Five books for inspiration this new year

1. OPEN BY ANDRE AGASSI

Imagine a world where your favourite sports person admits to hating the one sport she/he has played their whole life and carved their career out of. For those who love tennis and have grown up watching Andre Agassi, they were faced with the same situation when he published his autobiography back in 2009 where he admitted to HATING the game. Few books have stuck with this writer like this. The revelations made in this book force the reader to genuinely question their life choices – something which not many can achieve as easily. This highly recommended book will haunt you for a long time and teach you an invaluable lesson – nothing is as it seems, for anyone.

2. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS BY KHALED HOSSEINI

Published four years after the internationally bestselling debut, The Kite Runner, Hosseni's second book accomplished the rare feat of being just as good and heartbreaking as, if not better than, its predecessor. Set during the war-inflicted Afghanistan of the 1970s to the early 2000s, it is a story of two women, Mariam and Laila. Regardless of their own age difference and circumstances, the women form a bond, as strong as that of a mother and child, and eventually decide on changing their own fates. Upon ending the book, one may feel lucky to have not had encountered conflict like the one in Afghanistan, but there is so much more to learn. Perhaps the greatest lesson to take away is to never stop dreaming and striving for a better life, no matter the situation one is in.

3. HOW ASIA WORKS BY JOE STUDWELL

Part of Bill Gate's annual list of books to read, How Asia Works tackles two of the most important questions of development economics: "How did countries like Japan, Taiwan South Korea, and China achieve sustained, high growth? And why have so few other countries managed to do so?" As Bill Gates himself mentions, "The agriculture section of the book was particularly insightful. It provided ample food for thought for me as well as the whole Agriculture team at our foundation. And it left us thinking about whether parts of the Asian model can apply in Africa."

This book is especially important in a world where everything and anything is increasingly becoming globalised. For those who would are interested in development economics, business, or are just broadening their reading choices, this book is definitely recommended.

4. CHOKHER BALI BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE

Termed by Tagore as one of his first attempts at the novel form, Chokher Bali is considered an eternal classic of Bengali Literature. It gives an impeccable portrayal of late-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, and how the family and societal structures worked during that period in history. When compared to how the societal structures work now in our region, one can definitely see a great deal of both similarities and differences at the same time, both for the good and bad. To this day, Chokher Bali can be an amazing source of reference for those who wish to understand the times in which our grandmothers' lived and why we have certain social structures.

5. SARAH'S KEY BY TATIANA DE ROSNAY

When talking about the Holocaust, one can almost vividly imagine the trains loaded with millions of Jews being taken to the gas chambers of Auschwitz, or any other PoW camps, to their eventual deaths. With her international bestselling historical novel, Rosnay visits a rarely touched upon and tabooed part of French History – the Vel' d'Hiv round ups of millions of French Jews in which the police forces had active contribution to the holocaust of the Second World War. Each page of the story brings along with it a new wave of goose bumps and loath for the war. However, by the end of the story (and the next couple of weeks as the story lingers on with oneself), one does start seeing the similarities between the situation of the Jews during the time of world war and the current treatment of Arab Refugees. Hopefully, upon reading the story, the reader will be able critically look at the depiction of the incident and at the same time assess the current world situation according to one's own ease.