BOOKS OF THE WEEK

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth

By - Chris Hadfield

About the Book : 

This is an inspirational memoir of space exploration and hard-won wisdom, from an astronaut who has spent a lifetime making the impossible a reality

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft, and become a YouTube sensation with his performance of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ in space. The secret to Chris Hadfield's success – and survival – is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst – and enjoy every moment of it.

In his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement – and happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don't visualize success, do care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff.

You might never be able to build a robot, pilot a spacecraft, make a music video or perform basic surgery in zero gravity like Colonel Hadfield. But his vivid and refreshing insights in this book will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth – especially your own.

About the Author :

Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. The top graduate of the U.S. Air Force test pilot school in 1988 and U.S. Navy test pilot of the year in 1991, Colonel Hadfield was selected to be an astronaut in 1992. He was CAPCOM for 25 shuttle launches and served as Director of NASA Operations in Star City, Russia from 2001–2003, Chief of Robotics at the Johnson Space Center in Houston from 2003–2006, and Chief of International Space Station Operations from 2006–2008. Hadfield most recently served as Commander of the International Space Station where, while conducting a record-setting number of scientific experiments and overseeing an emergency spacewalk, he gained worldwide acclaim for his breathtaking photographs and educational videos about life in space. His music video, a zero gravity version of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ received over 10 million views in its first three days online. Chris Hadfield’s book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, sees his lessons learnt in space applied to life on Earth.

 ISBN : 9781447257516                                                                     PRICE : Rs. 599.00 

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

GANDHI BEFORE INDIA
By - Ramachandra Guha
 

About the Book :
In 1893, when Mohandas Gandhi set sail for South Africa, he was a 23-year-old briefless lawyer who had failed to establish himself in India. The two decades that he spent in South Africa were to be the making of the Mahatma. In this remarkable biography, Ramachandra Guha argues that Gandhi’s ideas were fundamentally shaped before his return to India in 1915. It was during his years in England and South Africa that he came to understand the nature of imperialism and racism; and it was in South Africa that he forged the philosophy and techniques that would undermine and ultimately destroy the British Empire.
Based on a wealth of new material, and archival research in four continents, Gandhi Before India presents a vivid portrait of Gandhi and the world he lived in, a world of sharp contrasts between the coastal culture of Gujarat, High Victorian London, and colonial South Africa. It explores in rich detail his experiments with dissident cults such as Tolstoyans and vegetarians; his friendships with radical Jews, heterodox Christians, and devout Muslims; his enmities and rivalries; and his failures as a husband and father. It tells the dramatic, profoundly moving story of how he inspired the devotion of thousands of followers as he mobilized a crossclass and inter-religious coalition, pledged to non-violence in their battle against a brutally racist regime.
This deeply researched and beautifully written book will radically alter our understanding and appreciation of India’s greatest man.
‘Perhaps the best among India’s non-fiction writers’—New York Times
 

About The Author : The writer was raised in Dehradun and educated in Delhi and Kolkata. Now based in Bangalore, he has previously taught at Yale, Stanford, Oslo, and the London School of Economics. He has pioneered three distinct fields of historical inquiry: environmental history (as in The Unquiet Woods, 1989), the social history of sport (A Corner of a Foreign Field, 2002), and contemporary history (India After Gandhi, 2007). His most recent book is a collection of essays, Patriots and
Partisans, published by Penguin in 2012. His other books include Savaging the Civilized: Verrier Elwin, His Tribals, and India (1999), soon to appear in a new edition from Penguin.
Guha’s awards include the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society of Environmental History, the Sahitya Akademi Award, and the Padma Bhushan. His books and essays have been translated into more than twenty languages. In 2008, and again in 2013, Guha featured on Prospect Magazine’s list of the world’s most influential thinkers.
Work aside, Christopher is a musician and lives his passion for music through his band called Mid Life Crisis which plays classic rock.
He lives in Gurgaon with his wife, daughter and two dogs. The Mahabharata Secret is his debut novel.
  ISBN : 9780670083879                                                            PRICE : Rs. 899.00