unable to grow on Blood Agar.
  4. THIOSULFATE CITRATE BILE SALT AGAR (TCBS) : It is the selective as well as differential media for the growth of vibrio cholerae , a causative organism for cholera.

GRAM STAINING
Gram staining is the process for differentiating Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. When the whole procedure of gram stain is followed and the slide is observed under the microscope, Gram positive bacteria appear Violet in color and Gram negative bacteria appear Pink in color.
For the gram staining we need Glass slide, Normal Saline, Inoculating loop, Bunsen burner, Crystal Violet, Gram’s Iodine, Acetone, Safranine.

PROCESS :

  1. The isolated colony of the microorganism is taken and in the drop of normal saline on the glass slide the colony is mixed with the help of inoculating loop to make a smear. The prepared smear is heat fixed.
  2. A staining rack is taken and on the smear, Crystal Violet is added. After 1 minute, the stain was removed by washing the slide in running water.
  3. After that, Gram’s Iodine is added on the smear as a decolorizing agent which is again washed after 1 minute under the running tap water.
  4. The next step is to add Acetone on the smear which is added in the hand to hand process.
  5. After the decolorisation is done, Safranine is added on the smear which is also washed after 1 minute.
  6. The glass slide is then air dried and observed under the microscope.

RESULTS :
It was observed under the microscope that the Gram positive bacteria appear Violet in color due to Crystal Violet stain whereas Gram negative bacteria appear Pink in color due to safranine.

TESTS ANALYZED
The tests analyzed in the microbiology section of the laboratory are basically the culture and sensitivities tests of urine, stool, sputum, pus swab etc.
The basic procedure of performing all the tests are :

  1. First of all, all the tests are performed inside the laminar flow hood.
  2. The samples collected from the patients and the media plates are kept inside the laminar flow.
  3. The inoculating wire loop is heat sterilized and with the help of it, the samples are cultured or streaked on the media plates.
  4. After inoculation, the cultured media plates are incubated for 24 hours (48 hours if necessary) for allowing the growth of bacteria.
  5. After the growth, staining is done or sensitivities are checked according to the requirement by the doctor.
  6. The report is prepared for the patient.

RHONDA BYRNE’S THE SECRET : A BOOK REVIEW

Rhonda Byrne is an Australian writer. Before becoming an author, she began her career as a radio producer and then a television produce. She was extremely close to her father and after the death of her father at 2004, Byrne had gone into depression. Her daughter helped her to come out of the depression and with her influence Byrne read The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, and regained positivity in life. She then uncovered the law of attraction and understood how to find success in life. After that she started her research about the law of attractions and thus, she delivered THE SECRET in 2006.

The book has the ability to change a life in a positive way. It is a psychological and philosophical book. The Secret became a turning point in Byrne’s life.  Her book became so popular that it became the worldwide best seller book. The book is available in 50 languages and has 34 million copies in print. The book is a compilation of laws and secrets that Byrne researched about and applied in her own life to achieve health, success and positivity. It is really commendable how masterfully she brought all her life changing experiences in this book. Byrne got to understand the great secret and by writing this book she tried to help the world to experience it.

The book is comprised of Laws of Attraction and the great mysteries of the universe which can be found in fragments in literatures, religions and oral traditions. Byrne collected all those pieces and wrote this life transforming book.  The book comprises of some life lessons and wisdoms which successful people have used in their lives to achieve health, wealth, positivity, healthy relationships and how they have eradicated diseases and obstacles from their lives. This book brings into light the untapped secrets of the universe which helps the readers to discover the inner power within them. The book is written in a very interesting format with so many illustrations which makes it different from others.

The book is all about The Law of Attraction. Law of Attraction is a process, by using this method, you can achieve anything you want in life. All you need to do is just constantly think about it. There are total three processes in this Law of Attraction, mentioned in this book. The first one is, ASK. You have to ask yourself what you actually want and then you just have to continuously thinking about it. The second step is BELIEVE. You have to believe that you are going to get what you want. You need to act like you have already received what you want or what are the things you are going to do after receiving what you want. The third and the last step is RECEIVE. In this step you have to only stay positive and feel good about what you are asking for, as if you are receiving it just now. You just need to be happy and grateful about it. These are the only things this book talks about with plethora of examples of great and ordinary people, who have already applied it in their lives and got successful.

There are mixed reviews about this book. Many people think the book to be a life transforming one and some think that it is a time waste to read this book. This book requires your patience to read and understand it. Many thinks that “if you want anything from your heart, the universe will conspire in helping you to achieve it”, is a myth. This book proves them wrong by giving the scientific logic behind it. The book is also made into a film in 2007. After the success of this book Byrne wrote few sequels of it like, The Power, The Magic and The Hero. These were also best sellers and got tremendous success.

Master plan of China- DISCLOSED!!!

The life after the pandemic situation will not be normal again as this pandemic situation is also not normal.

Knowingly or unknowingly the virus developed in China (according to news) created the biggest impact in the health and economic sector of the world. Nobody knows how much time will it take to come out completely from this pandemic situation. China with the most power in terms of technology and population might have a master plan to be executed in the name of Novel Corona virus by supplying the goods of medical department and further other essential commodities which might be needed by the people in the near future to the world and soon they will earn billions of dollar by supplying it to the world. So, again now world will depend more on China than before.

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We as a responsible citizen of India, need to stop the master plan of China as in the near future it will harm us very very badly. Let us understand by an example, India is surrounded by countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Nepal this all countries have taken huge amount of money from China like wise Pakistan took huge money from China to develop a road passing from the mountain, so now Pakistan is in debt to pay the money and in return China can do anything to gain the money back. Pakistan took more money from China than from IMF, and has to pay around 19 billion US$, which will be extremely hard for Pakistan. In the same way Sri lanka owes 1.4 billion US$ which is left over from from 99 years and now China will ask for payback or will capture the Sri lanka. Bangladesh debt for 64.9 billion US$. India is also in debt of paying to China, but China will not capture India first it will first capture our surrounding countries and than head towards India. So, we need to become very attentive towards each step of China and understand their activity, we also need to stop buying Chinese goods to save our country and instead go for Made In India goods. JAY HIND…

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ANTIBACTERIAL CHEMOTHERAPY-INTRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Antibacterial Chemotherapy refers to the use of any chemical or drug for the treatment of bacterial diseases. It is the part of antimicrobial chemotherapy.
Antimicrobial chemotherapy can be divided into several branches on the basis of type of pathogen, for e.g.
For bacterial pathogen – Antibacterial Chemotherapy
For viral pathogen – Antiviral Chemotherapy
For fungal pathogen – Antifungal Chemotherapy, etc

ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY –
Chemotherapy may either mean involvement of any drug that fight against any cancerous cell or it may involve the use of any antimicrobial drug to cure diseases caused by infectious microorganisms or pathogens.
Antimicrobial drugs work by different mechanisms for different type of organisms. The overall mechanism by which any antimicrobial drug functions is by interfering with the structure and/or function of microorganisms. They either directly kill microbial cell or function by inhibiting their growth.

DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
The development of chemotherapy has been known to begin with the successful research of a German physician, Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915).
Ehrlich was always fascinated to learn more about the dyes that bind to and stain the microbial cells. He was sure and stated that one of the dyes could be used as a chemical that would selectively destroy or kill the infectious pathogen inside the human body without making any harm to human cell and he named it “Magic Bullet”. Working more on this, he was able to find that the dye, trypsan red was active against the trypanosome that causes African Sleeping Sickness. Later, Ehrlich with his assistant Sahachiro Hata tested a variety of arsenic-based chemicals on Syphilis-infected rabbits and was successful in finding that Arsphenamine (an arsenic based chemical compound) was active against the Syphilis spirochete which was then made available in the market.
The other German scientist, Domagk in 1927 found the another Magic Bullet to treat diseases. He observed the antimicrobial activity of a synthetic dye, Prontosil Red which was able to cure Streptococcal and Staphylococcal infections with very limited toxicity. Sulfanilamide (one of the active breakdown products of prontosil in body) was the first synthetic antimicrobial drug.

A Synthetic Antimicrobial is a drug that is developed from any type of a chemical compound that is not found in nature.

Penicillin was the first naturally synthesized antibiotic which was initially discovered by a 21 years old French medical student. No one remembered his work until Alexander Fleming in September 1928 accidently rediscovered the antibiotic. The petri plate of Staphylococcus which was inoculated by Fleming was found to develop certain molds which made the clear zone of inhibition of staph-bacterial species around them. It was meant that the mold infected the petri plates even before the bacteria were inoculated. Fleming suggested that the mold (probably the strain of Penicillium notatum) produced a substance which inhibited the bacterial growth surrounding it and hence had an antibacterial property.
Further experiment results concluded that Penicillin was active against streptococci, meningococci and Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which is the causative agent of diphtheria.
The isolation, mass production and purification of penicillin were accomplished by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain for which they got the nobel prize. They found that the penicillin once pured was effectively able to show antimicrobial properties against streptococcal infection in mice.
Later, Dorothy Hodgkin observed and analyzed the structure of various naturally synthesized products using X-rays. Because of her observation on the chemical structure of naturally synthesized penicillin, it was easier for many scientists to produce a variety of semi synthetic penicillin.

A semisynthetic antimicrobial is defined as the chemically modified product of a natural antibiotic.

After the discovery of penicillin, other scientists got the determination for the discovery of more antibiotics by natural or chemical synthesis.
Selman Waksman developed a new antibiotic, Streptomycin which was produced by the actinomycete, Streptomyces griseus. This antibiotic was discovered by the soil microorganisms, particularly bacteria and fungi. It was the first discovery of antibiotic- producing soil microorganism. It was found that streptomycin was successful in treating tuberculosis.
Other microorganisms producing chloramphenicol, neomycin, terramycin and tetracycline were also isolated later.

Born a crime: Trevor Noah

I know Trevor doesn’t need an introduction. Trevor Noah is the best dailyshow host so far and famous for his consistant laugh inducing way of anchoring the show with such relevant topics.

In his book Born A Crime, he narrates his South African childhood stories. He was born to a black xhosa mother and white Swiss father at a time when interracial relationships were illegal. Therefore he always stayed indoor. Even when they went out his mother would pretend like he isn’t hers otherwise she will be jailed for kidnapping a white boy.

His mother is the main character of the book. Such a powerful women who even had the courage to approach a white man to have a baby because she never wanted her child to suffer like her. She named him trevor that does not have any meaning in South Africa. She wanted her child beholden to no fate. She wanted him to go anywhere and do anything.

The book goes through a lot of emotional states that trevor had to suffer because he was born coloured. He had gone through a lot that we can’t ever imagine just because he was black. Their natives were even manipulated to fight each other based on the community they belong to.

Trevor mastered all their traditional languages. “I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language. ” He says. His mother knew xhosa, zulu, German, afrikaans, sotho and used this knowledge to go anywhere they want. Thus Trevor learned them too. This saved him to handle several situations. She also made sure that English is the first language her son spoke because that was the one thing that will make you a leg up in South Africa.

“English is the language of money” Noah says. If you are looking for a job english is the difference between getting the job or staying unemployed. Thus Trevor learned to become a chameleon to get accepted wherever he goes.

“If you spoke to me in Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu,” he writes. “If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn’t look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you.

The book is full of humor of course we could expect that when it’s written by a comedian. But it also go through the darkest times of Trevor’s childhood. How he was raised in Apartheid South Africa under racism, abuse, colonialism, poverty, living under a police state such that we could connect it parallel to the current racial tension in America.

Oh god, Trevor was such a terror child his mother really had a hard time looking after him. He even burnt down a house where his mother worked. He was dangerously naughty. I would highly recommend it to everyone.you will enjoy and learn important things. Only Trevor could write such sufferings in such a humorous manner. We will laugh out aloud but we can also feel those pathetic situations he had to go through.

Bama’s Karukku: A Book Review

One of the most popular Dalit woman writers, Bama Faustina Soosairaj is a teacher by profession. Many of her works got translated into English, German, French, Telugu, and Malayalam. Karukku is based on her own life, which focuses on caste structures in the Catholic Community. In her autobiography, Bama pens down her struggles with the oppression of the society, and how she comes out stronger and mightier than ever.

Karukku became a turning point in Bama’s life. She received immense applause and support for bringing up the pain she had experienced in her life. The autobiography spoke to the Dalit community in a way, no other book did. It was read by innumerable numbers of people and it paved the way to a new genre in Tamil Literature. Karukku was first published in the Tamil language by Mini Krishnan, who was then the editor of Macmillan India. After the publication of Karukku in Tamil, it was translated by Lakshmi Holmström into English. The autobiography has won the Crossword Award, which brought the book into the limelight. Now, it has been read by several numbers of students worldwide. Karukku has been translated into languages other than English and Tamil. It is published in Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam. It has gone on to become a part of the University curriculum for many disciplines likes Feminist Literature, Dalit Literature, Subaltern Literature, and others. After the success of Karukku, many Dalit woman writers came out of their cocoons and published excellent pieces of literature.

Karukku has proved to be a timeless autobiographical novel. It has worked as medicine for all those victims who have suffered due to caste discrimination, oppression, poverty, and such. Karukku brings out not only the real struggles of the Dalit community but also, the pain that every Dalit women go through in their lives. It has provided strength to the readers to speak up, protest, fight back, and not remain as the oppressed class of the society. Bama’s honest words have healed many wounds that were left unnoticed for years. Karukku becomes the pathway to the movement of the oppressed classes.

Karukku is a tale of the brave-hearted, of the courageous soul and has been very open and direct from the very first line of the book. The book shows not only the struggles of a Tamil Dalit Christian woman, but also how she fights back, how she survives, and how she rises from the ashes. Bama has asked innumerable questions which have shaken the pillars of the society. She questions the oppression and the pain she has faced in her life. She questions about the caste oppression she has faced all her life, and the struggles she had to go through just because she was born a Dalit. She questions her identity as a woman, as a Christian and as a Dalit.

Bama focuses on the experiences she has faced because of being a Catholic. She brings to light the rules and regulations that the Catholic community has to follow, as ordered by the Church. She talks about her day to day life of being both a Catholic and a Dalit. She brings forth the workings of the Catholic Church and how her days were dictated by the Church. From the very beginning of her life, she has faced the oppression of the Catholic Church. Her entire childhood was directed by the orders of the Church. There was no escape for her, as she was born in the Catholic community and her struggle for equality, for love, for justice has been emphasized throughout the autobiography. Karukku tells about the pain she has faced in her daily life, even after she becomes a nun. She wanted to work for the people of her oppressed community, to bring equality, to bring justice for the people who have struggled all their lives. But, only she couldn’t. She was not supported by the Church and also, the convent she was a part of. She couldn’t fulfill her wish to liberate her community from the clutches of oppression. She couldn’t liberate her soul from the pain of daily oppression.

Karukku is the struggle between her self and the community she belongs from. It is the constant struggle of escaping the Catholic community, to free herself from oppression. It is the constant struggle of being a part of the Dalit community, only. It is the struggle to leave her life of oppression and pain behind, to achieve her freedom, to achieve her identity. The use of language, used by Bama, is simple and it is written for the people of Dalit community to understand and feel her pain, to be a part of her struggle. Her use of language is not at all complex, and that’s why it has spoken on deeper levels to the readers across the world.

To conclude, Bama has written her heart and soul into her autobiography. She has successfully shown the true colors of the Catholic community and how she has struggled to come out of the oppression. To read Karukku, you have to open up your mind and feel the pain that Bama has experienced. You have to wear her shoes and be a witness to her life, to her quest to find the self free of oppression, to her protest to not be a part of the community she was born into. Karukku opens up the bitter truth of the experiences and lives of the people of the Catholic community. It is a must-read, and it has the potentiality to change your perception towards the political scenario of their lives. The novel would urge you to consider the importance of equality, love, and respect for each other. It doesn’t matter if you belong to another community or caste. It doesn’t matter where you are born. The only thing that matters is one’s own identity, one’s own aspirations, and every individual has the right to live free of oppression. Every individual has the right to act the way they want to act.

What I know for sure

What I know for sure

No matter what challenge you may be facing, you must remember that while the canvas of your life is painted with daily experiences behavior reaction and emotions, you are the one controlling the brush.

Before reading this book I knew Oprah Winfrey as the Anchor of popular TV show.  A lady with her common looks and uncommon way of hosting a show made it matchless worldwide. I remember, I first heard about her in my class room where my English teacher asked us to say few lines on her. Being on the first bench I was the first to answer.   I don’t remember any of us would have spoken any words about her leaving, me even more curious about the lady.  I goggled to know her whereabouts; she is the anchor or Oprah Winfrey show and is visiting India for the very first time. My quest ended up there.  But little did I know that she is good author and has published many of her write ups.  One of her book ‘I KNOW FOR SURE’ was suggested by a friend stating it as mood up lifter.  Winfrey has written a book –this info was enough to get me excited and it is motivational as well, WOW.  Soon, I had the book in my hand. The title only appeared thought-provoking to me and I know for sure, I will like it.

It took me three days to finish this book written without acknowledgement letter and praise words.  I know for sure she must not need them as her moral purpose is to enlighten the society and people around the globe.  So she does well. Every line and story in this book is thought provoking, leaving you to understand your purpose of being alive.  WHY I AM HERE? WHAT IS MY PURPOSE OF BEING ALIVE? WHAT ALL I HAVE ACHIEVED? WHAT STONE IS LEFT UNTURNED IN MY LIFE? And many more! I feel, each book is written with a purpose, some to motivate, some to educate, some to make laugh, fall in love and some to make you think of you being alive.  Every page I turned has something vivid in it be it a story of a 13 year old boy who happily died or a person who survived defeating death. it has a kind of story telling that will lingers for a long time in my mind and  inspired me to keep moving no matter what.

You are here for a purpose and you just living if it’s not fulfilled.  Doesn’t stop keep learning, and if you think you know enough than you have lived your life. Your purpose of being on this planet is over.  These lines make sense to me.

I knew Opera Winfrey only as successful host of a show before I read this book.  But knowing her past life gave me adrenaline rush. Life has been a roller coaster ride to this lady and she has overcome all the problems, shining. I owe her my respect.

 All I learnt is ‘we shouldn’t make opinion about other unless we know their story of fight and struggle to win.  

Tips for Writing the Book Review

Once you have made your observations and assessments of the work under review, carefully survey your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Check out our handout on thesis statements. Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis.

Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner. That logic, unlike more standard academic writing, may initially emphasize the author’s argument while you develop your own in the course of the review. The relative emphasis depends on the nature of the review: if readers may be more interested in the work itself, you may want to make the work and the author more prominent; if you want the review to be about your perspective and opinions, then you may structure the review to privilege your observations over (but never separate from) those of the work under review. What follows is just one of many ways to organize a review.

Introduction

Since most reviews are brief, many writers begin with a catchy quip or anecdote that succinctly delivers their argument. But you can introduce your review differently depending on the argument and audience. The Writing Center’s handout on introductions can help you find an approach that works. In general, you should include:

  • The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
  • Relevant details about who the author is and where he/she stands in the genre or field of inquiry. You could also link the title to the subject to show how the title explains the subject matter.
  • The context of the book and/or your review. Placing your review in a framework that makes sense to your audience alerts readers to your “take” on the book. Perhaps you want to situate a book about the Cuban revolution in the context of Cold War rivalries between the United States and the Soviet Union. Another reviewer might want to consider the book in the framework of Latin American social movements. Your choice of context informs your argument.
  • The thesis of the book. If you are reviewing fiction, this may be difficult since novels, plays, and short stories rarely have explicit arguments. But identifying the book’s particular novelty, angle, or originality allows you to show what specific contribution the piece is trying to make.
  • Your thesis about the book.

Summary of content

This should be brief, as analysis takes priority. In the course of making your assessment, you’ll hopefully be backing up your assertions with concrete evidence from the book, so some summary will be dispersed throughout other parts of the review.

The necessary amount of summary also depends on your audience. Graduate students, beware! If you are writing book reviews for colleagues—to prepare for comprehensive exams, for example—you may want to devote more attention to summarizing the book’s contents. If, on the other hand, your audience has already read the book—such as a class assignment on the same work—you may have more liberty to explore more subtle points and to emphasize your own argument. See our handout on summary for more tips.

Analysis and evaluation of the book

Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of your argument. This arrangement can be challenging when your purpose is to consider the book as a whole, but it can help you differentiate elements of your criticism and pair assertions with evidence more clearly. You do not necessarily need to work chronologically through the book as you discuss it. Given the argument you want to make, you can organize your paragraphs more usefully by themes, methods, or other elements of the book. If you find it useful to include comparisons to other books, keep them brief so that the book under review remains in the spotlight. Avoid excessive quotation and give a specific page reference in parentheses when you do quote. Remember that you can state many of the author’s points in your own words.

Conclusion

Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. You should not introduce new evidence for your argument in the conclusion. You can, however, introduce new ideas that go beyond the book if they extend the logic of your own thesis. This paragraph needs to balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation.

Any suggestions will be welcome.