IN TWO MINDS – REVIEW OF DANIEL KAHNEMAN’S “THINKING, FAST AND SLOW”

Having been influenced by the great Richard Feynman’s talks, I used to look upon psychologists with a certain disdain. Looking back, I think Feynman’s dislike of psychologists stemmed from the fact that they often tend to concentrate on the abnormal mind: hence such oddities like “Oedipus complex” and “Electra complex”.

SMALL TOWN WONDERS – REVIEW OF RASHMI BANSAL’S “TAKE ME HOME”

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish (2008) was about entrepreneurs with an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad. Connect the Dots (2010) was about entrepreneurs without an MBA. I Have A Dream (2011) was about social entrepreneurs. Now Rashmi Bansal is out with a new book Take Me Home (2014) about entrepreneurs who have built global enterprises in the small towns of India.

THE HISTORY OF HEDGE FUNDS – REVIEW OF SEBASTIAN MALLABY’S “MORE MONEY THAN GOD”

Hedge funds have been around since 1949 when they were invented by Alfred Winslow Jones. Not many know about hedge funds since only high net worth individuals can invest in them. Middle-class investors opt for the more familiar mutual funds through systematic investment plan (SIP) mode. What is not generally recognized is that hedge fund managers like Julian Robertson and George Soros have changed the way the world functions!

IRRATIONALLY YOURS – REVIEW OF DAN ARIELY’S “PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL”

Two thousand years ago Aristotle stated, “Man is a rational animal”, to differentiate him from other animals who relied on instincts. In my college days, for a while I was hooked on rationality under the influence of Ayn Rand. I used to think that every action and every opinion should be rationally evaluated and life should be conducted with reason as the measure of virtue.

CURRENCY SUICIDE! – REVIEW OF JAMES RICKARDS’ “CURRENCY WARS”

A currency war is a situation where several countries simultaneously devalue their currency by printing more money, with an ostensible motive of increasing their exports. We are now in the midst of a currency war. And it has not been good for India. The present day high inflation and the drastic depreciation of the rupee in summer of 2013 can be attributed to the ongoing currency war.

BUILT DIFFERENT: REVIEW OF KAREN BLUMENTHAL’S “STEVE JOBS”

Let me first disambiguate. This is not a review of the classic biography by Walter Isaacson. Karen Blumenthal’s Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different (2012) is a less heavier book written more for the man in a hurry who cannot be compelled to peruse Isaacson’s 500-plus-page tome.

THE HUNGRY DRAGON: REVIEW OF DAMBISA MOYO’S “WINNER TAKE ALL”

I picked up Dambisa Moyo’s Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What It Means for Us (2012) for the sole reason that it was endorsed by legendary investor and commodities guru Jim Rogers. And it turned out to be quite an interesting read.