What I read in 2024

The reason to write this list, again this year, was a new bestseller that my husband gifted me: What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. I too am trying to channel my inner librarian Komachi, the protagonist of the book, possessing the uncanny ability to recommend the perfect books for the patrons. Like her library visitors and readers, I hope this list helps you know yourself, just a little more.

The Classics

The finest books I read this year, once again, were not published this year. This seems to be my habit now; perhaps that is why they are called classics. The first is George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. Orwell has been a part of my reading life since I was eight or nine when I first encountered Animal Farm. Back then, it was mostly a tale of barnyard creatures to me. Over the years, I have read much of Orwell, yet somehow this memoir escaped me. It is a two-part account of his hardscrabble days in London and Paris, chronicling the grind of poverty with an unflinching eye.

I stumbled upon the book almost by accident. Passing Bookmarks, a socialist bookstore in Bloomsbury, I saw it on the shelf and could not resist. The act of reading it stirred something I had not felt in a long time, a resonance that brought me back to the experience of reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. In both, as the world crumbles in the background, the protagonist’s gaze narrows to the struggle for a warmer coat, a small victory at the pawn shop, or just enough bread to make it through the day. These are stories of survival pared to their rawest edge, their immediacy piercing.

Another classic I loved this year is Orhan Pamuk’s Snow. It is peak Pamuk, with the politics, the inner turmoil, the pining, the damaged men, and the themes of secularism, patriotism, and modernity clashing with the basest emotions of family and love. But in some ways, it feels even rawer than his other novels, especially compared to my other favorite The Museum of Innocence. The winter setting in Snow makes it almost feel like a Russian novel but is still Pamuk at his best.

Trade Books

This year I read a lot about trade. The old free trade order based on GATT/WTO has been discarded. But how that came about, and where both India and the US go from here has been one of the questions I have wrestled with. Most trade insights are in papers, but there are some great books.

Douglas Irwin’s Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy is one such fantastic but big read. I knew I could never climb that mountain without a deadline. Doug agreed to be the guest for the 100th episode and I dutifully read a few of his books in preparation. In Clashing Over Commerce he masterfully weaves trade theory, trade and economic history, and political history to deliver maximum insights per page.

The next mountain to climb was Anne Krueger’s work. I have read her papers and books for years now, but after reading them all again, in a short period, her relentlessness to improve the world through trade policy comes through. For the unfamiliar, start with her latest International Trade: What Everyone Needs to Know. But I love the entire NBER series she and Bhagwati co-edited. Her volume Foreign Trade Regimes and Economic Development shows her staggering impact of trade policy on developing countries. The Benefits and Costs of Import Substitution in India informed her famous 1974 AER paper on rent-seeking, still a classic.

Jacob Viner’s Studies in the Theory of International Trade is written simply, unlike today’s papers. He is the master at refuting mercantilist arguments. Another Viner classic, The Customs Union Issue, detailing trade creation versus trade divergence framework, remains the foundation for understanding multilateral trade frameworks.

Some of the best books I read this year were on economics. One of them is What Went Wrong with Capitalism by Ruchir Sharma. The title misleads - he argues capitalism’s problem is distortions caused by a century of expanding government intervention and deviation from classical liberal principles. Ruchir called elections worldwide right, and when he rings the warning bell, we should take notice.

Another great read was History of Private Banking in South Canara District by Amol Agarwal. I have read Amol’s blog and columns for years, and this book is written just as accessibly. While seemingly just a history of South Canara banks - and I picked it up because I have members of my family who worked at Syndicate Bank - it is so much more. t provides a lens into the history of colonial banking and its transition to post-colonial banking, how elitist and top-down the RBI policies were for decades, and leads us right up to bank nationalization.

The biggest of them this year was Accelerating India’s Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance by Karthik Muralidharan. Karthik is one of the most prolific economists of our time, and I am not exaggerating when I say I must have read at least 40-50 of his papers over the years. The book still surprised me. First, it synthesizes the current research in every area that he touches upon - education, health, welfare delivery, hiring government personnel, and I could go on. But it is so well contextualized to India and so clear in its policy recommendations and way forward that will be THE book to read on the question of economic development through strengthening state capacity.

Another big and comprehensive, but excellent read, is Law and the Economy in India: Before Independence and After by Tirthankar Roy and Anand V. Swamy. The first part of it builds upon their previous book, Law and the Economy in Colonial India. And then in the second part, they cover post-independence India. Roy is the best Indian economic historian of this generation, but this law and economics/regulatory lens makes this book the first of its kind. Accessibly written for law and political science students, it is an absolute must-read.

Progress Studies

Build Baby Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation by Bryan Caplan and Ady Branzei was another favorite. Maximum policy insights with gorgeous graphics is a genre I did not know existed until I read Bryan’s last book Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration (coauthored with Zach Weinersmith). In typical Caplan style, brick by brick he builds the cost-benefit case for more YIMBY-style deregulation and permitting reform to build more, better, and prettier.

Anton Howes writes ‘Age of Invention,’ one of my favorite Substacks. His book Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation is superb. He explores the rise of a nation of tinkerers and innovators, driven by what he calls an “improving attitude.” It left me wondering: Did the Royal Society’s vision of progress align more with Romer’s endogenous growth theory, or was it closer to Kremer’s O-ring model?

For another perspective on innovation, Chris Miller’s Chip Wars is a standout. Semiconductors—arguably the last century’s emblem of technological progress—are at its heart. Miller charts their history, the major players, their stagnation under communism, and their explosive growth under Taiwan’s unique industrial policies.

If you want to read the other side, of how progress and innovation can be stifled, pick up John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. It is a gripping account of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes—her meteoric rise, and her catastrophic fall. But beneath the scandal lies a deeper lesson: real innovation demands openness, dialogue, and competition.

Time Machine

Some books are topping every best book list of 2024. One is Ashok Gopal’s new Ambedkar biography, A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of B.R. Ambedkar. I have read so much of Ambedkar in the original, and past biographies have been a bit of a letdown. This one is sensationally well-written and gives us a sense of Ambedkar’s mind and feelings. I thought there was nothing new to be written on the Ambedkar-Gandhi debate, and Gopal changed my mind. This is the first time I truly understood how Ambedkar viewed it, as opposed to how post-colonial post-modern historians viewed the debate. If there is only one book you read about Ambedkar, then this one should be it.

Another set of portraits and biographical sketches is The Fifteen: The Lives and Times of the Women in India’s Constituent Assembly by Angellica Aribam and Akash Satyawali. A great start to help us understand these women, but I wish it had gone beyond that theme.

Another pleasant surprise was IRU: The Remarkable Life of Irawati Karve by Urmilla Deshpande and Thiago Pinto Barbosa. Like most others, I have read Yuganta and some shorter pieces and thought I knew Karve and her work. She had an exceptional life, not just for her time. Her doctoral years in Germany before the cusp of WWII, and her research on refuting racial differences using brain sizes and skeletal measurements was fascinating.

Another book topping every list is The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World by William Dalrymple. If Dalrymple wrote a book on the history of watching paint dry, I am sure I would not only read it but enjoy it immensely. It is obvious that civilizations as old as the Indian subcontinent must have had an influence on other parts of the world, but we rarely read much beyond some individual examples or when I go to museums in other cities. This book is that lens. Golden Road is an insight into Indian history that I should have learned in my history lessons but was completely missing from the conversation. This book can change that.

Speaking of learning one’s history, I immensely enjoyed Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India Through its Languages by Peggy Mohan. The reductive description is that it is a linguistic history. But like only the very best books can do, it made me understand myself and my family better. Now I know why I am a diglossic English/Hindi/Tamil speaker.

In the effort to know myself better, as a product of the nineties, I picked up Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties. A very well-written and fun book, but perhaps less compelling in building its case than one would have liked.

I much preferred Jean M. Twenge’s approach in Generations. She dives into the six living generations in the U.S., from the Silents to Generation Alpha. The book is packed with data, thoughtful analysis, and sharp insights.

Identity

Another short and good read is Gurcharan Das’s intellectual biography, The Dilemma of an Indian Liberal. I have read most of Gurcharan’s books; India Grows at Night is a favorite. This book takes us through the shift from the Nehruvian to the Modi consensus in India, and how Gurcharan perceived that shift.

Normally, a book about Kashmir from the perspective of a police officer would not appeal to me. But Kashmir Under 370: A Personal History by J&K’s Former Director General of Police by Mahendra Sabharwal, with Manish Sabharwal, stands apart because of its granularity. But it is not a police procedural either. It dives deep into everyday political and human challenges of conflict in the broader context of historical and constitutional developments.

On identity and conflict, I loved reading Feargal Cochrane’s Belfast. I picked it up on a recent trip to Ireland when I crossed over to Belfast. It is such a personal telling of the history and context of this conflict-torn city. It is heartwarming to see that the city now looks and feels much more healed and united compared to the descriptions in the book. But the book showed me where to look for the cracks and scars.

The Identity Project: The Unmaking of a Democracy by Rahul Bhatia is another grim read about a grim chapter in India’s history. Bhatia, long known for his sharp interviews and incisive journalism—even from his cricket-writing days—brings something deeply personal to this work. The caricature of the extreme, once confined to the occasional family dinner with an opinionated uncle, has now seeped into our lives with unsettling permanence. The proverbial genie has leapt, digitally and algorithmically, out of the bottle.

Another lens into the same issues, viewed through pop culture, is Kunal Purohit’s H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars. In this world, Purohit maps the rise of Hindutva pop culture—how poets and singers carry its message. Not just digitally but in live recitals. Their voices grow louder, their status rising.

These identity wars are not confined to India. In the United States, they have escalated, particularly at the universities. Two books that helped me understand the dynamics of woke politics in academia and their historical roots are Yascha Mounk’s The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time and Christopher F. Rufo’s America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.

Poetry

My favorite this year is Vikram Seth’s translation of the Hanuman Chalisa. I never thought I would need—or even read—a translation of it. Like so many of my generation in the north, I grew up hearing the Chalisa recited everywhere: as shopkeepers opened their stores, during turbulent flights, or when India reached a pivotal stage in a cricket match. I knew every verse. Maybe not in perfect order, but I knew them. Seth is a master, and this translation is extraordinary. The English version is written in verse. It is non-literal yet captures both the meaning and the cadence perfectly. I doubt anyone else could have done it. I have read it so many times this year that I have lost count. Whether you are new to Tulsidas or have recited the Chalisa for years, this is a remarkable read.

And of course, I read more of Gulzar. He feels so familiar to me; reading him feels like going home. 89 Autumns of Poems and Caged: Memories Have Names are both excellent compilations of the master, and the translations are pretty decent. But just read the original.

I am new to reading poetry, but I love the little I read. And I love to learn more about the poets. Ghalib: A Thousand Desires by Raza Mir brings Ghalib to life—sharp, outspoken, and a genius who still drives how we read and feel poetry. The most unfamiliar to me is Tamil poetry; Tamil Heroic Poetry by K. Kailasapathy explores the rise of Tamil kingdoms through verses that shaped both militarism and literature. Very useful context.

Currently Reading

Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water is a sweeping tale set in Kerala. It is my favorite kind of story, with multiple generations and a rich cast of characters. Verghese traces their lives through love, loss, and resilience, all set against the backdrop of family and history.

I have been eagerly awaiting Salil Tripathi’s The Gujaratis: A Portrait of a Community ever since he mentioned it to me years ago. It is incredibly well-researched, rich in detail, and very accessible. I cannot wait to learn more about my Gujju brethren.

Manu S. Pillai, one of my favorite historians, delivers again in Gods, Guns, and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity. He unpacks the historical forces and ideologies shaping contemporary Hindu identity. True to his style, it is fast-paced and deeply engaging.

Katherine Butler Schofield’s Music and Musicians in Late Mughal India is superbly researched. It is helping me draw connections between the Hindustani Classical Music I love today and the world it emerged from, capturing the vibrant yet fleeting musical landscape of the Mughal Empire’s twilight years.

Let me know your favorites in the comments section. And happy reading in 2025.