“Abandon” by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot symbolizes with light novels, but her latest novel “Abandon” seems to be in a different league than the Princess Diaries that brought her fame and adulation. In the novel, the main protagonist Pierce is seen engrossed in the battle with the underworld. When she first encounters a dark stranger, she is convinced that he takes life but his methodology in doing so was devoid of any figment of imagination. As Pierce tries to uncover the truth surrounding the shocking death of someone close to her, unexpected secrets spurt up and pose several questions in her heart.

Chick lit, Romance, Mystery and Science Fiction are her preferred genre of writing.

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“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear”   – Meg Cabot`

What a coincidence, two of America’s famous authors share their birthday on the same day- April-12.

Thomas Clancy was born on April 12, 1947. He is a popular American novelist, having created his own niche in technically detailed storyline in which espionage and military science are the main elements. He has leveraged his name for video games and similar kind of movie scripts and many series of non-fiction books on military subject.

Wild Card, Balance of Power, Bio Strike, The Sum of all Fears, Ruthless.com and War of Eagles are some of the popular novels by Tom Clancy.

Scott Turow was born in Chicago on April 12, 1949. His works have been translated in 20 languages and have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Though a master of non-fiction, he has also compiled two non-fiction books. Turow is still a practicing lawyer and his stories are based on legal thrillers.

Presumed Innocent, Pleading Guilty, The Burden of Proof and Personal Injuries are some of his notable works.

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Lew Wallace

Lew Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, governor, politician and author of the cult historical novel “Ben- Hur”- A Tale of the Christ. Like his father who graduated from United States Millitary Academy, Wallace too served as the Union General in American Civil War. The Siloh controversy where he was blamed  incompetent in moving the reserve armed forces to the battlefront, led the foundation stone for a glittering career in Politics. It was during this time that he wrote” Ben-Hur”. The book gas been the best selling American  novel in the 19^th century. The book has been filmed four times with the 1959 film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston was a massive hit, accumulating eleven academy awards.

An immediate best-seller on publication, Ben Hur remains a dazzling achievement by any standards. A thoroughly exhilarating tale of betrayal, revenge and salvation, it is the only novel that ranks with Uncle Tom’s Cabin as a genuine American folk possession. Wallace writes with a freshness and immediacy that brings every action-packed scene to life and illuminates the geography, ethnology and customs of the ancient world.

“When people are lonely they stoop to any companionship.”

— Lew Wallace

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A 71 year old man is on a fast unto death, posing several questions and suddenly his crusade has become a wake up call for citizens so engrossed in their quest for livelihood that while they complained endlessly about corruption, they never did anything to stop it. It is time to get over this “chalta hai” attitude. Had our forefathers “let things be”, our whole future would have been shrouded in misery, shackled by slavery and gross injustice. The fresh air we inhale today is a due that will be fully compensated only if we ward off the poisonous leaks that may contaminate future.

A simple man, a Gandhian who sleeps on a khadi bed sheet Anna Hazare is one of the millions who wishes to make India corruption free. Yet perhaps he is the among the handful of people who has done something about it. Cribbing about corruption and blaming leaders isn’t enough. Each one of us has a responsibility and a role to play if we want to rid our country of this scourge. Hazare is pleading for the successful passage and implementation of the Jan Lokpal bill. This bill promises to dismantle corruption from head to toe at the earliest. It provides for filing complaints of corruption against the prime minister , other ministers and members of parliament with the ombudsman (a government appointee who investigates complaints by private persons against the government). Except the public servants, anyone can file a complaint to the Lok Pal.

As Hazare’s movement is gaining momentum with every passing day, it’s the government of India which has been kept on tenterhooks. It remains to be seen if the government yields to the strength of a man who served the army as a truck driver, participated in several development projects in his backyard and is the recipient of many prestigious awards. The outlook thus far is positive. With the nation backing Hazare, the government has little choice. But the question is will this bill be enough? Anna will probably go down in history as the man who took on a government single handedly to fight for what he believed is right. But will his crusade yield results if it ends with just the passing of the bill? Yes, the Bill will be a big step and yes, it will go a long way in fighting corruption at the highest level. But what about the everyday corruptions that lace our lives and that have hollowed every edifice of this nation – the bribing of the traffic policeman, or of a railway clerk, of an IT official or a sarkari babu to get the desired result quickly.

Freedom comes at price. It always has and it always will. The reason the nation has stood up behind this simple Gandhian is because he is willing to pay that price for all of us; because he is standing up for what he believes in despite the consequences and the discomfort to himself. Will we be able to do teh same? Sending smses and standing with placards once in a lifetime isn’t enough. Are we willing to go that extra mile? To put up with the small and big difficulties that will arise everyday if we decide to stand up against corruption; to not pay a bribe whatever the consequences. Are we as a nation and a people willing to do that? I wonder.

Jean Baptist Rousseau

The great Jean Baptist Rousseau (6 April 1671 – 17 March 1741) was the son of a poor shoemaker. He was well educated and his penchant for satirical verses made him the most popular lyrical poet of his time. Also the lack of genuine poets in the genre after Jean Racine and Andre de Chenier tilted the scale in Rousseau’s favour. His successive stints in theatre always ended in great dismay with, Le Café, Le Flatteu, Venus et Adonis and Le Capricieux failing miserably one after another. It was his poems which were either published singly or in manuscript that he gained attention. More often than not he got into series of disputes and verbal exchanges with his detractors and critics; this also resulted to the sour fate of his theatrical ventures. Rousseau is among the select few group of writers whose odes and cantatas were reprinted during 18^th century.

Ode A La Fortune remains to be his most memorable work.  In 1712, Rousseau was convicted of defamation and libel charges when he truthfully accepted that he had never written a satirical verse. He led the rest of his life in exile, wandering through Europe and finally dying in acute poverty in the year 1741.

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Arthur Hailey

Arthur Hailey was born in Bedfordshire, England on April 5^th 1920. After serving in the Royal Air Force from 1939-47, he migrated to Canada. While in service he witnessed the Second World War. He tried his hand in several jobs while writing on part-time basis. Finally the love for writing took its toll and Hailey devoted himself to full-fledged writing in 1956. Following the success of his novel Hotel, he moved to California and later to Bahamas to avoid US and Canadian income taxes, which claimed 90% of his income. Henceforth Bahamas was his abode till the day he bid adieu to this world in 2004.

He had begun his writing life as a journalist on a transport magazine, but got his break as a fiction writer when, during a flight, he began to ponder what would happen if both pilots fell sick from food poisoning. The storyline led to his first big success.

Each of his novels had different industrial and commercial settings, which was in sync with the environment, the society and the people constituting it. His works were well researched and presented a firsthand account of the machinery functioning in a particular system. His popularity was such that whatever he wrote were guaranteed best-seller. Many of his works were on the best seller list in Newyork times which underlines his credentials as one who understood his audience.

“In High Places, The Evening News, Wheels, Airport, Overload, The Money Changers” are some of his memorable nobles.

I don’t think I really invented anybody. I have drawn on real life.

-Arthur Hailey

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Maya Angelou

America’s most visible black autobiographer, Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 at St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She is an American author, poet of repute and is renowned for her six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is her first and most highly acclaimed work. Apart from international recognition, what the book did was to catapult her to a level where her works got nominated for awards. The national awards and Pulitzer prize nomination for 1971 volume of poetry,” Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water for I Diiie” is a proof of it. Angelou was also the member of the Harlem Writers Guild in the late 1950s and was an active member of Civil Rights Movement.

What more can be said, she also served for Martin Luther King Jr and renowned in the lecture circuit, having made more than ninety appearances. She also hods the longest running  record on the Newyork Times Paperback Notification besr seller list in 1995.  Besides she is also a dancer, film producer, television producer, playwright, film director, author, actress, professor.

“Singin-and-swingin-and-gettin-merry-christmas, Wouldnt-take-nothing-my-journey-now and Heart of a woman” are her other important works.

I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.

Maya Angelou.

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