I normally boast to my friends that I am a voracious reader of good many number of books. Fact is that, I was a voracious reader of books only in my late teens. Both my parents worked as professors and are book lovers to boot. My father has built a huge collection of engineering books, bound volumes of collected works of famous writers in Malayalam, science books and dictionaries in our home (I do not know the motive for having 20 different English- Malayalam dictionaries in any case). My mother, who has a PhD in subaltern studies, also reads a lot in her free time. In fact her collection of books now attracts me the most as it consists of works by Jaquese Derrida, Edward Said, Michele Foucault, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Ranajit Guha et al who convey their ideas with intricate use of English language that seems so much incomprehensible and alien to my line of thinking that it is interesting. (Order of Things - by Foucault for example) My father is also a member of the district public library housed in British era building of grand proportions with tall arch way as entrance and tall roof to accommodate old dusty wooden racks creaking with weight of books.
Thrissur Town Hall, where the public library is located
I used to regularly visit the Thrissur public library to read magazines and borrow books. So even in the midst of quite hectic exam preparation for entry into top engineering colleges in India (Luckily I managed to get admission into one of the best possible), I spent an equal time reading books from this public library so much so that the small account book in which borrowed book entries are noted got filled within 2 years of my use (That must be reading an average of 3 books per week for 2 years, or 300+ books).
Now I have sort of lost the mojo for long concentrated reading, a bye product of age I say (I am not that old!)? I was reflecting on the best books I have read as this question came to me in the midst of a chat with a dear friend of mine. She is a voracious reader and has also completed a double degree in Computer Science and Philosophy. As I was never myself asked this question before about the life changing books in my life, I had to think a little hard to come up with a list.
The following are the best 12 books I have read. Take word from me that, all of the books are immensely worth reading for the new vistas it opens in your thinking. I do not profess to have developed any special skills from reading these books, but it sure have enhanced my horizon of knowledge and have since then colored my thinking and philosophy to a great extent. I am a rationalist libertarian humanist. I was convinced of the futility of believing in god by ruminating on a stimulating book about Complexity Theory. From the face of it, if I am able to understand any of these books to its entirety, I would be content to consider myself a learned man.
(Disclaimer: This list in no way an endorsement that I only read very serious books. I Just wanted to blog about these list of books keeping in my mind the goal that someone, younger than me, of my taste of interests can take note. Infact, I have read most of the thrashy stuff that everyone reads, but is no longer interested in reading pulp fiction type for enjoyment sake. I think I have grown in a way in my reading selection, but I do not know for sure that has anything to do with growing maturity and intellectual development as an adult. Now I am more inclined to take/buy Science books, adventure or expeditions, light philosophy and classic/modern fiction of good pedigree if I choose to read.)
1) Emperors New Mind, Concerning Computers Minds and the Laws of Physics - Roger Penrose
In my opinion, this is quite the best book on popular exposition of Physics, Mathematics & Computer Science written by a great master of the subject. It is quite deep and wide ranging in its subject content and this book is considered one of the bonafide classics in Science writing. When I first encountered the book in my college library, I brushed it aside as I had heard of Roger Penrose as a famous theoretical Cosmologist and disingenousness of him writing a popular science book put me off from reading it (Martin Gardner, in preface also states this). But curiosity got better off me, I was hooked when I read the first chapter - where such fundamental questions as What is mind? Do computers think? What is intelligence? are all discussed with such ease that we fail to grasp that we are being led to his magnum opus with the best possible introduction ever. Once Penrose has taken his stand in first chapter that he is a skeptic of the boastfulness of proponents of strong AI, he slowly and surely develops the background for his argument in the next few chapters, in possibly the best ever introduction to computer science and QM.
His thesis is that Godels Theorem, Turing solution to Halting problem, non computability of classical systems and the mysteriousness of collapse of QM wavefunction (classical and QM world collide) are all indications that current theories are insufficient to describe the operations of mind. He also touches on the incompatibility between general theory and QM as a source of revolutionary new workings in science of mind. And also that human mind is no algorithmic computer. Human thought process transcends strict logical algorithms through what he calls as "insight" - which he terms as the non algorithmic part of mathematics. Penrose also proposes a vignettes of his novel explanation of the working of mind and intelligence in the last two chapters of the book.
This is a carefully argued book with concise and precise introductions of most of modern physics and computer science. Second and fourth chapters are little demanding for non specialists. The book has everything in range to cater to an informed enthusiast and also to the most proficient practitioner of the subjects. (Try derive the Turing number of a UTM!!) Mr. Penrose will come across as an individual with strong belief in the methods of science but, as the boy in the preface is, unafraid to ask some uncomfortable questions at the current state of thinking related to some of the most fundamental human interest conundrums. I do agree that strong AI is now not as prominent as it was in late 60s till 80s, but the relevance of the book according to me is the timeless nature of his explanations of physics and computers in his peerless classic pedagogical language, which makes it a classic of excellent science writing. I have observed that this book being sold in even some very ordinary book stalls, which itself attests to the continued popularity of the classic.
After reading this book twice and having it in my book shelf for last 6 years, I couldnt but marvel at the breadth and the authority with which the material is covered in this book, so much so that if I ever get stranded in an island and can have only one scientific book with me, it would be "Emperors New Mind".
2) Dreams of a Final Theory - Steven Weinberg
The deepest but the most lucid among the list of books here, I marveled at the depth to which Weinberg has gone to formulate his arguments for rejection of philosophical doctrines and also the lucid Physics the book explains. Steven Weinberg is my intellectual idol.
3) Godel Escher Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter
One of the most unique and profound books written by a very singular man. The book is a mine of ideas and can stand alone even as a fine literary exercise.
4) Randamoozham (Second Turn) - M T Vasudevan Nair
In the pantheon of the most talented prose writers ever to grace Literary scene in Kerala, M T Vasudevan Nair towers over his contemporaries as one of the most versatile writers in Malayalam. His masterpiece is the epic novel Randmoozham. I got hold of this book in my late teens. The novel starts with the dramatic scene of the destruction of the city of Dwaraka as Pandavas look on when the insatiable waves slowly devour the city. Unable to even protect the honour of the ladies and heartbroken after the death of their beloved Krishna, Pandavas decided to go for Vanavasa on their march to heaven and salvation. Draupadi was the first one to fall on the way to Himalayas. Tired and grief stricken, she falls by the way side as other Pandavas march on. In the fertile imagination of M T, as a retelling of Mahabharatha in the eyes of Bhima, who is the most powerful yet fallible and humane of all Panadavas, all episodes of the grandest of the Hindu epics receive an incisive treatment and retelling. M T is not inventing any stories, but is using all liberties bestowed on a talented writer who reads and analyzes the original prose of Mahabharatha and reconstructs what the great first author has implied by meaningful silences. Bhima is the only one of the Pandavas who runs back to help Draupadi get up. He is not concerned about the distant call of heavens and eternal life there. Bhima lives in the real world with its agonies and ecstasies and doesnt hesitate none a bit to rush and help her as she lies there dying. In an eternal twist, Bhima remembers his life as one of the Pandavas and there starts the story of Mahabharatha in the eyes of Bhima. M T hits a pinnacle in the use of the most intricately contructed prose and use of words and phrases that only the genius masters can ever put in words (this novel is yet to be translated into any other language, depsite being acclaimed one the best ever novels in Malayalm attests to this intricacy of language) to retell a story that we all know, in a manner that makes it stand along side the original is, in my opinion, one of the grandest and boldest literrary experiments ever done in Malayalam.
5) Life a Users Manual - Georges Perec
One of the best novels published. I was fortunate to find it in my NITC library and read it at a very impressionable age.
6) One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7) Life and Times of Michael K - J M Coetzee
I nearly cried after reading the book. One of the most poignant novels of 20th century.
8) Complete Works of Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer - Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer
Genius of Malayalam literature. Incomparable talent in world play, philosophy and simple story telling. A true master.
9) The Mind of God - Paul Davies
Once of the great exercises undertaken by a very learned scientist. I liked the book for its wealth of ideas discussed, which could be used as starting points to any explorations in philosophy of physics.
10) The Blind Watch Maker - Richard Dawkins
Logical, lyrical, and exhortative classic of fine science writing for a cause, which I side with quite closely.
11) The Perfect Symmetry, the Search For the Beginning of Time - Heinz R Pagels
I read this book quite early in my life and started my dalliance with brilliant science books. I still remember the prose part where Pagels explains the dramatic Einstein Bohr debates and specially the part when Bohr skillfully demolishes Einsteins beautifully constructed thought experiments one by one.
12) 1 2 3 Infinity - George Gamow
Others which i would mention are 1) Midnight's Children 2) Tin Drum 3) Elegant Universe 4) Argumentative Indian 5) Foucualt's Pendulum 6) Fabric of Reality 7) India After Gandhi
