In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India

Luce's book is very entertaining and very informative. I think it is probably one of the best books out there on the subject and the fact that it's so easy to read just adds to its value. Other reviewers have noted that Luce's book is a bit biased or that it doesn't have enough information and I concede these points. The book is biased and it doesn't have all the information. However, I've never read an unbiased book with all the information and I never will because that book doesn't exist. This book does exactly what it sets out to do. It destroys Western myths about India and shows us the dark underbelly of Indian society (poverty in the slums, sectarian tensions, imperfect democracy, etc.). Not that this book is all doom and gloom. Luce's enthusiasm for India shines through the book and he is able to show the reader India's vitality and brilliance. Basically, this book tries to show India as it is with no sugarcoating. I didn't know a lot about India before reading this book (or taking the university course I bought the book for), but I can honestly say that this book gave me a really strong base in the country. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an introduction to India. Of course, you should always read as much as possible on any given subject. Everyone has a bias and the more you read, the better you'll be able to separate the truth from the chaff.

Edward Luce is a British journalist who headed the Financial Times New Delhi bureau. He lived in India for 6 years and is married to an Indian girl (half Gujarathi, half ?Bengali). His father-in-law is a civil servant and his mother-in-law was a history professor. Their insights contributed to his book. He had access to politicians, Bollywood actors, and others who loved to talk to journalists. Taken together he was able to leverage these sources and personal experiences into a 356 page book trying to describe a very complicated country. One should keep this in mind when you read the views of a single opinionated Brit economic journalist.He describes in great detail the political, cultural, economic and religious aspects of India in a sympathetic, sophisticated, mostly fair and constructively critical manner. India has many positives: a vibrant democracy, world class engineering schools, an economic boom with an expanding middle class that is secular and diverse. This has to be weighed against the negatives: corrupt, unimpressive, sometimes criminal politicians, large swathes of illiteracy, high poverty rate and religious extremism.Gurcharan Das has written a wonderful book about India's economic renaissance (India Unbound) where he states that if you draw a line from Kanpur to Madras, all the areas west of that line will encounter prosperity far sooner than states east of that line. Luce describes various anecdotes that validate Das's statement and gives the reader an idea why Das will likely be proven right.I do have some criticisms. Luce spills a lot of ink describing India's religious, class, and caste systems. He reveals a bias against Christians. He describes most Christians as recent converts from Dalits or the untouchables. This is not entirely accurate and he probably acquired his jaundiced view by too long a stay in North India. Luce has visited Kerala and he must have known that Christianity started in Kerala very early; most historians agree that Christianity came to Kerala at least in 300 AD and some strongly believe that it started in 33 AD. These converts or Syrian Christians were not Dalit converts. It is astounding that he fails to mention that the most powerful woman in India is an Italian Catholic, the current President is a Muslim, a former President was a Dalit, and the current Prime Minister is a Sikh - all this in a country that is 81% Hindu. India has a Muslim female Supreme Court justice. He omits to say that many of India's film stars and cricket players are Muslim. Finally, the last section ends with a boring tedious laundry list of "things to do, miles to go and people to see".All said and done I highly recommend this book. Luce has done a commendable job.

I read this book on a friend's recommendation and am glad I did. Luce's clear, knowledgeable, and well-researched overview of India's current (2006) state, how it got there and where it needs to go from here helped me understand the country and the experience of my friends in the Indian diaspora.Luce is a journalist who lived in India and has deep connections to the country. His prose is clear, lively, and free of jargon, and his explanations, while often impassioned and forceful, seem to me to be objective and unbiased.The overwhelming impression the book left me with is of India's promise. Luce believes that the country can continue to grow and raise its people out of poverty, overcoming in the process the problems of official corruption, Hindu nationalism, caste discrimination, gender bias, and others that are holding the country back.I will be looking for anything Luce may have to say about the current national government that regained power after the book's publication.

Good

I have been dealing with mostly western countries. I thought that a complete paradigm shift would be necessary for me to understand what India is as a country, and I was looking for a good book on India. This book covers many issues and topics. I would say that I was lucky that I stumbled upon this book.

BBCの記者としてもインドに駐在していたジャーナリストである著者はインド社会の多様性、カースト制、宗教、地域についての幅広いジャンルを多くの人とのインタビューを交えて語る。近年注目される経済面での成長についても多くの文盲者がいる一方で、高等教育特に多くのエンジニアの輩出がその主因であると述べている。　しかしながらこれらの近年の動きを含めてインド社会を動かしている、汚職、官僚制、政治と宗教との関係、ネール・ガンジー王朝という源泉をまじめに語っており、インドを見る際に必要な多様な視点を与えてくれる。　文章は英国人に有りがちな若干堅苦しい言い回しではあるが、たまにはこのような文章に触れる事も読解力の向上に寄与するのではないかと思う。

ordered in 07/20, and book arrived today, 08/18. Almost one month. What's more, the quality of the book is poor.