New genre of books which become judge and jury

New genre of books which become judge and jury

A Book Bound event. I run a book club called Book Bound. We are a bunch of 30 true readers who moved away from the Catholic Club as the new member in charge wanted to run the club evening like an event, rather than an interaction between book lovers. That was fine, it did not fit into my concept of a book club and after starting it almost eight years ago, I left the club to the new member incharge without any acrimony. “ You should have shut if down, it was your baby, you started it,” cried all my loyal book reader members.

Sharing a book read for the month by a member. “ Why? There is no need, I can always start another one and I did, not one but two! Book Bound and Page Turners!” My father always said what you can do, no one else can, believe in yourself and I follow his advice in all I attempt. He is always there shielding my back, though long gone.

Meetings once a month in either my home or one of the members. I digress! So, at Book Bound we have found a new genre of books - books that come out as judge and jury in famous murder cases. The case has not been tried yet and still in the courts and authors have written books with their opinion across the pages. Investigative journalists no less and their books are snapped up by readers across the globe.

Aarushi book cover. The first book I read and did in my class several years ago, was the Aarushi murder case. It was done by a local Delhi investigative journalist Avirook Sen. It was about the murders that gripped the nation. Seven years ago a teenage girl, Aarushi Talwar, was found murdered in her bedroom in Noida, a middle-class suburb of Delhi. The body of the prime suspect, the family servant, Hemraj, was discovered a day later. Who had committed the double murders, and why? Within weeks, Aarushi’s parents, the Talwars, were accused; four years later, they went on trial and were convicted. But did they do it? Avirook Sen attended the trial, accessed important documents and interviewed all the players—from Aarushi’s friends to Hemraj’s old boss, from the investigators to the forensic scientists—to write a meticulous and chilling book that reads like a thriller but also tells a story that is horrifyingly true.

The Pistorius book. I was in Nairobi at a UNEP conference, when the chilling news of successful model Reeva Steenkamp’s fatal shooting by her boyfriend and global sporting star Oscar Pistorius stunned the world. Over the ensuing weeks, as Pistorius appeared in court and applied for bail, every detail that emerged was analysed, debated, justified and digested. South Africa and the world in general were haunted by the events as they were repeated and discussed at length. Public perception vacillated from version to version and from hour to hour. Many supported Oscar’s theory that he thought it was an intruder that had gained entry into their home. I have just read the massive tome --Behind the Door which is a compelling narrative that unpacks the apparently true facts of the story, as revealed in the courtroom and beyond during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius and as told to the authors in several exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes briefings. The investigative journalists look at the characters involved, relate the courtroom interactions and dramas, the construction of each side’s argument, the analysis of forensic and circumstantial evidence and the exchanges between the personalities, as well as a broader look at violence and criminal justice in South Africa.I found it vivid and gripping, insightful and authoritative, but again, Behind the Door plays judge and jury on the Reeva and Oscar story.

Lots of various stories on Oscar. Published by Pan Macmillan UK, the book has definitely fetched huge returns to the publishers already. Interestingly Oscar’s family have condemned the book,since it alleges that the amputee Olympic sprinter beat his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with a cricket bat, before he killed her three years ago. The book claimed to reveal fresh evidence of an argument between the couple — in contrast to Pistorius saying that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot her through the door of his bedroom toilet.

A celebrity who worked hard. Pistorius who is, 29, was first found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter — but his conviction was upgraded to murder last year after a state appeal. The double amputee faces a minimum 15-year jail term for murder, which may be reduced due to time he has already spent in prison. He has denied killing Steenkamp in a rage and, during his trial, sobbed in the dock as details of his lover’s death were examined in excruciating detail Then the next book out in the same genre is “ An extraordinary life. The untold story of Sunanda Pushkar the wife of Shashi Tharoor. According to facts of the case, on 17 January 2014, Sunanda Pushkar, businesswoman and wife of writer and politician Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in her hotel suite in New Delhi. Her death was as shocking as it was suspect, spawning many a controversy and complex legal battles. Her life was no less dramatic but far less known.

The Pushkar book cover. The book according to the author is a culmination of material drawn from personal archives, numerous interviews and investigation across continents. Who really was Sunanda Pushkar? Was she a social climber hankering after power and fame? Or was she bold and unconventional, achieving success on her own merit only to become a casualty of circumstance? Was she a villain or a victim? Or a bit of both? In search of these answers, Sunanda Mehta, journalist and Pushkar’s former schoolmate,of my old Alma Mater - The Jesus and Mary Convent, but in Ambala, traces her subject’s life from her early days in cantonment towns, to her first two marriages, a largely unknown stint in Canada, her rise as a Dubai businesswoman, and finally her much-publicized years with Tharoor until her controversial death shook the nation.

A picture of the couple in happier times. Mehta recalls that all the young girls in Jhansi wished they could be like Sunanda Pushkar: tall, beautiful, magnetic. Her high-profile marriage to Tharoor and its subsequent breakdown. The circumstances leading up to her end and the manner of her passing were undoubtedly shocking, but there had been more to her life than her death.; Sunanda Pushkar’s entire narrative was in danger of being overshadowed by the nature of her demise. Veteran journalist Sunanda Mehta painstakingly pieced together this narrative for a biography of her long-ago friend. This seems to be a genre which is selling and that is what we discussed in my book club. Are these books being judge and jury on a case which has not been decided on in court? Whatever is the opinion of readers, these books make great reading material and are flying off the shelves, so are not likely to be stopped. ( All images off the net)