“Yes” or “No” - The Guide to Better Decisions by Spencer Johnson

Book - How I taught my Grandmother to read and other stories

Author - Sudha Murty

Stories - Who doesn't like one? Take any person, whether young or old, male or female; stories have been an integral part of each of our lives. From your grandparents and parents, to teachers and friends; no matter who the narrator is or how old you get, you will always be fascinated by stories.
This is what author Sudha Murty draws inspiration from for her book - How I Taught my Grandmother to Read and other Stories, which comprises many beautiful stories related to her life. These stories have morals, motivate, and also teach us the values of life. I know it is essentially meant for children, but let’s not forget that there is a child in each one of us which we keep hidden as we grow up in life.

 The book starts with a story about how the author taught her grandmother to read. The author talks about the times when women were deprived of education due to a lot of reasons and how her grandmother’s desire to learn made her a bright student. Her grandmother learnt to read quickly as she had the hunger for education. This story teaches me to never give up the thirst for knowledge.

The other story that touched me is about how despite the author’s husband  – Mr. Narayan Murty, being a topper, couldn’t join the finest college whereas his other friends did. However, he didn’t let this get in his way or dishearten him. He approached it positively and took up the challenge and went to prove himself.

Sudha Murty

The book contains several simple, short and inspiring stories about the author’s students, cousin, teacher, and many others who crossed her path. Each of the individual’s either left a mark on her or it was the other way round, but in both cases, there is something to learn from every story.

Book - Six thinking hats

Author – Edward De Bono

Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono

‘Thinking – The talking of soul to itself’ is most difficult as we tend to be ambiguous when it comes to solving any problem. This book helps us understand the different perspectives that an individual should take into account and analyze while solving any problem to achieve better results.  These aspects are termed as the ‘six thinking hats’ by the author ‘Edward De Bono’.

Six Thinking Hats

• White Hat: facts, figures, information

This hat is useful while initiating a new research or towards the end while concluding the final verdict.

• Red Hat: emotions and feelings, hunch and intuition

This can be used when you need to make some important decision personally or professionally which has a major impact on your life.

• Black Hat: devil's advocate, negative judgment

This hat tends to find out loopholes while absorbing an idea. Classic example would be while developing software; a tester wears the black hat.

• Yellow Hat: optimism, positivity

Often in life, we tend to think negative especially when it comes to expenses. That’s when this hat comes to the rescue.

• Green Hat: creativity

While giving a new suggestion to my clients or writing posts on my blog, I make use of the green hat, which brings out new ideas, possibilities & without which progress is impossible.

• Blue Hat: controlling of the hats and thinking, orchestration

Which hat should I go for?

To summarize, this book is easy and simple, yet it helps you better understand what mode of thought you should turn to while addressing different situations and solving different problems at any given point of time. This can be used by anyone and everyone whenever you need to lay down any guidelines for your work. It will surely broaden your horizon and help you to gain amazing results.