Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography
Walter Isaacson
(Simon & Schuster, Rs.799)
One of the most anticipated books in recent times, this biography was being sold even before it hit the stands. When the Apple frontman succumbed to cancer on October 5, gloom descended on the tech world like never before. Eulogies poured in from every part of the world, as Jobs and his brilliant digital industry have permeated every area of our lives.
In his introduction, author Walter Isaacson says, “In 2004, I got a phone call from Steve Jobs. It turned out that he wanted me to write a biography of him… Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness, imagination, and sustained innovation. He knew that the best way to create value in the 21st century was to connect creativity with technology, so he built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.”
Brutally honest for the most part, this bio sketches the life of a man who was full of contradictions. From dropping out of college and travelling to India to seek spiritual bliss, to worshipping Bob Dylan, Jobs transformed into an emblem of corporate culture, an icon in the world of technology.
The book is a garland of interesting stories strung together to project an image of a visionary, who took our lifestyle to another plane.
Click: The Power of Instant Connection
Ori and Rom Brafman
(Virgin, Rs. 399)
There are some people with whom one instantly bonds, while with some, it takes a while or may never happen. Why is that? That's the premise on which the Brafman brothers (one is an MBA, and, the other, a psychologist) base their book.
How does one explain the word ‘click'? Well, clicking can be “defined as an immediate, deep, and meaningful connection with another person or with the world around us.”
Basing their work on research in the fields of social psychology, organisational behaviour and neurobiology, the authors investigate the five accelerators — vulnerability, proximity, resonance, similarity, and safe place.
Connections happen in different ways… romantic attraction, workplace connections, sports, politics, fashion and even stand-up comedy. This book is a fascinating exploration of human relationships that just click!
Uncommon Ground: Dialogues between Business and Social Leaders
Rohini Nilekani
(Viking, Rs. 499)
Based on Rohini Nilekani's television show, this book gets biz leaders and social activists to share the same platform and explore the middle ground between the ideological divisions that often polarise the business and the voluntary sectors. It's also an attempt at understanding India's problems and finding possible solutions through these engaging discussions with thinkers from different walks of life.
So you have industry bigwigs, including Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal and Anand Mahindra, engaged in verbal duels with the nation's thinkers such as Aruna Roy, Medha Patkar and Sunita Narain. Rich in insights, “Uncommon Ground” brings into focus the need to have a dialogue to create a shared vision of the country's development and equitable growth in the future.
