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HT Picks; New Reads

ByHT Team
Jan 17, 2025 10:15 PM IST

On the reading list this week is a book that looks at how the cellphone has rewired childhood and what to do about it, another that presents easy, healthy, and innovative recipes for children battling cancer, and a volume on the economic and political forces that have shaped India’s public sector

The psychological damage of a phone-based life

This week’s pick of interesting reads includes books on the mental health consequences of the rewiring of childhood, a collection of recipes for kids with cancer, and a study of India’s public sector over the last seven decades. (Akash Shrivastav)
This week’s pick of interesting reads includes books on the mental health consequences of the rewiring of childhood, a collection of recipes for kids with cancer, and a study of India’s public sector over the last seven decades. (Akash Shrivastav)

385pp, ₹699; Penguin (On how the cellphone has rewired childhood and what to do about it)
385pp, ₹699; Penguin (On how the cellphone has rewired childhood and what to do about it)

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes — communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children — and ourselves — from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.*

Nourishing the body while uplifting the spirit

65pp, ₹500; APK Publishers (Easy, healthy, and innovative recipes)
65pp, ₹500; APK Publishers (Easy, healthy, and innovative recipes)

Cooking Hope is more than just a cookbook – it’s a compassionate guide for families navigating the challenges of a child’s cancer journey. By focusing on easy, healthy, and innovative recipes, the author successfully creates a resource that not only nourishes the body but also uplifts the spirit.

The recipes in this book are thoughtfully adapted from India’s diverse culinary heritage, offering meals that are both comforting and familiar. Whether it’s a hearty breakfast, a wholesome lunch, a satisfying dinner, or quick snacks, each recipe is designed to balance taste and nutrition. Jinaga has carefully tailored the dishes to support children in building strength and immunity, making it especially valuable for those undergoing cancer treatment.

One of the standout aspects of this book is its deeper mission. All proceeds from the sales are donated to the Cuddles Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing nutritional support to children battling cancer. Whether you’re a parent seeking practical meal ideas or someone who wishes to support a noble cause, “Cooking Hope” is a must-have. It’s a heartfelt reminder of how food can heal, connect and bring comfort, even in the most difficult circumstances.*

A primer on India’s public sector saga

272pp, ₹579; Speaking Tiger (The complex web of economic and political forces that have shaped the course of the public sector in India over the last seven decades)
272pp, ₹579; Speaking Tiger (The complex web of economic and political forces that have shaped the course of the public sector in India over the last seven decades)

The public sector, over the last 70 years, has traversed a long journey — from Jawaharlal Nehru declaring that “gradually the public sector will grow both absolutely and relatively, and the whole economy of the country will be controlled by it”…to the Modi government mandating in February 2021, that the entire public sector…will be privatized or merged or closed.

Under the various prime ministers since Independence, India’s public sector, which was once seen as the backbone of the economy, became mired in inefficiency, transforming from a source of pride to a burden on the national exchequer. From mass adulation to disinvestment and privatization, the public sector’s journey has been anything but smooth. This book delves into the complex web of economic and political forces that have shaped its course.

The author traces this evolution, highlighting the role of successive central governments to explain the current push for privatization. She begins with Nehru’s vision of a revenue-generating and profit-making bulwark of the economy, which started to weaken during the Shastri years. Moving through the decades, she examines the nationalization spree under Indira Gandhi, her subsequent rightward shift, and the liberalization push under Rajiv Gandhi. The pivotal 1991 Industrial Policy Resolution under Narasimha Rao, which aimed to make PSUs “more growth oriented” and “technically dynamic”, set the stage for large-scale disinvestment under Vajpayee. The author also explores the contrasting approaches of Manmohan Singh’s welfare-oriented privatization policies and the far more aggressive reforms pursued by Modi.

Sheela Dubey outlines the successes, missed opportunities and key policy shifts simply and without the hyperbole that often accompanies any discussion of state-run institutions. Framing daunting subject matter into a compelling, highly readable account, she has written the perfect primer for making sense of India’s public sector saga.*

*All copy from book flap/ publicity material.

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