The Second Sex To Udta Banaras, 5 Books I Read In 2022, You May Also Give A Try

As time is evolving, people are switching to the digital medium, and the book readers are slowly diminishing. More people are consuming content in the audio-video format than spending time reading a hard-cover book. But I am still there, happy with words in my hands, harbouring the sensation of bibliosmia. 

Every book I select makes my shelf and mind look better. With every page I turn, I learn new and more. So books are more of food that I am feeding my soul. This year also, I have grasped many books, though a little less than last year. However, I also read a few books from my bucket list this year. I always got all this anxiety looking at the 800-page book and never felt like reading, but this year, I made sure to cross two books off the list at least. Besides, my list also included a few excellent Hindi works. 

Five Books I Read In 2022, hope you enjoy them too: 

Secondhand Time By Svetlana Alexievich

Secondhand Time is a non-fiction that recollects what life was like during the fall of the Soviet Union. It chronicles the demise of communism, the new Russia, and how people live. The author Alexievich give accounts of history while simultaneously capturing the emotions of humans who suffered during the conflicted age. Svetlana Alexievich is not an ordinary writer, she is an investigative journalist with the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature. One can relate to her writings as she wrote about common people in the book. She navigated life of housewives, students, artists, and more.

Udta Banaras By Suresh Pratap

Udta Banaras is a Hindi non-fiction novel based on Banaras\ Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh. The author and former journalist Suresh Pratap recount how the Kashi Vishwanath Temple corridor project was implemented. It spoke about people who suffered collateral damage. I decided to read this book as I visited the newly made corridor, and it was all exotic, I wanted to picture the original Kashi and all the stories locals told me. Udta Banaras do justify it all, the author brings a narrative of local's sufferings. 

Jennifer By Nandita Puri

Jennifer is a powerful story of child trafficking under the name of adoption. Nandita Puri sketches the story of Jennifer Haynes, who was trafficked to the United States under the garb of adoption. Jennifer was eight-year-old when she was trafficked and has been sexually abused by two white American fathers. Later after two decades, deported back to India as an illegal immigrant. Puri gives a timeline of her life and how children are trafficked under the name of adoption, what role big adoption agencies play in the racket, and more.

Many of us understand that foreign adoption is life-changing, but in reality, we don't know what goes beneath. This book unleashes hidden truths. 

The Second Sex By Simone 

The Second Sex is known as the bible of feminism. Being a feminist wanted to read this book forever. I did it; 2022 was the year. The French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir discusses the treatment of women throughout all of history. It is regarded as a groundbreaking work of feminist philosophy and also the starting point of second-wave feminism. The Second Sex takes you to the injustice that happened to women daily, and yet nobody bothers to point it out. 

Shirt Ka Teesra Button By Manav Kaul 

Shirt Ka Teesra Button is a Hindi novel that revolves around childhood, with Rajil being the book's central character. Rajil is experiencing so many things for the first time in the book, which you and I might relate to. Also, as the book is set in a small village, it sheds light on the many social mores and taboos of village life. In a way, I can call Kaul's book a feminist take also on the life of women living in the villages. Book gives power to women to make choices and defy conventional norms. 

These were the five books I read, and some of them stayed with me. With the story concept, these books have more to offer. Books have the power to make you imagine, think, and somewhere get into your mind. From words to capturing emotions, it hooks you on everything. I read it, if you can please give it a try. 

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