Writers of the World

World Rose Day: Seven Books That Talk About Cancer, Hope and Survival

World Rose Day is celebrated on September 22 keeping in mind the welfare of cancer patients. Cancer is often looked upon with fear but those who must battle the diagnosis need as much support from fearless caretakers in the community as they can get. On this occasion, we thought we would look at some cancer literature.

TOUGH: WOMEN WHO SURVIVED CANCER edited by Marquina Ilieve-Piselli

Forty women tell their stories about their cancer experience. Although the journey is long and hard, the stories are filled with hope. Creativity is sometimes the best cure for any illness and many of the survivors talk about their tryst with creative pursuits.

The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Jerome Groopman

A must-read book for caregivers and the afflicted. Groopman doesn’t believe in providing false hope but he wants to explore how important hope is in the face of adversity. I

Close to the Bone by Lisa Ray

This autobiography of actor and model Lisa Ray is no-holds-barred account of her life. She suffered from multiple myeloma at age thirty-seven.

‘How fortunate it is when life alters you without warning.’

The Test of My Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back by Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh gives a brave, honest account of his tryst with cancer and chemotherapy. The book is an account of his cricket journey and his own personal growth.

Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life by Manisha Koirala

Another celebrity cancer autobiography. Here Manisha Koirala speaks about her triumphant win against ovarian cancer.

My Cancer is Me: The Journey from Illness to Wholeness by Vijay Bhat

Cancer is a disease with many stereotypical notions attached to it. Vijay Bhat writes about how the disease can be used as a transformative experience. He explores perspectives toward the disease and holistic and scientific approaches that can help cure the afflicted.

Unafraid by Niyati Tamaskar

At the Pothi.com Store, we have a book by cancer survivor Niyati Tamaskar. She was a thirty-four-year-old breastfeeding mother when she got the diagnosis. She grew up in India where the c-word was taboo and so she opens up about her journey. Her words give strength- watch her Ted Talk here.

What books would you recommend for cancer survivors and caregivers? Tell us in the comments section.

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay- the Bengali Storyteller who Inspired Satyajit Ray

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was born on this day in 1894. He grew up in a village in West Bengal. Storytelling ran through the family- his father was a storyteller and a Sanskrit scholar. He was a prized student but since his family fell in a hard way, once his studies were complete, he enrolled as a teacher in a school in Hooghly before he went on to become a writer full time.

His setting was primarily rural Bengal. The Apu trilogy based on Pather Panchali and Aparajito caught Satyajit Ray’s attention and since then Bandyopadhyay’s works have become immortal on the silver screen.

His best-known works are the autobiographical novel, Pather Panchali (The Song of the Road), Chader Pahar, and Aranyak. He’s been called “perhaps the best of all modern Indian novelists” and his legacy is substantial- over a dozen novels, hundreds of short stories, memoirs and essays. His style is rooted in an almost romantic love for his environment and a traditional mode of storytelling- yet his voice is modernist and relevant even today, especially when he speaks about the disappearance of the rural fabric in the face of capitalism.

He died in 1950.

Visit the Pothi.com Book Store on Buy a Book Day and Support an Author Today!

Today is Buy a Book Day!

On this day, we thought about talking about the Pothi.com Store, the place where all the authors who use the Pothi.com platform are at. Once you decide to self-publish, you can upload your files onto the system and ta-da your book shows up at the Pothi.com Store. That simple.

Pothi.com Book Store

Since today the onus is on buying books, let’s have a look at our Book Store- Books by Self Publishing Authors | Pothi.com

At the Pothi.com Store there is a huge variety of books in as many as 50+ categories from Antiques and Collectibles to Business Books to Travel Books and Comics. There are books by authors from all over the world, so we have books in the Store in over 40 languages!

In the New Releases section, you get to see the latest print books and eBooks that have been self-published. The Bestsellers is a list of the books that have the highest sales. Editor’s Choice is a curated list that we update from time to time- the books on this list are recommended by our in-house Editorial Team.

You can also search for a specific book using the search option.

On this day, pick up a book and encourage an author. A book is a labor of love- so much thought and effort go into the making of one and when an author decides to self-publish, they need to take so many decisions- not just when it comes to writing the book but also taking into account the making and selling of it as well. Do your bit to support our Pothi authors and buy a book now!

Celebration of Teachers’ Day: Six Books About Teachers and Mentors

Teachers’ Day recognizes the unique role that adults play in the lives of young minds and in shaping a country’s future.

Teachers’ Day is observed annually in India on September 5 to commemorate the birth of the country’s former President, scholar, philosopher, and Bharat Ratna awardee, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, on this day in 1888.

The significance of this day is paramount. It is a day to acknowledge the significance of teachers in shaping the young minds of children. For students, the day also means gifting roses, chocolates, and handmade cards to their favorite teachers to express their gratitude. Teacher’s Day is a day of role reversal and celebration for senior students.

Books to Read on Teachers’ Day:

Literature pays a great due to teachers. Here we have put together a list of books where teachers play an important role in molding their young students.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda develops a bond with her kindergarten teacher, Miss Honey, who encourages her academically and emotionally when no one else does. It is the most adorable and heartwarming book there is, and it shows how a good teacher can shape the mind and life of an innocent child.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Lucy Snowe begins a new life as a teacher at a boarding school in a fictitious city in Belgium. She is attracted to all the things that are adventurous and romantic. Lucy Snowe is the counterpart of Jane Eyre, a more patient reserved version. Villette is Charlotte Bronte’s last book.

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

This Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award tells the story of a young man who returns to 1940s Cajun country. His aim? To visit and teach a black youth sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. They learn about the heroism of resistance as a group. Gaines brings to this novel, a sense of place, a deep understanding of the human psyche, and compassion for people and their struggle against racism and ignorance. His story is just as relevant today.

Anne of Green Gables by M. Montgomery

Miss Stacy, Anne’s teacher, uses unconventional and liberal teaching methods that others criticize, but she becomes a much-needed role model and mentor for Anne.

The English Teacher by R. K. Narayan

The English Teacher is a part of a series of novels and collections of short stories set in R. K. Narayan’s fictitious setting of Malgudi. The story follows Krishna, an English teacher, his little triumphs and follies.

Teaching Yoga in an Upside-Down World by Susan Hopkinson

At the Pothi.com Store, we have a book about self-care for teachers, yoga teachers in particular. Susan Hopkinson discovered yoga in 1985, began teaching in 1998 and qualified as a yoga therapist in 2007. She negotiates the path a teacher needs to take in the modern world where fitness instruction and yoga asanas are often confused as one and the same.

We can never thank the good teachers in our lives enough! Share a memory of your favorite teacher or a book on teachers that you read and admired.

Wildlife Day: Eleven Books for Readers in the Anthropocene

National Wildlife Day was founded by animal behaviorist and philanthropist Colleen Paige. The idea behind this day is to bring to the fore knowledge about endangered animals and spread the word about animal conservation.

We put together a list of wildlife animal books for you on this day.

A Zoo in My Luggage by Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durell is the first writer who comes to mind when you think about books featuring animals.This is a rollicking account of his travels and how he created his own zoo.

“I hope that, in a small way, I am interesting people in animal life and in its conservation. If I accomplish this I will consider that I have achieved something worthwhile. And if I can, later on, help even slightly towards preventing an animal from becoming extinct, I will be content.”

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and the antagonist Sher Khan are unforgettable fictional characters from the immortal fiction The Jungle Book. Kipling wrote the book for his daughter Josephine as he mentioned: “This book belongs to Josephine Kipling for whom it was written by her father, May 1894.” Unfortunately his daughter lived only for six years.

“A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path, for he was as cunning as Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded elephant. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down.”

Every Creature Has a Story: What Science Reveals about Animal Behaviour by Janaki Lenin

Janaki Lenin is a careful observer of the wildlife around her. This book is a collection of essays where she examines the wild and wonderful behaviors of unlikely animals from rodents to wasps to humpback whales. Animals are only now beginning to be understood and Lenin traces paternal love, altruism and the variegated emotions of the members of the animal kingdom.

Man-eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett

Corbett was a man-eater detective of sorts. In his book that has remained in print for seventy years he elaborates on the conflict between humans and big cats.

“Those who have never seen a leopard under favourable conditions in his natural surroundings can have no conception of the grace of movement, and beauty of colouring, of this the most gracefuL and the most beautiful of all animals in our Indian jungles.”

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

The snow leopard is an elusive predator and Peter Matthiessen knows that there is a possibility that in his quest for the bharal, the Himalayan blue sheep, he may see one. The Snow Leopard is a physical journey toward clarity and an understanding of Zen.

“Indicating his twisted legs without a trace of self-pity or bitterness, as if they belonged to all of us, he casts his arms wide to the sky and the snow mountains, the high sun and dancing sheep, and cries, ’Of course I am happy here! It’s wonderful! Especially when I have no choice!’ In its wholehearted acceptance of what is;I feel as if he had struck me in the chest. Butter tea and wind pictures, the Crystal Mountain, and blue sheep dancing on the snow-it’s quite enough!

Have you seen the snow leopard?

No! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Indian Mammals: A Field Guide Book by Vivek Menon

A comprehensive field guide to 400 species of mammals in India accompanied by photos, illustrations and expert insight. Reading the book helps familiarize you with the enormous diversity of the animal kingdom in India .

The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis by Prerna Singh Bindra

Prerna Singh Bindra talks about the sorry state of wildlife governance in the country. Bottlenecks in bureaucracy and lackadaisical policy make the animals of the country its victims. The author was a member of the National Board for Wildlife and on Uttarakhand’s State Board for Wildlife. She has worked passionately to protect wildlife habitats and critically endangered species.

The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

A remarkable book where the eminent nature writer Robert Macfarlane and the genius artist Jackie Morris have brought back the vocabulary of the British wild. The book has received much praise and can be read and appreciated by children and older readers alike. An Indian counterpart of lost nature terms in India is greatly needed.

At the Pothi.com Store, we have a couple of books around the theme of wildlife conservation by H. S. Pabla, former Chief Wildlife Warden of the state of Madhya Pradesh. He was once on the faculty of the Wildlife Institute of India and is an international consultant in forestry and wildlife management in South Asia now. Here are the links to his books: Road to Nowhere, Wardens in Shackles and Besides Loving Beasts.

Tell us which book about wildlife you would recommend.

The Sorrows of Young Goethe and the Success of Faust

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 28, 1749, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (this is how you pronounce Goethe) was a revered poet, playwright, novelist, and statesman.

Despite having achieved success in the literary world, Goethe believed that his work as a philosopher and scientist- in particular with regard to his theories about color and philosophy- would be his true legacy instead. However, his writings inspired generations of western literature and thought.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was tutored extensively in languages as a child. His father, Johann Kaspar Goethe was a lawyer who always prioritized his son’s education, which enabled him to engage in many literary and cultural pursuits. It was when Goethe went to Leipzig University to study law that he fell in love with Anne Katharine Schönkopf, who is known to have been the inspiration behind his first volume of poems called Annette.

Goethe’s Works

At the end of his studies, he had composed many writings like The Partners in Crime and Leipzig Songbook; he also found his love for folk poetry. During that time he developed proclaimed respect for Shakespeare who is also the figure responsible for his ‘personal awakening’.

Throughout the 1770s, along with practicing progressive law across Germany, he also maintained his career as a poet and a playwright. At the age of 24, Goethe wrote his first novel called The Sorrows Of Young Werther. The book was written in a journal form and tells the tale of unrequited love between Werther and Charlotte. In the story, the man falls hopelessly in love with the wife of his friend. The book was an instant hit and it revolutionized European literature. This writing influenced the later Romantic Movement.

All through his career, Goethe is known to have found inspiration from his surroundings. His collaborative works with fellow poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller formed the heart of German literature. It was during this period that his journey to Italy rekindled his love for poetry and that is when he composed a collection of seductive poetry called the Roman Elegies. His most famous work, Faust, was produced after the demise of Schiller in 1805. Faust was an epic play of love and loss which talks about a duel with the devil in the search for supernatural knowledge.

Despite his age, Goethe continued composing more literary works. He published his autobiography – Dichtung und Wahrheit and even composed more poetry. After hearing the news of his son’s death, he fell seriously ill and a few months later, he died on his armchair. He was laid to rest next to Schiller, his other half whom he considered to be his other half, in the ‘tomb of the princes’ in Weimar.

Although his works were mainly famous in Europe and Germany, his most famous poem -cum- play, Faust, has been adapted into an opera and is still performed throughout the world. Goethe’s mergence of science and art has awarded him the title, ‘surpassing intellect of modern times’. George Eliot called him ‘Germany’s greatest man of letters and the last true polymath to walk the earth’. Goethe’s works have made an impact on literary movements like Romanticism and expressionism. His philosophical contributions have left a legacy that is woven into the lives of others.

It’s Time for a Level Playing Field: Six Books to Read on Women’s Equality Day

Women’s Equality Day is an American holiday which marks the day when the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited the federal government and states from denying people the right to vote on the basis of their gender. was adopted. It is celebrated on August 26 every year, since its inception in 1971. The day symbolizes the culmination of 72 years of agitation by a massive women’s civil rights movement.

Women have proven existing stereotypes false time and again and the right to vote is a precursor to women’s new roles in society.

What Can You Read On Women’s Equality Day?

We’ve identified a couple of books that talk about Women’s Equality Day in particular and other books where women chart out their journeys toward a better world where their work is appreciated and rewarded.

The Women’s Hour: The great fight to win the vote by Elaine Weiss

The Woman’s Hour is the gripping story of how America’s women won their own freedom and the opening campaign in the great twentieth-century battles for civil rights. The book features the opposition suffragists faced in the state of Tennessee and their subsequent victory.

Let’s Celebrate Women’s Equality Day (Holidays and Heroes) by Barbara deRubertis

Read this tiny book from The Holiday & Heroes series to understand the history of women’s suffrage in the United States, the stalled Equal Rights Amendment, and the gender gap among elected officials.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Who better to tell us about the political struggle in America than the former First Lady herself? Michelle Obama capitalized on her African American roots to create the most welcoming White House in history. In her memoir, she describes her precarious balancing act between mudslinging politics that she despises and advocacy for women and girls she roots for.

More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth

Welteroth talks about her ascent as a black woman in a white-dominated landscape- she strives for equality. She uses her own experiences to highlight the points she makes about trusting yourself, knowing your worth, and making big decisions in life. The book teaches women how to stand up for each other, especially for those who doubt themselves from time to time. That’s the only path to equality -“We went through what we went through so that you could live, baby girl. So you got to live. Run after it. And know that we are all with you.”

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates

When you raise a woman, you raise your family, your community, your country and so on. In her book, Melinda tells the story of the interesting people she meets through her work around the world. The book is anecdotal and throws light on the strong grit and determination of women across the world even in the face of injustice.

Seeing Like a Feminist by Nivedita Menon

Nivedita Menon gives a 360-degree approach to the idea of feminism and gender equality, specifically in the Indian context. This book is a favorite at the company and one that has been discussed multiple times at our Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) Parties.

So How Can You Make Women’s Equality Day Special?

Even though this event supports American suffragists, August 26 is a good day to celebrate the women in your lives, not just achievers but anyone who has made a difference in some small way. You can talk about them on your social media handles and organize charity drives for any cause spearheaded by women. You can pick up the books we mentioned and go deeper into the issues that plague womankind. It’s a day to recognize how far women have come and how far they have to go.

Paulo Coelho: The Writer Who Believes That Dreams Come True

Paulo Coelho was born on this day. Did you know the Rumi of our times was a lyricist as well?

His most famous book was The Alchemist with sales of over 150 million copies worldwide.

During his adolescence he was sent to an asylum so that he would give up his writing dream and even though he attempted to make a career out of law, he dropped out of the rat race, living a hippie life and traveling widely.

He began working as a songwriter and dabbled in many creative careers. He was even incarcerated by the military government in Brazil for some time.

He began a songwriting career that was interrupted by his sudden awakening to write and follow his dreams. The Alchemist was picked up by an unknown publisher and later Harper Collins. A strong thread of Sufism and pantheism runs through his fiction and non-fiction books.

Happy b’day Paulo Coelho!

V. S. Naipaul: The Nobel Winner of Many Hues

V. S. Naipaul was born on this day in 1932. He put Trinidad and Tobago on the map with the literature he churned out- thirty books in half a century. He won several awards including the Booker Prize, the Jerusalem Prize, the Trinity Cross and the Nobel Prize in Literature.

He was awarded the Nobel “for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories.”

“Naipaul is a modern philosopher carrying on the tradition that started originally with Lettres persanes and Candide. In a vigilant style, which has been deservedly admired, he transforms rage into precision and allows events to speak with their own inherent irony.”

His grandparents were indentured servants who had left India when the Great Famine left them with no choice but to flee the country. His father Seepersad inspired him to be a novelist.

Naipaul ended up moving from Trinidad and Tobago to study at Oxford and he worked as a journalist on a part-time basis with the BBC. When he spoke about his writing process, he often referred to how he was entirely self-taught. He learned about writing from the act of writing itself.

His initial novels were set in the remote region of Trinidad and Tobago. It was A House for Mr Biswas that established Naipaul as a fixture in the British literary scene. His voice is tinged with irony and even his non-fiction has the aspect of fiction. During his Nobel Banquet Speech, he told a little tale of how his watch stopped when he arrived in Stockholm. For him, storytelling was the only mode of expression.

His legacy is, however, one of contradictions, his views are often accused of being controversial and misogynistic.

Graphic of book titles — Books by V. S. Naipaul

Listen to Young Voices on International Youth Day

International Youth Day is celebrated annually on 12 August to bring youth issues and young voices to the mainstream. The General Assembly endorsed the recommendation that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.

The 2021 theme for the day is Transforming food systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health. As the population grows, there are more and more challenges that younger people must face. The planet needs to be restored to its natural equilibrium and biodiversity must flourish if we want to have food systems that benefit all of mankind.

On that note, Pothi.com would like to celebrate the voices of some of our young writers at the Pothi.com Store:

Footprints on the Moon

Footprints on the Moon is the second Young Author Program Anthology. The Young Author Program (YAP) is a writing workshop designed to give young writers the tools they need to write their own fiction. In this anthology, young writers explore diverse subjects including vampires, wizards, pets, friendship, career choices, magic and dreams.

A Window to Young Minds

A Window to Young Minds is the first of the yearly anthologies, Short Stories by Young Writers. The twenty-three wonderful stories in this book are handpicked from 2017 contest entries. The talent of these young writers shines in their command of storytelling and their unique take on genre—from a pirate love story to the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937, in New Jersey.

Young Voices

YOUNG VOICES features fifteen pieces of fiction from fifteen student writers from around the world. Whether discussing social issues, pondering everyday truths, or examining human relationships, the authors in Young Voices are doing us all a great service. We need them and their artistic peers to keep observing humanity around them and let their words and images move us forward, indeed, to truly guarantee us all a better tomorrow.

Listen to Young Adults

Not by a young adult but pertaining to communicating with them. The myths of adulthood and understanding teenagers in the new age have been busted.

Which book for or by young writers have you enjoyed recently?