Recommendations based on Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Foundby Suketu Mehta

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi

    by William Dalrymple
    Exploration of Delhi's vibrant culture, history and people over the course of a year.

    Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of ... (Goodreads)

  2. India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy

    by Ramachandra Guha
    An expansive account of India's post-independence history, exploring its unique path to democracy.

    A magisterial account of the pains, the struggles, the humiliations, and the glories of the world's largest and least likely democracy, Ramachandra Guha's India After Gandhi is a breathtaking ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Short History of Nearly Everything

    by Bill Bryson
    A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.

    In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)

  4. It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

    by Lance Armstrong
    A story of resilience and courage, detailing Armstrong’s fight against cancer and recovery.

    In 1993 , 21-year-old Lance Armstrong becomes World Cycling Champion . In Austin, Texas, four years later on October 2, 1996, at age 25, Armstrong is diagnosed with testicular cancer with metastasis ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco

    by Bryan Burrough
    The story of the highly competitive bidding war for RJR Nabisco, one of the biggest corporate takeovers in history.

    A #1 New York Times bestseller and arguably the best business narrative ever written, Barbarians at the Gate is the classic account of the fall of RJR Nabisco. An enduring masterpiece of ... (Goodreads)

  6. Slouching Towards Bethlehem

    by Joan Didion
    Collection of essays exploring the cultural landscape of 1960s America.

    The first nonfiction work by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era, Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem remains, decades after its first publication, the essential portrait of ... (Goodreads)

  7. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

    by Thomas L. Friedman
    An exploration of the rapid globalization of the world, and the implications of this shift.

    When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter Y2K to March 2004 , what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World ... (Goodreads)

  8. You Can Win: A Step by Step Tool for Top Achievers

    by Shiv Khera
    A self-help book that provides practical tips and strategies for achieving success in life and business.

    Presents an approach that takes you from ancient wisdom to contemporary thinking. This book helps you to dispel confusion in daily life and clarify values. ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Magic of Thinking Big

    by David J. Schwartz
    A guide to achieving success by shifting one's attitude and outlook on life.

    The Magic of Thinking Big gives you useful methods, not empty promises. Dr. Schwartz presents a carefully designed program for getting the most out of your job, your marriage and family life, and ... (Goodreads)

  10. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

    by Jared Diamond
    Study of past societies' successes and failures in terms of environmental, economic, and political decisions.

    Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid ... (Goodreads)

  11. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

    by Katherine Boo
    Explores the lives of the people living in Mumbai's slums and the harsh realities they face.

    From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the ... (Goodreads)

  13. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  14. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

    by Peter Thiel
    A guide to launching a startup, exploring the power of entrepreneurship.

    If you want to build a better future, you must believe in secrets. The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, ... (Goodreads)

  15. Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

    by Sarah Macdonald
    A humorous journey through India, exploring its culture and diversity.

    In her twenties, journalist Sarah Macdonald backpacked around India and came away with a lasting impression of heat, pollution and poverty. So when an airport beggar read her palm and told her she ... (Goodreads)

  16. In Patagonia

    by Bruce Chatwin
    A journey through the far reaches of Patagonia, exploring its culture and history.

    An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, ... (Goodreads)

  17. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

    by Peter Hessler
    A memoir of a Peace Corps volunteer's two-year stay in a small Chinese town on the Yangtze River, exploring the culture and history of the region.

    In the heart of China's Sichuan province lies the small city of Fuling. Surrounded by the terraced hills of the Yangtze River valley, Fuling has long been a place of continuity, far from the bustling ... (Goodreads)

  18. Gomorrah

    by Roberto Saviano
    Exposing the dark underworld of the Neapolitan mafia and its insidious effects on society.

    A groundbreaking major bestseller in Italy, Gomorrah is Roberto Saviano's gripping nonfiction account of the decline of Naples under the rule of the Camorra, an organized crime network with a large ... (Goodreads)

  19. All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World

    by Seth Godin
    Exploring how marketers can leverage authenticity and storytelling to connect with consumers.

    All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. A good story is where genuine customer satisfaction comes from. It's the source of profit and it's the future of your ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

    by Oliver Sacks
    A collection of case studies, illustrating extraordinary neurological phenomena.

    If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self—himself—he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it. Dr. Oliver Sacks recounts the ... (Goodreads)

  21. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

    by Atul Gawande
    An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.

    In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)

  22. Illuminations: Essays and Reflections

    by Walter Benjamin
    Collection of philosophical and literary essays on a range of topics.

    Essays and reflections from one of the twentieth century’s most original cultural critics, with an introduction by Hannah Arendt . Walter Benjamin was an icon of criticism, renowned for his insight ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. The White Album

    by Joan Didion
    Collection of essays exploring 1960s counterculture in America.

    First published in 1979, Joan Didion's The White Album records indelibly the upheavals and aftermaths of the 1960s. Examining key events, figures, and trends of the era—including Charles Manson, the ... (Goodreads)

  24. Truth & Beauty

    by Ann Patchett
    A heartfelt exploration of female friendship, and the challenges of life and love.

    "A loving testament to the work and reward of the best friendships, the kind where your arms can’t distinguish burden from embrace.” –People,, New York Times, Bestselling author Ann Patchett’s first ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

    by Charles C. Mann
    Re-examination of the pre-Columbian Americas, uncovering new evidence of its history.

    In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.,Contrary to what so many ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Liars' Club

    by Mary Karr
    Memoir of a turbulent childhood in East Texas, exploring the power of love and family.

    The book tells the story of Karr's troubled childhood in a small Texas town in the early 1960s. Using a non-linear story line, Karr describes the troubles of growing up in a family and town where ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Death and Life of Great American Cities

    by Jane Jacobs
    Exposes the flaws of urban planning, advocating for a more organic approach.

    A direct and fundamentally optimistic indictment of the short-sightedness and intellectual arrogance that has characterized much of urban planning in this century, The Death and Life of Great ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Art of Thinking Clearly

    by Rolf Dobelli
    A guide to common thinking errors and how to avoid them, providing practical advice for making better decisions in life and business.

    In engaging prose and with practical examples and anecdotes, an eye-opening look at human reasoning and essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. Have you ever: • Invested time ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

    by Niall Ferguson
    Outlines the history of money and its pivotal role in human society.

    Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. Bread, cash, ... (Goodreads)

  30. Just Kids

    by Patti Smith
    Chronicles of two young artists in New York City, finding friendship and inspiration in each other.

    In Just Kids , Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal ... (Goodreads)