No Average Joe

Instead of sitting around and waiting for a life altering idea to hit me (and blog about it), I decided to take my (second set of) first steps by writing about what I have around me right now.. So here goes my thoughts on "Above Average" by Amitabha Bagchi, the book I just finished reading. Well, this book came out a long time ago so most of you have probably already read it... But that's good right? It opens up more room for discussion....

The reason I wanted to write about this book is because I am still thinking about it long after I am done reading . I picked up Above Average in the library on an impulse. "Pick a book and keep at it"idea, and I did keep it at it.

Above Average is a story of a journey from the life in a residential colony in Delhi, to the corridors of IIT, to world of graduate school abroad. Its a story of being in a rat race, trying to keep up with it and yet trying to identify your true standing. Does this sound trite? Well not really.Its a story not only about IIT but life in general in those "wonder years". The narrative style of this book makes the characters and the places come alive. There were many instances in the book where I could smell the egg parathas, the mustard oil, where I could sit in the class in IIT, hear a juvenile drummer, or walk through the streets of Delhi and Baltimore. The story runs back and forth between incidents, and still manages to keep up with the flow of events. Above Average makes you take a trip down your memory lane, while keeping up with it. It brings back memories of college, of dreams back then, of friends. and where they stand now. The language of this book is simple and easy to follow, filled with jargons that contribute to the "come to life" feel of the book. This book would go great with a weekend, a couch and a chai.