Over the past ten years, there has been a frenzied output of books that decipher the phenomenon that is the Chinese President Xi Jinping. If one includes news articles, mostly Western ones in the English media, the cumulative body of work is daunting.
This past week, Gunjan Singh, who is an assistant professor at OP Jindal Global University,reviewedanother book on the Chinese leader,Xi: A Study in Power, by Kerry Brown.
Like all history, the history of the Chinese Communist Party has been a source of divergent readings. Many have sought to look at the continuities between the current regime and previous ones the most popular comparison is with Mao Zedong, which this book also appears to draw on. These works often approach the subject as though it is something exotic, a quest to divine the secret ingredient in the secret ingredient soup, to paraphrase a dialogue from the hit Hollywood movieKung Fu Panda.
The book under consideration looks at Xis past to piece together the puzzle, especially the impact of the Cultural Revolution. Singh says, The book traces [Xis] personal and political growth by weaving a narrative juxtaposing his early life, his family history with his experiences during the Cultural Revolution and his role as a party worker and provincial leader.
Singh says the book fills gaps in the stories often told about Xi. It helps the readers understand the Chinese leader a bit better than what one can attempt to do by just trying to analyse him from the prism of an authoritarian and power-hungry politician heading a Leninist Party with the goal of holding on to power for life, she writes.
There are some other recent books that might also be of interest to the reader. For one, there is Isabella Webers excellent bookHow China Escaped Shock Therapy, which argues that, unlike popular narratives of a sharp turn under Deng Xiaoping, the CCP chose a smoother transition from a socialist to an international trade-oriented economy. And that the party fears radical change overnight.
There is also Alex RussosCultural Revolution and Revolutionary Culture, a deeply researched book that suggests that the current changes in the CCP, indeed the changes since the mid-1970s, have been made with one aim that the Cultural Revolution must not be repeated. According to the book, the principal aim of the Cultural Revolution was to thwart a tendency towards an overtly bureaucratic state, like in the USSR.
Religious sentiments
Elsewhere, journalist Nilanjan MukhopadhyayreviewedHurt Sentimentsby Neeti Nair, a book that explores the narratives of victimhood that abound in the politics of India and the subcontinent.
This sentiment is at the root of the primary political divide in India, which exists, in the words of the author, between Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godses visions and the imagination of India, writes Mukhopadhyay.
As Mukhopadhyay points out, referring to the book, the phrase hurt sentiments gained significance after the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Given the inverted political logic in todays India, also Pakistan, a reasoned investigation and analysis of this divisive mind-set could not have been timelier, he writes.
Safeguarding religious sentiments also took institutional form, with affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) drawing the boundaries around what were and werent acceptable as cultural expressions.
The books accomplishment, writes Mukhopadhyay, is being able to simultaneously address those uninitiated in the politics of Hindu majoritarianism and minority communalism with a thought-through and riveting text, as well as provide food for contemplation for those who track the rise of divisive politics in India and its neighbours.
Also, this past week, Debarghya SanyalreviewedAmit SchandilliasDont Forward That Text!
The author breaks down some of the most obvious facts, not into an over-simplified judgement of true or false but carefully crafted analyses, writes Sanyal.
From the Aryan invasion theory to the Sarasvati river and Kosambian elephants, Sanyal writes that Schandillia covers a wide range of topics. Most crucially, the author hasnt shied away from calling a spade a spade, says Sanyal.
However, the book has limitations, writes Sanyal. The author focuses on Indian history mostly ancient and medieval and looks at a specific strand of misinformation, dealing mostly with those of the hard right.
But when one is addressing the vast world of misinformation and WhatsApp facts, one cannot limit oneself to such a narrow strand, writes Sanyal.
A distinction must be drawn in the literature between misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation need not be intentional, whereas disinformation is a deliberate attempt to mislead.
Market mania
And finally, Samie ModakreviewedThe Big Bull of Dalal Streetby Neil Borate, Aprajita Sharma & Aditya Kondawar, which looks at the life and investments of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.
Jhunjhunwalas appeal, or at least the appeal of the stock market, has only seemed to have grown since the crash of 2020 after lockdowns were announced worldwide to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This appeal is heightened thanks to the many myths that surround Jhunjhunwala, a revered figure among investors. Says Modak that the book corrects many such myths, including the one that he turned Rs 5,000 into Rs 35,000 crore during his career he started with a loan of Rs 2 lakh.
The authors use public information and interviews with his contemporaries to discern his investment decisions. Luckily, there is no shortage of public information on the man. Unlike most stock market stars in India, Jhunjhunwala, a larger-than-life personality with a penchant for the politically incorrect, was not publicity shy... People gathered in their thousands to hear his investment outlook and stock tips (which he famously refrained from offering), writes Modak.
Importantly, the book also looks at some of Jhunjhunwalas bad decisions, apart from the obvious winners he backed, like Titan.
Despite all this detail, the book is incomplete. For instance, the authors tell us little about Jhunjhunwalas life... Nor does it delve much into Jhunjhunwalas investment in unlisted stocks (such as Start Health, the second-most valuable stock in his portfolio after Titan) or how he went about identifying companies in which to invest, writes Modak.
Read more:
The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments - Business Standard
- Manzi: Ducati teams wanted me to be disqualified, mistakes ... - Crash - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Today in History: July 24, Apollo 11 returns home from the moon - Plainview Daily Herald - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- McClellan: A trip to Scotland reveals a family motto that is just right - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- AMD CEO will consider other foundries besides Taiwan ... - Seeking Alpha - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Bill Maher Drools All Over Elon Musk in Softball Sitdown - The Daily Beast - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- QAnon's popularity has been fueled by the playful and participatory ... - LSE - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Its been rough, but we have to hang on - Santa Barbara News-Press - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Flamenco and a Venerated Teacher Return to Steps on Broadway - westsiderag.com - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- R.M.N. Director Cristian Mungiu on Xenophobia and the Dangers of Politically Correct Filmmaking - Hollywood Reporter - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- My baptism of fire into trucking - Big Rigs - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Sinicization of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang: An Indian View - Bitter Winter - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Diljit da jawab nahin: Why the munda made us go balle, balle - Times of India - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Why was Don Lemon fired by CNN? Veteran news anchor let go after 17 years - AS USA - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Agent Movie Review: A spy film that puts the fire in misfire - cinemaexpress - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Voice and Hammer - Longreads - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- This coronation is being styled in an apologetic tone - Reaction - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 21 Comedy Movies That Were Ahead of Their Time - MovieWeb - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Remembering Barry Humphries, art lover, artist and creator of Dame ... - Art Newspaper - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Everything you need to know about the 2023 Met Gala... - Jordan News - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 10 Sitcoms With Content That Hasn't Aged Well - Collider - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Things to do in Wilmington NC this weekend April 27-30 - StarNewsOnline.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Bill Maher Is Clueless About Chicago, Guns, and Poverty - The Daily Beast - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 10 Best R-Rated Comedies of the 21st Century, Ranked - Collider - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Let's talk tachles: What do Olim truly think of Israel? - Ynetnews - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Parker: Tim Scott and American exceptionalism | News, Sports, Jobs - Daily Herald - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Letters: 'When I say my name is Karen, will others think I'm a b---h?' - National Post - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Chef Shannons Byron Bay boys-only bash - The Age - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan: Why Salman Khans lone superhero formula doesnt work for the masses anymore - The Indian Express - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- THE OTHER SIDE: They left the dogsThe Tucker Trump Show - theberkshireedge.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Kenny vs. Spenny: Iconic Canadian frenemies prove some things never change - Global News - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Politician who called herself 'mother of the politically incorrect ... - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- CT man charged with threatening to kill Florida sheriff on 'hit list' for ... - Torrington Register Citizen - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- BROADWAY REVIEW: 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' is a total blast; plus it ... - New York Daily News - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Harvard donor Ken Griffin's backing of DeSantis stirs predictable ... - The Boston Globe - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- TV shows to watch this week: 'West Wing' fans should rally around ... - Star Tribune - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Why Is It So Hard to Watch 'Friends' Now? - Collider - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Belinda Carlisle: Touring with Green Day was one big hot mess - NME - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Chinese scholars believe in gender equality - Times Higher Education - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Five Year Social Media Ban For Online Preacher - Vision Christian Media - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- A Toast to Tom Eating His Feelings on Succession - Vulture - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Turtle love and the messages of Roald Dahl - The Saturday Paper - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- New Book Offers the CATHOLIC Case for ID - Discovery Institute - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Roy Chubby Brown to play Hanley gig tonight despite calls for show to be cancelled - Stoke-on-Trent Live - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- 4 dead, 28 wounded at U.S. birthday party shooting - inform.kz/en - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- People protest for ban on assault weapons in Washington - Independent - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Night Jitters: TVs Late Crowd Grapples With Weakness in the Wee Hours - Variety - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Donald Trump called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a 'brilliant man' and said there is no one in Hollywood with the - Business Insider India - April 17th, 2023 [April 17th, 2023]
- /pol/ - Wikipedia - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- The Top 20+ Questions on Politically Correct Terms [with Answers!] - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- 15 Very Politically Incorrect Things That Are Also Absolutely True ... - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- From Politically Correct To Cancel Culture, How Accountability ... - NPR - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Is ChatGPT Partisan? Poems About Trump And Biden Raise Questions About The AI Bots BiasHeres What Experts Think - Forbes - February 5th, 2023 [February 5th, 2023]
- NM Gov. Grisham calls for new gun control laws, citing recent ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- What Does Woke Mean in Politics? - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Richard Barnett expected to testify in his trial - KATV - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Twitter suspends Babylon Bee over Rachel Levine 'Man of the Year' title - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- The Taste With Vir: To blame or not to blame the Civil Aviation Ministry - Hindustan Times - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- 'Yellowstone' Season 5, Episode 6 Recap: Jamie and Sarah Join Forces, Plan to Oust John as Governor - Entertainment Tonight - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Nick Kroll and More Take The Hollywood Reporters Annual Comedy Survey - Hollywood Reporter - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism - The World Economic Forum - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Netanyahu memoir: Dems feeling more leftist pressure on Israel than they publicly admit - Forward - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Living Among Trolls: It's Orwellian, But It's Real - odishabytes - OdishaBytes - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- SMOKERS' CORNER: THE POLITICS OF TRANSGRESSION - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- This Week in Lincolnville: Do the People Belong to the Land - PenBayPilot.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Meghan Markle and Harry blow as Americans back Kate and Prince William over Sussexes - Express - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Which side are you on, anyway? Rethinking academic freedom - University World News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Politically Incorrect Canadian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Our Unmad lives - The Business Standard - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Biden threatens 'consequences' against Saudi Arabia over OPEC oil production cuts, links with Russia - Must Read Alaska - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- 'Backsides' voted but fireworks are likely with one Hamilton councillor - Richard Swainson - Stuff - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Does it actually have an influence?: Expert weighs in PM Trudeaus viral bungee jump video - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Jordan Hogg: In 15 years, Ive never come across another disabled director - The Guardian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The phenomenon of 'Hawa' vs 'Poran' - Dhaka Tribune - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- SMOKERS' CORNER: THE RESURGENCE OF THE FAR-RIGHT - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Paddy Considine's filmography: What were the House of the Dragon actor's best works? - Bolavip - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Word on the street: 'Never heard of him' - Aucklanders react to Brown mayoral win - Stuff - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- QC The Producers revels in being politically incorrect - WHBF - OurQuadCities.com - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Interdependence as a weapon in the era of non-peace: Failure in Ukraine and danger in Taiwan - Atalayar - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 'Ramy' Season 3 Review: Ramy Youssef's Comical, Rich Look At Muslim Family Life Is The Best One Yet - The Playlist - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: Colour and the chilli - Hindustan Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]