Books like A Braided River — picked by fans

During my many years in the Emirates, I explored the flora, vegetation, and geomorphology of the coastal, mountainous, and sandy deserts and experienced their incredible beauty, which was particularly stunning during Winter sunsets.

I came to understand why the ancient Arabs loved and cared for their land, and I fell in love with it, too. This book, edited by my friends the late Peter Hellyer and the late Simon Aspinall, provides a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated documentation of the richness and diversity of the Emirates' natural ecosystems, habitats, and flora and fauna.

During my many years working for UNESCO in Arabia, Africa, East Asia, and South Asia, as well as during my early years in Europe, I had the great privilege of not only traveling to many countries and experiencing the true beauty of natural landscapes, seascapes, and coastal areas, but also meeting people of different nationalities, ethnicities, and religions, and I came to appreciate many of their cultural traditions and customs.

UNESCO has three types of designated protected areas, including UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Global Geoparks. My hometown in northern Germany is located in the Terra Vita Geopark, which celebrates the 'life story of the Earth.' This book provides an excellent overview of the UNESCO Global Geoparks of the world.

I have been actively involved in the scientific research, conservation, restoration, and development of mangrove ecosystems since 1989. Mangroves are an important part of the natural systems of our plant world and are of enormous importance to wildlife and humans both ecologically and for a whole range of socio-economic reasons. Mangroves are world champions in carbon sequestration. Mangroves can grow in salt water, and 97% of the water on Earth is salty.

This ATLAS provides comprehensive information on the importance and biogeography of mangroves, although an updated and web-based new version is urgently needed. At the moment, this is the best ATLAS we have, and I highly recommend it as a 'must have' for anyone serious about science-based professional conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems.

Although much of the world's desert ecosystems are poor in plant species and have very low vegetation cover and density, it should not be forgotten that even the flora in desert ecosystems provides a variety of services and benefits to both humans and animals.

Renée Richer and her collaborators have put together a wonderful and highly informative account of the flora of Qatar, which I believe is an inspiration to contemporary conservationists, botanists, and vegetation ecologists. It belongs in the collection of both professional and amateur nature lovers.

I am moved by how, in spite of his sadness and grief at the loss of his surrounding natural environment and the animals that lived there, Jadav decides to do something about it. He shows how, by taking one small step at a time, each of us has the ability to make a tremendous impact on improving our natural world. It gives me great hope that young readers will be inspired to care for our common home and restore our troubled planet, one plant at a time.

Those who know the field of religious violence may find my choice of Ashis Nandy’s book of essays to be a peculiar one since it deals with a variety of issues besides religious violence. But one of his essays, “The Discrete Charms of Indian Terrorists,” is worth the price of the book. In it, Nandy describes the remarkably civil behavior of young Sikh activists who hijacked an Indian plane in the 1980s. He then goes on to disagree with Gandhi that terrorism necessarily absolutizes a conflict, and he rejects the common perspective, especially in the West, that terrorism is always evil. Though Nandy’s analysis does not fit all, or perhaps most, instances of religion-related terrorism it makes us reconsider our assumptions about the use of violence in certain situations.

Crimes again women are discussed ad nauseam in the media but this was the first time I read a novel that made the subject painfully uncomfortable for me by telling the story not in the voice of the victim but through the reflections of a witness who probes everyone’s culpability, including her own. This powerful debut shines a very revealing light on what it means to be a comfortably middle-class Indian. 

I wanted to end my list with another book by an Indian author. This is a text similar to Acharya's, a text that impressed me when I found it and that almost no one cites.

This is an author who argues not only that there are external influences in ancient India but that it is a constant in Indian history and that there is no reason to be ashamed of it. Why should there be? It is a basic text in the good sense of the word, a brave book that deserves to be reread.

This novel made me think in new ways about the lives of contemporary women in India. I left India decades ago, only returning for brief visits, and I often wonder how things have changed, especially for women. In the novel, Mrs. Sharma is a married woman with a teenage son living in Delhi who meets a young man while her husband is away. Her struggle to reconcile her traditional values with her desires is portrayed beautifully by the author, making her internal conflict both unsettling and illuminating.

The deceptively simple—and often funny—writing enhances its impact. While this novel is more “plotty” than the others on this list, it is deeply layered and illuminating simply by its topic. I was so glad to find books by Indian authors that frankly discuss women’s desires.

India is an enigma to many people – a developing country beset with a number of problems yet a resounding democracy; a nuclear and space power yet grappling with poverty, malnutrition, and illiteracy; a source of great talent for global corporations and a nation of innovators yet experiencing violence and acrimony based on caste and religion. India After Gandhi is a comprehensive guide to understand these apparent contradictions and make sense of modern India. It is history told in an accessible, evidence-based fashion, and free from biases.