Harsh Mander
Partitions of the Heart | Penguin
The epigraph of this socio-political polemic (Unmaking the idea of India) by Harsh Mander indicate his subject. Through victims and incidents of the Gujarat pogrom, cow vigilantism, encounter killings, lynchings and the bogey of ‘anti-nationals’, he skewers the communal partitions of the new India that target minorities and fracture our nation. Laced with his own encounters, this is a book to be heeded.
Ashok Alexander
A Stranger Truth | Juggernaut
Alexander left a cushy job to head Avahan, the Gates foundation’s programme to combat AIDS. While tracking the HIV trail, he steps into a nightmarish world of trafficked girls, drug abuse and gay/lonely men who often speak in their own words (‘Raju was very white’). A book of many heartbreaks, it ultimately charts miraculous recoveries—of hope, redemption and courage that make the heart sing with pride.
Sohaila Abdulali
What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape | Penguin
One horrible fact about humanity is the shame visited upon victims of crime, and nowhere is this acuter than in victims of rape—stifled not only in pursuit of justice but even in efforts to talk about the crime. Rape survivor Abdulali talks with other victims and comes up with solutions for prevention, educating youth and the current debates/gender politics around discussing/reporting rape.
