Book review: Wild - What the trail taught Cheryl Strayed

Wild by Cheryl Strayed takes the classic theme of finding oneself through travel and hikes and makes it deeply personal experience. In 1995, at the age of 26, Strayed hiked about 1770 kms alone along Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), from Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Bridge of the Gods near the Oregon–Washington border. She later described the journey as an attempt to save herself.

During this journey she tells readers about her past. She lost her mother to cancer at the age of 22; her marriage was collapsed; she went through a period of heroin use; casual sex; many other self-destructive behaviour. She was also struggling with guilt, grief and the feeling that her life had fallen apart. She changed her surname to 'Strayed' reflecting how lost she felt at the time. Four years after her mother's death, she decided to hike PCT.

As a beginner, she was hardly prepared for what was waiting for her. She faced extreme heat in Southern California, snow in Sierra Nevada, difficult terrain, scarce water and constant physical demands of carrying everything she needed on her back. Her backpack, which she nicknamed 'Monster', was so heavy that even getting it onto her back became a challenge during the early days of the journey. She later meet people on the path who explain and show her how to pack.

Then there were her boots.

At one point, after losing one of them over a cliff, she throws the other one away as well. Her feet are badly damaged, and she has to improvise until she can get proper footwear. She ends up hiking in duct-taped sandals. It is one of the most memorable episodes in the book because it captures what  Wild  really is: not a carefully planned adventure, but a series of problems which require solutions. 

She also spends long periods without the comforts we normally take for granted. She goes weeks without properly washing, making a simple shower feel like a holy experience. Food, water, sleep and shelter become things to be appreciated rather than assumed.

Book is much less about the scenery than it initially appears from the title.

During this journey reader also started walking with her and know about her past. Her mother's memory hangs over the book a lot. The physical transformation happens alongside the emotional one. She begins as an inexperienced hiker struggling to walk even a few miles and gradually becomes stronger, more confident and more capable.

At various points along the trail, she collects resupply boxes that she had mailed to herself. They contain food, money, books and other necessities. And the books matter.

Although she spends much of the journey alone, Strayed writes beautifully about the brief and intense friendships she forms with other hikers. At the same time, books become another kind of companion. She reads at night and carries literature with her through the journey. At the end of this article you see the a list of all those books.

The book also follows her changing relationship with her own body. She writes about body image, sexuality and the complicated way she sees herself. There is a memorable moment when she looks at her reflection and questions what she sees. That struggle is likely to resonate with many women, but it also goes beyond gender: it is about how difficult it can be to recognise yourself after a period in which your life has changed completely.

Strayed is also unusually open about sex. She writes about her attraction to men she meets along the way and does not attempt to make herself appear more respectable than she was. Some readers may find this uncomfortable. She doesn't present herself as a heroic figure who went into the wilderness and emerged perfect.

She presents herself as someone who had made mistakes. That honesty gives the book much of its dignity.

There are slow sections in the book; some segment feels like repetative and over described, but the conversations and encounters keep the narrative moving. By the time she reaches the Bridge of the Gods after 94 days, she has not simply completed a hike. She has come to terms with parts of herself that she had spent years trying to escape.

The Environment: The Physicality of the Trail

What makes Strayed's writing powerful is the way she describes the environment. The trail isn't simply a beautiful forest. It is a physical opponent.

In Southern California, PCT passes through dry, hot country where water can be scarce. The Pacific Crest Trail Association notes that temperatures in this section can reach from the 80s into low 100s during summer. Later, the landscape changes dramatically as trail climbs into Sierra Nevada and then continues through the mountains of Northern California and Oregon.

Strayed uses these changes in landscape to reflect her own emotional state. The desert, the snow, the mountains, the trees and the rocks aren't merely scenery. They become part of the struggle. When she loses her boots and has to continue with damaged feet, the environment becomes almost a form of punishment. Every step reminds her that she cannot escape the physical reality of what she has chosen to do. But that is also the point. The wild doesn't care about her grief. The trail doesn't stop because her heart is broken. It simply continues; perhaps that is exactly what she needs.

The Deeper Insight: Survival as Forgiveness

This book is less about hiking and more about experiences of author's past life and her transformation to a new one. Its also about a lot of grief. Strayed goes into wilderness carrying far more than food, water and equipment. She carries guilt about her mother, anger about her past, the collapse of her marriage and the consequences of her own choices. The trail doesn't magically solve those problems. Instead, it gives her enough distance from her old life to finally face them.

Everything she needs to survive has to be carried on her back. Food, water, shelter, clothing and books—all of it becomes physical. And somewhere along the way, she discovers that she herself is capable of carrying it. That may be the deeper transformation in the book.

The woman who begins the journey thinks she has lost herself. The woman who reaches Bridge of the Gods has not become someone completely different. She has simply discovered that she is stronger than she thought.

Understanding the Scale of the PCT

1. The Distance

To understand the 'Monster' backpack Cheryl Strayed carried, we also need to understand the monster trail she was walking on. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from the Mexican border through California and Oregon to the Canadian border. The current Pacific Crest Trail Association figure puts the trail at approximately 4278 km.

Strayed did not hike the entire PCT. She covered roughly 1,770 km, from Mojave Desert to ridge of the Gods. If you have difficulty in visualizing 1770 km distance, it is roughly like travelling from Delhi to Bengaluru by road. She didn't make that journey in a car, train or bus. She walked it; also the terrain is not flat she has to cross mountain ranges, deserts, forests and high-elevation terrain on foot while carrying her supplies.

2. The Elevation

PCT is not simply a long distance walk. It repeatedly climbs and descends through major mountain ranges. PCT Association has estimated the total elevation gain of the entire PCT at approximately 4,89,418 ft (or about 1,49,180m). That is roughly equivalent to climbing from sea level to summit of Mount Everest about 17 times. Of course, this figure applies to the entire PCT, not Strayed's 1770 km section. Still, it gives some idea of the physical demands of the trail. 

3. The Temperature Extremes

PCT crosses dramatically different environments. Southern California can be extremely hot and dry. The PCT Association notes that summer temperatures in Southern California section can reach the low 100s F. Later hikers encounter snow  at high Sierras. Same journey can involve desert heat, snow-covered mountains, cold nights and dramatically different weather conditions. One is effectively travelling through several worlds on foot in a matter of weeks; if not days.

4. The Solitude and Wildlife

For someone used to India, the solitude of the PCT is difficult to imagine. You can walk for long periods without any human presence all. But being alone doesn't mean being without company; there are black bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and many other animals. The wilderness therefore creates a strange combination of solitude and vulnerability. There may be nobody around to help you.And that is precisely what makes the experience so revealing.

You are exposed not just to the sun, rain, snow and cold, but to the reality of your own strength when there is no one else around to help.

What the Trail Finally Gave Her

The most interesting thing about  Wild is that, Strayed doesn't return from the trail with some grand philosophical answer. She simply becomes more capable of living with herself. Her mother is still dead. Her past mistakes still happened. Her marriage is still over. Nothing she does on the trail can undo any of that. But she can finally stop running from it.

That, to me, is what makes  Wild  more than a hiking memoir. It is about the possibility of rebuilding yourself without pretending that your past never happened. Strayed went into the wilderness because she was lost. She came out not because the wilderness gave her a new life, but because it helped her understand how to live with the life she already had. And perhaps that is why the book stays with you. Sometimes finding yourself isn't about discovering someone new. It is about finding the strength to become the person you already were capable of being.

Sajeev. 

Books Cheryl Strayed read during the PCT hike,

• The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume 1: California — Jeffrey P. Schaffer, Thomas Winnett, Ben Schiffrin & Ruby Jenkins. Her main trail guide for California.
• The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume 2: Oregon and Washington — Jeffrey P. Schaffer & Andy Selters
• Staying Found: The Complete Map and Compass Handbook — June Fleming, A practical navigation book.
• The Dream of a Common Language — Adrienne Rich, The most important book in Wild. Strayed carried it throughout the entire hike. On her first night on the trail, she read the poem 'Power' repeatedly. She describes the collection as something close to a sacred text.
• As I Lay Dying — William Faulkner; One of the novels she deliberately chose to take with her. She later burned it to reduce the weight of her backpack.
• The Complete Stories — Flannery O'Connor
• The Novel — James A. Michener
• A Summer Bird-Cage — Margaret Drabble
• Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov.
• Dubliners — James Joyce
• Waiting for the Barbarians — J. M. Coetzee
• The Best American Essays 1991
• The Ten Thousand Things — Maria Dermoût

Other books written by Cheryl Strayed

• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012) based on 1995 hike
• Torch (2006)
• Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar (2012)
• Brave Enough (2015)

'Into the Wild' review - The romance and reality of escape

Movie poster

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the story of Chris McCandless, a young American who walked into the Alaskan wilderness in 1992 and died there a few months later. In fact its more than just a story; its also about idealism, freedom, anger, loneliness, nature and, ultimately, the value of human connection.

Who Was Chris McCandless?

Chris McCandless was a talented student at Emory University who came from a financially comfortable family in Virginia. He graduated from Emory in 1990. Soon afterwards, without telling his family, he donated roughly $24,000 of his savings to Oxfam and set off on the road. Later he adopted the name Alexander Supertramp. Emory itself confirms that McCandless was a 1990 graduate and that he gave approximately $24,000 to Oxfam.

His motivations seem to have come from a mixture of idealism and anger. He was strongly influenced by writers such as Tolstoy, Thoreau and Jack London. At the same time, he discovered that his father had maintained another family and had concealed this from him. Krakauer suggests that this discovery had significant effect on McCandless and his relationship with his parents. 

From 1990 to 1992, McCandless travelled across the American West and Southwest, working odd jobs and hitchhiking. He travelled by canoe through Mexico, worked in grain harvesting and spent time living in an abandoned car.

Along the way, he formed genuine connections with people. There was Wayne Westerberg, who gave him work and friendship. There was Ron Franz, an elderly man who became deeply attached to McCandless and even wanted to adopt him. There was also Tracy, a young woman who developed feelings for him. But McCandless always moved on. Connection and permanence seemed to frighten him almost as much as the wilderness attracted him.

Alaska

In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked into Alaska and walked into the wilderness near the Stampede Trail. He carried very little food—most notably about 10 pounds of rice—and a .22-calibre rifle. He eventually found an abandoned bus that became his shelter. The named the bus as - Magic Bus.

He hunted, foraged and kept a journal documenting his life in the wilderness. The Stampede Trail area is genuinely remote and difficult terrain. The National Park Service currently describes the area around the Stampede Trail as difficult to travel through, with brush, boggy ground and difficult river crossings. It specifically warns that the Teklanika crossing cannot be depended upon on foot in mid-summer. In July, McCandless tried to leave the wilderness. But the Teklanika River, which he had crossed earlier in the season, had become much more difficult to cross. He turned back. 

By August, he was extremely weak. His body was eventually discovered by hunters in the bus in September. The remains weighed about 67 pounds, and starvation was recorded as the cause of death. This is where the central question of the book begins. There are some more theories around his death. However, I am not going in those details.

Was Chris McCandless a Hero or a Fool? Was McCandless a romantic idealist who died while pursuing something real and noble? Or was he a reckless, privileged young man who underestimated nature and hurt the people who loved him? Krakauer clearly has sympathy for McCandless. But he doesn't completely resolve the question for the reader.

How much go we really know about McCandless? There is another problem when trying to understand McCandless: he isn't around to explain himself. His journals were often terse and practical, recording what he ate, what he hunted and what happened to him. Krakauer therefore had to reconstruct McCandless's thoughts from journals, photographs, postcards, notes and interviews with people who knew him. 

That leaves plenty of room for interpretation. For example, when McCandless described the Teklanika River as impossible to cross, Krakauer interpreted this as evidence that he wanted to leave but was prevented from doing so by the river. That may well be true. But we cannot know exactly what McCandless was thinking. This uncertainty is important because much of the emotional meaning we attach to the story comes through Krakauer's interpretation.

Alaska National Guard helicopter airlifting the bus from Stampede Trail (2020 June)

What Actually Killed McCandless?

This is another area where the story is more complicated than the simple explanation that he "starved to death". Starvation was the recorded cause of death. But Krakauer became convinced that something else may have contributed to it. McCandless had eaten seeds from Hedysarum alpinum, commonly known as wild potato. On July 30, his journal recorded:

"EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. MUCH TROUBLE JUST TO STAND UP. STARVING. GREAT JEOPARDY." Krakauer initially theorised that the seeds contained a toxic alkaloid. That theory was subsequently challenged by other researchers.

Nature as a Character

Krakauer doesn't paint Alaska as a postcard; he describes it as a merciless, indifferent force. He uses the phrase "the unsullied enormity of the Last Frontier" to capture the scale and isolation of the place. To Krakauer, the environment isn't a friend. It is almost a mirror.

If you come prepared, it can be a sanctuary. If you make even one serious mistake, it can become a trap. Nature isn't mean. It simply doesn't care. That may be one of the most important lessons of 'Into the Wild'. We often project our own emotions onto nature. We imagine the mountains as beautiful, the wilderness as liberating and solitude as peaceful. But nature doesn't care whether you are brave, idealistic, angry or searching for yourself. It simply exists.

Understanding the Scale of Alaska. 

Before judging McCandless too quickly, it is worth understanding the environment he entered. We often hear that Alaska is enormous, but numbers don't always convey what that actually means. Looking at it through the lens of Indian geography makes the scale easier to imagine.

1. The immense scale

Alaska covers about 1.72 million square kilometres, while India covers about 3.29 million square kilometres. So Alaska is slightly more than half the size of India. But the difference in population is much more dramatic. Alaska had about 733,000 people in the 2020 census, and its population density is only around 1.3 people per square mile—roughly 0.5 people per square kilometre. India, by comparison, is one of the most densely populated large countries in the world. That difference is difficult for someone living in India to intuitively understand.

2. The isolation

This is perhaps the most important part. Around 82% of Alaska's communities are not accessible by road. Think about that for a moment. In India, we are accustomed to the idea that if we are in trouble, there is probably a road, a village, a town, a phone signal or another person somewhere nearby. In much of Alaska, that assumption simply doesn't work.

3. The deceptive rivers

The Teklanika River was particularly important to McCandless's story. The National Park Service describes the crossing as unreliable on foot during mid-summer and recommends a pack raft for mid-summer travel. The surrounding terrain is also difficult, with brush, bogs and other obstacles.

That makes one thing clear: this wasn't simply a small stream that McCandless casually decided not to cross. The conditions had changed significantly between his arrival and his attempt to leave. The river didn't need to look like a wall to stop him. It simply needed to become too dangerous to cross.

4. The extreme cold

We often think of places like Dras or Siachen when we think about extreme cold. Alaska has also experienced extraordinarily low temperatures. The state's record low is −80°F (about −62°C), recorded at Prospect Creek in 1971.

But cold was not the only danger McCandless faced. Isolation, food availability, weather, difficult terrain and the inability to obtain help can turn a relatively small mistake into a life-threatening situation. That is the environment McCandless chose to enter. And it is worth remembering this when judging his decisions from the comfort of our homes.

What the Wilderness Ultimately Taught Him. 

The tragedy of 'Into the Wild' may be found in the margins of its final pages. Near the end of his life, McCandless wrote: "HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED". The words were written in the margins of Doctor Zhivago, beside a passage about how an unshared happiness is not happiness.

It is difficult not to see the irony. McCandless had spent years moving away from society, family and permanence. He wanted to experience life on his own terms. Yet, near the end, he seems to have recognized the importance of sharing life with others. However, we should be careful here. We don't actually know whether this represented a final philosophical transformation. Krakauer himself acknowledges that we can only speculate about what McCandless meant by it. Perhaps he had finally realized something important. Perhaps he hadn't. We will never know.

The Rash Idealism of Youth

Ultimately, this is story about rash idealism of youth. Most of us eventually learn that the quiet joys of family and community can be just as valuable as any grand landscape. McCandless might have reached the same conclusion if he had survived. Instead, his life remains a monument to the intense purity that many of us gradually leave behind as we grow older. That doesn't mean his journey was meaningless. Nor does it mean he was right.

We can admire his courage while recognizing his mistakes. We can understand his anger without approving of the way he treated the people who loved him. Perhaps we can recognize a little bit of ourselves in him. Most of us have, at some point, looked at our lives and felt that they were becoming a cage. We have imagined walking away from everything, starting again somewhere else and discovering who we really are.

The book makes you question what happens when that desire for freedom becomes more important than everything else. And perhaps the most uncomfortable question it leaves behind is this: What if the freedom we are looking for isn't found by escaping everything, but by learning what is actually worth holding on to?

I'd recommend this book if you've ever felt like your life was a cage. It makes you question what you really need to be happy. Perhaps more importantly, it makes you question what you are willing to leave behind in order to find it.

Sajeev

Other popular books by Jon Krakauer

• Into the Wild (1996)
• Into Thin Air (1997)
• Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains (1990)
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (2003)
• Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman (2009)
• Three Cups of Deceit (2011)
• Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (2015)
• Classic Krakauer: Essays on Wilderness and Risk (2019)

References: 

1 https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3680748&page=1 
'Into the Wild' Inspires Adventurers, but at What Cost? - ABC News
2: https://magazine.emory.edu/2007/autumn/wild.html Emory Magazine: Autumn 2007: Wild Life
3: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/95440/into-the-wild-by-jon-krakauer/
4: https://home.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/unit61-62-63.htm  
5: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.wem.2014.08.014  
6: https://www.enotes.com/topics/into-wild/questions/on-what-page-in-the-book-into-the-wild-can-this-179527  

“Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson

This book was with me for a long time. I don’t know why, but I didn’t read it till today. Through this book author is presenting his ideas about change and how to accept it through four characters – Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry.

After searching through the maze for long, all four characters mentioned above found huge quantity of cheese at ‘Station C’. As the quantity was quite large, all four stopped their search and started coming directly to station C every morning. One day when Sniff and Scurry reach station C, it was empty. They didn’t waste time and started looking at other parts of the maze for cheese. Then came Haw and Hem. They were startled to see an empty station C. Unlike Sniff and Scurry, they were not ready to move on. Both of them felt that, it’s their right to get cheese from station C and believed that sooner or later someone would replenish station C. They waited and waited...

As the days passed, Haw began to think differently and started searching for cheese in the maze. However, Hem resisted the change and stood there. After a lot of struggle, How finally discovered huge collection of cheese at ‘Station N’. 

In the book, this story was told by a guy at a friend’s gathering. Later the group started discussing the story. 

Through this simple story, author presented how we should all embrace change.

Key points in this story are, 

a  Change Happens – they keep moving the cheese

b. Anticipate change – Get ready for the cheese to move.

c. Monitor Change – Smell the change often so you know when it is getting old.

d. Adapt to change quickly – The quicker you let go of old cheese the sooner you can enjoy new cheese.

e. Change – Move in with new cheese

f. Enjoy change – Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese.

g. Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again – They keep moving the change. 

If you like this article don’t forget to read the book as well.

Sajeev

The Ivory Throne - The Matrilineal Society of Kerala

I always wondered how my state – Kerala –  was matrilineal and then switched to patrilineal. Review of book – ‘The Ivory Throne – Chronicles of the house of Travancore’ - on Caravan magazine by ‘Manu Pillai’ did answer a lot of questions I earlier had on this subject. However, I admit that the reason provided for why Kerala society was matrilineal earlier is not answered quite satisfactory.

Some excerpts from the book review (pasted verbatim),

“Scholar K. Saradamoni points out…Nair women always had the security of the homes they were born in throughout their lives and were not dependent on their husbands”

“Sexual freedom was also remarkable so that while polygamy was happily recognised in other parts of India, in Kerala women were allowed polyandry. Nair women could, if they wished, entertain more than one husband and, in the event of difficulties, were free to divorce without any social stigma”

“The marriage… was simply called sambandham, or relationship... terminable at will.”

“The bond between brother and sister was considered more sacrosanct than that between husband and wife.”

“Every Maharajah, in other words, had a Brahmin for a grandfather and a Nair for a grandson, both of whom were commoners; the Nair’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather came from different rungs of the social hierarchy”

“The procedure to enter into a sambandham was rather easy and simply involved the man handing the woman a piece of cloth before an oil lamp”

“This late [Cochin]Rajah’s wife already had a daughter from a previous husband, (indicating that even princes married widows or divorcees) and this girl, even at the highest social station in the court of Cochin, could keep two men at the same time. Similarly, the author C.V. Raman Pillai wedded his late wife’s sister, for whom it was the fourth marriage in a line that included two dead husbands and one divorce.”

“Traditional Kerala society never frowned at all this for the simple reason that such sexual relations were not taboo. It was customary and made perfect sense within the historical and economic context of the land. But what did happen by the nineteenth century was the impact of Christian missionaries with their prudish Victorian notions of decency and morality, aided by the colonial enterprise to “civilise” India.”

“This was also the time when Nair men were out studying at the new English colleges and schools, exposed to these foreign opinions...”

“Hitherto local practices affected no Malayali as odd. But now he had to face derogatory comments about their repulsive “backwardness”. “And it became worse,” Saradamoni tells us, “when sambandham was equated to concubinage and the women to mistresses and the children called bastards.”

“In 1912, Travancore gave its first boost to nuclear families, modelled on the patriarchal style … allowed men to bequeath part of their self-acquired property or money to wives and children instead of the taravad, or matrilineal joint family”

“By 1923 the call was final: matriliny should be abolished and individual partition was to be the weapon of choice.”

“between 1897 and 1907 alone an average of 487 suits were brought to court by nephews against the managing senior uncles of their taravads”

“in April 1925 the Legislative Council passed a bill terminating matriliny, permitting partition of property, “legalising” all sambandhams, and essentially inaugurating the age of the patriarchal family in Travancore”

“It was sent to the Maharani for her assent and on 13 April she signed the historic Nair Regulation of 1925, giving matrilineal kinship the unique distinction of being the only system of inheritance and family in the world to be abolished by law.”

“Similar Acts were passed for the Ezhava and Vellala communities also, sections of which were matrilineal. The Government of Madras would follow her lead in 1933 and do the same in Malabar, while Cochin would issue corresponding orders by 1938.”

I believe this is a good book to read on this subject.

Sajeev

Reference

1. What Led to the End of Kerala’s Matrilineal Society? – The Caravan Magazine

Review: In quest of Last Victory by Navin Gulia

I came across this book by accident, an accident which I like to happen repeatedly. After thinking for a while, I ordered this book in FlipKart.

Who is Navin Gulia? Good question, by end of this book you will came to know who he is.
Like many other autobiographical books, this one also starts with author’s birth. I don’t know what happened around me when I born.  Do you remember? Like many other authors, Navin also went for over describing those days.

Slowly, timeline moved forward and we reached his school days. Author, just like most of us when we were kids, describe himself as a youngster longed for love, praise, affection and attention. Did he have all those things? No. His inability to finish in first place in many sporting events was too much disappointing for him. In addition to that Navin also ended up doing things, against his wishes for making others happy, an important mistake we often make.

As the time passed, author moved to different schools in different places, which brought new friends, environment and new experiences as well.

An important characteristic of Navin was his attention towards physical excercises – no matter whether it is walking or running or other athletic events he was very eager to practice daily. However, when it comes to competitive events he often find him in second place.

An interesting feature of this book is frequent motivational lines coming in every other page. At some times, you may feel – isn’t it going over the head? Did he really think like that at that age? However, most of the time, these lines are in sync with progress of the story.

One major setback he suffered at this period is the failure in the mathematics during the final year in schooling. Failure in board exams is something which can break any one. But Navin was not ready to give up.

From here onwards, along with author we are also going to joining at the life in NDA and how the institution helped him to focus more on life and values. Or as he writes - understood the key to success – ‘working meticulously towards it’.

However, all were not smooth. He had to work very hard to reach the standard he set for himself. In NDA a kick by a horse resulted in 29 stitches to his face. These pages also explain the idea of infinite ability to do things. Well I may not fully agree with this, I would rather like to agree on the principle, ‘One should realise when a task is no longer achievable’, and one should carefully decide on the course of action when the cost of achieving victory far outweighs the benefits we can extract out of it. A pyrrhic victory serves no one – neither the victorious one nor the defeated one.  However, ideas of infinite ability presented by him are inspirational.

One can also find references to Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem – ‘IF’

“IF you can keep you head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,”

Then come IMA, here Navin suffers the biggest setback of his life. An adventurous life involving Rock Climbing, Parachute Jumping etc came to a halt when he suffered an accident which results in Paralysis.

However Navin was not a person to be disappointed by life, hibernate and spend rest of his life with memories from old days. He tried hard to go forward and leave the bad memories behind. Finished graduation from Symbiosis, got driving license, tried flying a glider, spend long hours in driving, two failed attempts to Khardung La (second attempt reached very close to the top), world’s highest motor-able road.

Then comes the third attempt to highest roads in the world – this time to Marsimik La. Can I say rods? No. It’s more of some dirty tracks.

I can divide this book to three parts. In first part, Navin as a kid - eager to become lovable, to get attention and affection. In second part Navin as an energetic teenager is trying hard to live a life which is up to his dream. In third part, after the accident, he is not only trying hard to become less and less dependable on others, but also struggling to give a new meaning to life. His journeys to Marsimik La not only send a message of hope but also show how nothing can create roadblocks in front of a fully committed individual.

There is much more in the books, like in IMA and after that running to multiple chapters. Enjoy reading.

Sajeev.

Review: The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer

Prodigal Daughter is an excellent work by Jeffery Archer. Most of the time, in works related to business empires, politics and thrillers, women remain in the supportive role. Even if there are many woman characters in the history who excelled in these fields - their percentage remains low in literature. Through "The prodigal daughter" Archer creates a powerful woman character- Florentyna who is in the race and her target is to attain the highest post in the world - The president of United States.

This novel is more descriptive about main character's childhood which is not usually seen in many novels of this type. It also analyses the problems of immigrants in a new place. Archer is successful in the analysis of the difficulties faced by the Polish emigrants in US in the earlier days, through Abel Rosnovski's hard work and success and also thorough an incident in Florentyna's school life.

The rose of Abel along with his hotel group "Baron" ,its success and how his business affected his family life give a mirror image of the things happening in today's society. The description of total dedication to business; even in the cost of time, which have to be spend with the family, and the subsequent divorce is really an eye opener.

Author also give high importance to the mentor's role in a person's life. In the Odyssey of Florentyna's life she too have a mentor who moulds her to what she is now- Miss Tredgold. It also shows how a person with clear vision can transform other's life. Abel was extremely good in his selection of Miss Tredgold as Florentyna's governess.

In her school days Florentyna occupied every post she could attain. Archer is successful in describing how a person's ego results in his/her downfall through Florentyna's failure in her competition for School's president and incidents in the Barron hotels by her childish behavior.

But this opened her eyes and with the help of Miss Tredgold she achieved the prestigious scholarship and thus fulfilled her headmistress's longtime dream. The days of Florentyna in her college, take us back to our own college days. Archer didn't drop anything in this section. He describes everything from sports to academics and also give us something to laugh - Bella's(Florentyn's friend) two hockey matches with Harvard team.

The story slowly grow to her love marriage with her father's enemy's son - Richard and their subsequent business adventures in San Fransisco after the expulsion from both the families. The best part in the book is the description of rejoining of both families after 10 years.

Now Florentyna explorers to the new frontiers of business as the chairperson of Baron Group and the couples subsequently took over the Lister's bank. The flow of the story is quite natural and always thrilling. Author then moves Florentna to US politics and the problems she faced and her triumphs. Its always a suspense for the readers that will she attain her dream and most sought after position in US? - The first woman president of US? Florentyna's journey in the politics is not in the way of roses; she faced a lot of difficulties on the way.

But here author reveals one important thing, the money backing. Behind her there is Baron Group and Lister bank but even then she is worried about the thousands of dollars running out of her own pocket above the money supplied by the government for running offices. What will be the condition of a common senator or a legislative member?

The difficulties faced by Florentyna is not her alone. but it is same in all democratic countries where age/seniority decides everything. They got tempting offers from many corners to make things a little more flexible or to keep the mouth shut. These money[bribe] powered politics is the basic reason for the degradation of democracy in all over the world.

The percentage of money going to right people and the percentage which ends up in the hands of wrong people will be a shock for everyone. Through Florentyna, the author declares that scarcity of money is not the problem but the inefficient use of it is the actual problem.

The description of US presidential election system and primaries will give a fair idea about how the US system is working even for a non US person. Her everlasting desire, the colleagues cheating and how she overcame it will always keep us in high voltage.

Russia's movement in the South Asia and the courage shown by her, even in the time when all others are willing to give in; and her subsequent success are all capable to keep our mind in the book. The claim for others victory not only rose angry in readers mind but it will arose sympathy too.

The best part of he book is its climax, whenever we read a book we can predict its climax but here its not happened in the way we imagined even the end result is the same. In "Prodigal Daughter" Archer terminated the novel in the exact point where it has to be not a word more and not a word less.

"Prodigal Daughter" also analysis the true friendship, successful business tactics of Abel and then her daughter Florentyna and her husband Richard, integrity and dutiful William Kane, professional George, Abel's desire to do something for the country in which he born, crooked political tactics, claiming others victory, true love of Richard and Edwar towards Florentyna etc. He also describes underflows and overflows in business and politics etc.

In total this is an excellent work from Archer, which from the beginning to end will not allow as to sleep; and a must read one for business persons and politicians.

Sajeev.

Review: The Inheritors: Is money thicker than blood? by Neel Chowdhury

The Inheritors written by Neel Chowdhury is discussing about the family concept and how strong it is, in the new world of economic liberalization and globalization.

Here the book is about a Calcutta Marwari family and their business. The Lohiya and company. The company is much diversified one and doing business in Steel, Jute, Automobiles, shipping, commodities, coal etc. The public listed company is controlled by Lohia family headed by Hari Lohia.

But the strike led by Marxist trade union against the shutdown of Motor cycle firm paralyzes the whole conglomerate. Using this opportunity Hari's sister 'Aruna' and her two sons tries to take over the company.

But Hari Lohia who single-handedly raised the company from a jute trading business to the conglomerate is not ready to give in. He is fighting back and in the way he find support from new sources- his daughter - Shivani and his sister Anjali.

In the way the story moves to the old forts of Rajasthan, the share markets of Mumbai, the hedge funds of Hong Kong, and also to the world of Japanese automakers.

It also analyses the effect of globalisation in Indian companies and the behaviour of trade unions in Bengal.

"The Inheritors" analyzes the strength and love in a family and how a family system is working. This book is a good one - discuss and combines the themes like business, family and trade unions. And tag line "Is money thicker than blood?" is analyzed all over the book.

Sajeev