Its hard to comeup with a list that symbolizes the 5 best books that I’ve read yet, butgiven the right thought, I did come up with some titles. The books Iread cover a variety of subjects & disciplines,
I dont like tostick to a particular theory or topic & always mix mash my readingchoice, just for kicks.
So heres my top 5 over the years:
1) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins Thisbook is Dawkins’ magnum opus, which tells us the practicality ofDarwin’s Theory of evolution & natural selection. The topic itselfmay sound too huge to comprehend, but the way Dawkins writes, I felt Ibecame a biologist. He explains the intricate details of evolutionarybiology & genetics with such ease & lucid examples that even adog can understand. After reading the Selfish Gene, I realized the linkbetween math & nature. After all life is a probability game &odds are always in the favour of the fittest. It explains in relevantdetail the ability of an animal to think & its effects on theimmediate surroundings & kins. I recommend the second last chapterof the book as a
MUST READ , which is on the application ofprisoners dilemma problem in nature & life itself. The chapter iscalled "Nice Guys Finish First", where maths & life collide into aself sustaining equilibrium.
2) World War 3.0 by Ken Auletta Anyonein the IT world, graduating or working cannot deny the enormity of thecompany known as Microsoft. The worlds most leading brand in softwaretechnology, once upon a time became famous for all the wrong reasons.The time was early 90’s when the world woke up to the Internet &thus began the internet boom. Like the gold rush, companies got haywireover the commercial power of the internet & wanted a piece of it.Ferocious competition arised which made & lost fortunes for many.Amidst all this, Microsoft was caught in a very painful situation, TheAnti Trust Case. The book is based on this anti trust trial againstMicrosoft for trying to monopolize the market by throwing thecompetition out. The case was Microsoft vs US govt, where many of theleading IT companies in the world testified against Microsoft’sbullying tactics. The book explains details of the case proceedingswhich is the closest anyone can get to the fierce competition backthen. The case which is considered to be the biggest law suit in UShistory after John D. Rockfellar’s Standard Oil case in the early 20thCentury, is a must read, to all those who are interested to learn abouthow Microsoft became what they are today. A very well written accountof the aspirations of a company to make it bigger & theconsequences they faced for it.
3) The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich by Willian L Shirer (illustrated edition) Inmy opinion, this book is the most detailed fact sheet of the most vitalhappenings in World War II. William L Shirer proved that he was abrilliant journalist with impeccable research skills. It brings youface to face to the whole concept of Nazi & the man himself, AdolfHitler. The book traces Hitler’s life right from his childhood tobecoming the most powerful man in the world & to his controversialdeath. The illustrated edition contains unmatchable pictures collectedfrom a huge variety of sources from all over the world to sum up theenormity of the World War II. With superior map detail &personalised facts about the countries, armies, soldiers & theirleaders, this book becomes an interesting read for anyone having aslight tinge of interest in the war operations during World War II. Iwas very fond of the World War right since school & got my hands onthis copy when I was in 11th std. A very enticing & brilliantlywritten book.
4) Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach Itsa book that screams, "SIZE DOESN’T MATTER", for such a tiny book tocontain such a phenomenal thought of realizing your passion, goal &true ambition coupled with focus to achieve greatness. Its niether atypical self help book nor a garden variety novel. Its a totallydifferent spiritual reality that takes us deep within the powerful zoneof trust. The protagonist of this book is a Seagull, who is disgustedof the daily grind for food & living the stereotypical life.Instead, he realizes his ability to fly higher & better &ventures into the lands where no seagull has ever gone before. Helearns flight & tries to overcome the physical barriers of flight,for a gull. He trains relentlessly to achieve the quality of flightthat he sees a gull is capable of & in turn is outcast from hiscommunity. The book connects with every reader to some extent, becauseI have heard many interpretations of this book from many of my friends,all were entirely distinct. The book is a must read for everyone as ittakes us deep into our minds on a trip to learn the true meaning of theword "Achievement". It also symbolizes a very important concept ofconstant self improvement, which is the main trait af any successfulperson.
5) The Fountainhead by Ayn R Notop 5 list is complete without this book. Ayn R’s classic, TheFountainhead is an embodiment of the ego that drives us. The engine ofthought & motivation within every human being is readily expressedin this book. The entire book preaches the concepts of Objectivismthrough all its characters, but on the other hand, thats what makes thebook a very interesting read. Ayn R is a master of plots. She makes theplots extremely complex & not to forget the characters itself arevery complicated. The leading man, Howard Roark, is shown as abrilliant instinctive architect, who believes in the concept offunctional design rather than traditional one. He is thrown out of hisarchitecture school for the same reason. The book is about the journeyof Roark through the difficult road that he chooses to shape up hiscareer. He is shown as the genius in living form. Also the plot getsreally messy later on & shows R’s real talent as a story teller.The book is pretty big & contains loads of food for thought.Definitely a recommended book to all those who appreciate the geniuswithin them. Its a book that says, "either you have it or you don’t".
Thereare tonnes of books to be mentioned here, but this list is my top fivefavs & its completely unfair that I havnt included more books in it:)
Happy reading...