Shantaram: A Novel269 reviews Gregory David Roberts St. Martin's Griffin, 2005 A great book + Very engaging - gives food for thought + Shantaram- a novel by Gregory David Roberts I read Shantaram about a year ago and hands down it is the best book I read all year, maybe in the past five years. It is really memorable. The prison scenes, life in Mumbai, the characters, stay alive long after I stopped reading. The book is long, but I never wanted it to end. A year later, I ...             The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East127 reviews Robert Fisk Vintage, 2007 well worth the weight + Must Read stuff + Easily one of the best books I've ever read + Long read + Brilliant but lengthy treatise on how the Middle East "situation" came to be             The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Wharton School Publishing ...61 reviews CK Prahalad Wharton School Publishing, 2006 Great book for any serious business person + Looking at Ethical Profits from the Global Poor + Interesting and insightful read, not just for business people + Another good book on the forgotten people of the world             Banker To The Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty77 reviews Muhammad Yunus PublicAffairs, 2008 A book about poverty and Triumph + Great Way to give a Hand Up + banker to the poor + Banker to the Poor + Wonderful and Inspiring!             The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else144 reviews Hernando De Soto Basic Books, 2003 First Rate Analysis of Poverty and Development + Property Rights are key to ending poverty + A Marxist take + The Mystery of Capital -- It's Really No Mystery             The Wisdom of Crowds159 reviews James Surowiecki Anchor, 2005 Excellent Primer + Why don't quantum physicists let a crowd predict the Higgs' particle mass-energy? + Never judge a book by its cover! There's a reason why democracy is the crappiest form of government, except all others (to paraphrase somebody famous). The theme of this book is that groups of people are smarter than individual people. It's sort of counterintuitive to the American spirit of individualism, but James Surowiecki ...             Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found73 reviews Suketu Mehta Vintage, 2005 The Best + Maximum City delivers in a Maximum Way Fantastically written...In no better way could have the author penned down his feelings for Bombay!             The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World84 reviews Paul Roberts Mariner Books, 2005 Still an excellent primer on the economics of hydrocarbons and alternatives + Excellent and thorough book, misleading title + the oil end + Makes analysis of the contemporary energy order accessible. + The Title should have been " We are running out of low to medium priced oil "             Al-Jazeera: The Inside Story of the Arab News Channel That is Challenging the West17 reviews Hugh Miles Grove Press, 2006 Al Jazeera and unbelief in the west + Hugh Miles' book aspires for ambiguity... Analyses why and how the agenda of Al Jazeera Television seems so opposite to what is shown on mainline western news shows. You will gain from this book at least a few more diverse opinions about why diversity in media is healthier than uniformity, and why there will always be a need for other ...             Traders, Guns & Money: Knowns and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives19 reviews Satyajit Das FT Press, 2006 Top Notch book. great companion read to David Roche's New Monetarism + A must for anyone with money that you may know what the teller in your local bank is selling you + Great for finance people + Make a difficult subject an attractive reading + Fantastic!             Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything1568 reviews Stephen J. Dubner William Morrow, 2006 Freakonomics + SPNG vs CVKG + Thought provoking Stats, Easy Reading This is an entertaining look at economics and gave valid views on how our systems works.             Disney War103 reviews James B. Stewart, 2005 Disney Disfunction + Rambling but fun expose + War is a great title + A rich perspective of the inside of Disney + A Primer in Skullduggery ...             Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice, Revised and Updated Edition4 reviews Geoffrey Robertson New Press, 2007 A Fantastic Read!! + Just Keeps Getting Bigger + Human rights law for the average person + Lengthy but worth the effort             Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World12 reviews Louis Fischer Mentor, 1982 The true saint + A Short Classic + From Gandhi's own mouth + "BLESSED ARE THE MEEK"             The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time115 reviews Jeffrey Sachs Penguin (Non-Classics), 2006 Must Read for Those Interested in Development + Insightful and inspiring perspective on one of the great opportunities of our generation + Optimism on Development and Effective Aid for Impoverished Countries You, being a smart person who is up on contemporary debates in economics and development and/or are a reader of Vanity Fair, probably already know all about Sachs and this book. Sachs made his name giving "shock therapy" to various third world economies. He recommended they jack up interest ...             Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September ...140 reviews Steve Coll Penguin (Non-Classics), 2004 Fascinating and well-researched history + bordering on fraudulent + A Historical Tour de Force Though Osama Bin Laden became a household name after the 9-11 attacks, few people know the background of Afghanistan and the mujahideen fighters that birthed these radical groups. This book gives a well-researched, in-depth look into the interplay of the Cold War, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, ...             Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution24 reviews Howard Rheingold Basic Books, 2003 Remote Control To The World + A whirlwind tour through the world next year. + Smart Mobs. Smarter Marketers. How many of you recall that EF Hutton commercial that started off by saying, "When EF Hutton talks, people listen". The same thought can be applied to Howard Rheingold. Rheingold is veteran technology watcher and well-publised futurist. He has identified yet another transformative technology. In ...             Business Maharajas1 review Gita Piramal Penguin Books Ltd, 1996 India's Tycoons Gita Piramal has clearly enjoyed extraordinary access to seven of India's most powerful business leaders. This access has allowed her to deliver a laudable report of the personalities, their empires, and, at times, a sampling of the inertia that drives them. "Business Maharaja" is easy to read ...             Reinventing the Bazaar: A Natural History of Markets15 reviews John McMillan W. W. Norton & Company, 2003 Finally, a reasonable, non-ideological book about markets + A fantastic primer on markets that leaves you begging for more! + I loved this book. + pleasant and valuable reading + Just what I wanted....             Big Deal: Mergers and Acquisitions in the Digital Age25 reviews Bruce Wasserstein Business Plus, 2001 Wow! An incredible amount of great info in a single volume! + The Veritable Bible for Bankers + Extremely dry book + Highly Recommended!