Editors at ThePrint went on a dizzyingly eclectic reading journey in 2024. From dystopian fiction and food history to graphic memoirs and international politics, here are all the books they strongly recommend for the readers.
The West: A New History of an Old Idea by Naoise Mac Sweeney
We use the terms West, Western ideas, Western history and Western civilisation loosely and often unthinkingly. The author, a professor of classical archaeology at the University of Vienna, dismantles these as invented ideological constructs, morally problematic and also historically inaccurate. The standard Western history is shown as an unbroken culture of ideas – from Plato to NATO, from the classical worlds of Rome and Greece, Renaissance, Enlightenment and Atlantic modernity. But now, there is overwhelming evidence against this cultural genealogy: Rama Lakshmi, Editor–Opinion & Ground Reports.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton
A ravenous fiction reader, my sister stands on the other side of the literary divide from me. But when she makes a recommendation, I listen. This time, the book was Butter, a Japanese bestseller written by Asako Yuzuki and translated by Polly Barton. As you journey through its pages, you often catch yourself functioning on borrowed thought, microdosing on society’s uncomfortable truths on misogyny that have been weaved intelligently and almost deceptively. The book is based on a real-life serial killer and mixes a seemingly unpalatable combo of food and murder. It ends up being peculiarly delicious: Nisheeth Upadhyay, Editor–Operations.
Rage by Bob Woodward
There are a hundred shades of grey with Donald Trump, said Jared Kushner, the US President-elect’s son-in-law. He recommended four texts if someone wanted to understand Trump. The first was a column that said, “He is crazy…and it’s kind of working.” The second was the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you are going, any path will get you there.” The third was a book that said after his first year in office: “Trump will be Trump, no matter his chief of staff.” And the fourth spoke of how Trump can “invent any reality”. American journalist Bob Woodward mentions Kushner’s recommendations in Rage, a 2020 book that is arguably the best text to understand where the son-in-law came from. If you want to understand what to expect from Trump in his second term, Rage is the best window into his mind: DK Singh, Political Editor.
Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God by Caroline Nixey
Talking donkeys, suicidal pigs, the serpent Jesus, a woman who insisted on conducting an intimate exam to establish the truth of the virgin birth: Historian Caroline Nixey takes us into the many stories of early Christianity, which flourished before orthodoxy was established. The book teaches us to beware of what we think we know, for our truths have often been forged by the swords of kings: Praveen Swami, Contributing Editor.
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins
How do you tell the story of a storyteller, especially that of someone who was for long not only a best-selling novelist but also Britain’s most shoplifted author? Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes by his longtime friend & assistant Rob Wilkins draws a portrait that’s both moving & insightful. For those, like me, who have remained fascinated by Discworld, it gives you a peek into the brain behind the series. The book is part autobiography, incorporating notes from Terry Pratchett himself (he was working on the autobiography when he died in 2015). Rob Wilkins combines these notes and draws on his own memories, as well as those of Terry Pratchett’s friends & families for a memoir that’s fascinating, inspiring & meaningful: Janki Dave, News Editor.
After Tiananmen: The Rise of China by Vijay Ghokale
Originally published in 2022, After Tiananmen offers an amazing insight into how the Chinese mind works. From basically nothing, China has risen to become an economic giant, challenging the world order in every sphere in just two decades. This book captures China’s journey from 1989 to 2010 and how the CCP transformed its character and the country’s relationship with the world: Snehesh Alex Philip, Deputy Editor.
Why the Heck Not by KP Singh & Aparna Jain
Although I picked up the book for work, I kept reading out of sheer interest. Filled with anecdotes and Singh’s own nuggets of wisdom, the book is neither biography nor autobiography, but something in between. Why The Heck Not provides deep insight into India’s real estate market, its evolution, and how politics is an inextricable part of it: Sharad Raghavan, Deputy Editor.
The Fearless Judge: The Life and Times of Justice A.M. Ahmadi by Insiyah Vahanvaty
The biography, written by former CJI Justice Ahmadi’s granddaughter, is an insightful narration of behind-the-scenes events leading to the judgment delivered in response to a 1992 presidential reference in the Ayodhya dispute. Justice Ahmadi wrote the minority opinion, where he declined to answer the reference. His opinion was viewed as a reprimand for the Narasimha Rao government’s perceived inaction, which led to Babri Masjid’s demolition. The book talks about the pressure mounted on the judge by his colleagues who wrote the majority opinion: Bhadra Sinha, Deputy Editor.
The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World by Malcolm Gaskill
For historian Malcolm Gaskill, 1649 “was the year of patriarchal failure”. A witchhunt was needed to restore the balance, and it unfolded in New England—Springfield, Massachusetts. The Ruin of All Witches reads like a fairy tale, but it is a dark historical account of the rise of Puritanism in a prosperous town ready to embrace capitalism. It’s hard not to draw parallels with current events though Gaskill himself refrains from doing so. Nearly 400 years later, the witch hunt continues: Anjali Thomas, Deputy Editor.
When The Body Says No by Gabor Mate
Modern medicine has long denied the connection between disease and stress. In When The Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress, Gabor Mate tries to establish that connection, citing case studies of patients he came across and others. The Canadian physician’s work is a plea to wake up and appreciate the physiological impact of emotions. Reading this book can be a whole new experience of understanding ourselves better and going back to our own emotional history: Anurag Chaubey, Senior Assistant Editor.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The book I would like to recommend this year is The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, a tragicomic masterpiece about generational trauma. Although it runs to more than 600 pages, the pace never falters as the narration shifts between Dickie Barnes, a once-prosperous businessman in a small Irish town, his wife, and their two children. The climax, unfolding like a thriller, will leave your breath racing and your heart breaking: Prashant Dixit, Senior Assistant Editor.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
I read The Testaments after watching the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, which felt depressingly close to the way the world is heading. I wanted to see how the “puritan theocracy” Gilead collapses. Some hope, for a change. The book delivers—it’s fast-paced, maybe even a little glib, but shows how totalitarian regimes carry the seeds of their own undoing. To paraphrase a line from it, fiction may not be history, but it rhymes: Asavari Singh, Contributing Editor.
Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
Graphic novels never quite piqued my interest—until I was gifted a beautiful, hard-bound copy of Chicken with Plums on my birthday this year. Set in 1958 Tehran, this poignant work tells the story of Marjane Satrapi’s great uncle Nasser Ali—a renowned Iranian tar player who gave up on life and love after his beloved instrument was damaged beyond repair. Humorous, tragic and deeply emotional, this striking graphic novel is a testament to Satrapi’s powerful creative vision. And it deserves as much love and appreciation as Persepolis, if not more: Zoya Bhatti, Copy Editor.
How to Love in Sanskrit: Poems, edited and translated by Anusha Rao & Suhas Mahesh
Two Sanskrit scholars, Anusha Rao and Suhas Mahesh, fall in love and dive into ancient romantic poetry to translate it for Gen Z. That’s what this book truly is—a love project. Each page has a centuries-old Sanskrit poem translated into English, some of them too scandalous for even 2024. In the age of lukewarm romcoms and bad songs, Rao and Mahesh’s book gave me uninterrupted joy and became my go-to repository for out-of-world, shameless and wholesome pick-up lines: Ratan Priya, Copy Editor.
Forgotten Foods: Memories and Recipes from Muslim South Asia Edited by Tarana Husain Khan, Claire Chambers, Siobhan Lambert-Hurley
A collection of memories and recipes, the anthology serves as an archive of entire communities. It uses food to tell stories and stories to revive food. If one chapter details how the authors cultivated an almost extinct rice variety used in Rampuri Kichdi, another looks at how the division of the goat during Eid indicates caste locations. It’s a book that makes you want to eat slowly, to truly appreciate and reflect the history in every morsel: Theres Sudeep, Copy Editor.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
A gay photojournalist wakes up in the limbo between life and afterlife and must solve the mystery of his brutal death. Seven Moons started out as a bit of a snoozefest for me—the premise was hardly new. But as the story went on, Karuntilaka’s imagination of the liminal space and its bureaucracies had me hooked. His pretas scan the dead for guilt, ghosts hitch a ride on cars, and yakshas protect corrupt ministers from harm. As the irreverent protagonist’s self-importance comes undone in the climax, we’re left questioning everything we thought about speaking truth to power: Prasanna Bachchhav, Copy Editor.
Whole Numbers And Half Truths by Rukmini S
This book is about what people use to back their arguments in opinion pieces, TV debates, election campaigns—numbers. But do these numbers tell the whole story? Rukmini S paints a detailed picture of modern India through numbers, while also narrating the stories beyond them, dispelling widely held beliefs about Indian society. Authored by a data journalist, the book is jargon-free and doesn’t require you to be a statistician to understand: Aamaan Alam Khan, Senior Sub-Editor.
Gujarat Under Modi by Christophe Jaffrelot
How much do we really know about the ‘Gujarat model’? In this unputdownable book, the French political scientist approaches the subject with near-surgical precision, dissecting complex narratives at play to explain how Gujarat turned into an impregnable fortress of the BJP, and why it serves as a blueprint for post-2014 India: Amrtansh Arora, Senior Assistant Editor.
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi
I have always been a fan of creative work, fictional or otherwise, with space for female voices, their stories, and innermost thoughts. The graphic novel brings together a bunch of Iranian women in the 1990s for afternoon tea and exchange of anecdotes from their youth and sex lives, making you feel like you’re part of the gang. Juxtaposed with the current socio-political environment in Iran, it becomes all the more relevant: Mannat Chugh, Senior Copy Editor.