Father’s day is around the corner and if your achan likes reading, then we have a few suggestions that you might want to consider. Here’s a list of Father’s Day Books you ought to gift your dad:
An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India (by Sashi Tharoor)
Did your father watch the Sashi Tharoor Oxford debate speech and share it on the family WhatsApp group? If he did, then he’ll love this book, especially for Father’s Day. Tharoor goes into exquisite detail about the havoc that colonial rule wreaked on the sub-continent. This book will give your dad all the info he needs to create his version of “the British should apologise for their colonial wrongdoings” speech.
Are you the type that dares to give life advice to your parents? If you are, then why not give him this book? Very often, our parents’ generation (as do we) get tied up with “naattukkar enthu vicharikkum?!”. Well, this book is the perfect answer to that thought.
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Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life (by Héctor García)
Well, this book is for all ages. A thorough deep-dive into the habits that Japanese people have inculcated over the years, ones that have made them one of the top countries in the world from an HRD perspective. From food and lifestyle habits to cultural practices, the book spills out all the secrets to the long average lifespan of the Japanese. There would definitely be a few implementable takeaways from this one!
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari)
If your father likes anthropology, then he’ll love this book. Like the subtitle states, it talks of how humanity has evolved over the years; from being apes in the Savanna to the most dominant species on the planet.
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A Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon (by Jairam Ramesh)
V. K. Krishna Menon is arguably one of the most controversial Malayalis. He was the Defense Minister of India during the 1962 Sino-Indian War and was criticised extensively for how the war was handled. But he was also responsible for the suspension of the seniority-based promotion system in the army and replacement with a merit-based system. Your father must’ve lived through these controversies or would’ve heard of them as a child. This book will provide him with more information (fairly unbiased) about the colourful life of Krishna Menon.
The Psychology of Money (by Morgan Housel)
Considering the place our father is at (in his life), he would most likely be looking to create as much wealth as he can for your family. This book would definitely come in handy, because it talks about how our cumulative wealth is a product of our attitude towards money, our investment strategies and, to a large extent, pure luck.
Vietnam: An Epic History of a Divisive War 1945-1975 (by Max Hastings)
If your father was a youngster during the Vietnam war and has strong opinions about the US involvement in Vietnam, then you might want to get him this book. It is written by a journalist who was on the ground throughout the duration of the war and wrote extensively about it after. This book can be considered Sir Max Hastings’ seminal work; it offers a balanced perspective of the war, written decades after the experience (decades that he seems to have used for careful deliberation and research).
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Mortality (by Christopher Hitchens)
This, my friends, is the ‘darkest’ one on this list of Father’s Day Books. Christopher Hitchens wrote this when he was dying of Esophageal cancer. His views about death and life make this book quite an eye-opening read. Hitchens was an atheist so he knew he was going into nothingness, and he did not shy away from that fact when he wrote this swan song.
Gratitude (by Oliver Sacks)
This is a collection of four essays by Oliver Sacks, that he wrote between the ages of 79 and 82 (two weeks before he passed away). A personal, optimistic take on old age and death, this one’s sure to bring a smile tohttps://amzn.to/3gEBXVK your dad’s face.
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Those were our recommendations for books that you can give your father on father’s day. Do tell us if you gift any of these to your father and if he liked it. Also, are there any recommendations you’d like to give fellow readers? Tell us in comments!
