To hell and back : Humans of COVID

 


Name :  To hell and back : Humans of COVID
Author : Barkha Dutt
Year of Publication : 2022
Genre : Non-fiction, Contemporary India
Rating : ** 1/2(Two and a half stars out of 5)

Barkha Dutt, the peripatetic journalist who travelled the length of the country during the pandemic times, condenses her disparate experiences into a book. From the migrant exodus to the plight of health workers, oxygen crisis to vaccine manufacturing, she covers lots of ground. Unfortunately, good journalism does not exactly translate into a great book and the author is on a mission to pack in so many touching stories into little space thus ensuring none of the stories (except the UP teachers who were forced to walk to death by doing election duty) stick. Despite flaws, the book is still recommended for reading because in a decaying society, only some people give hope and they cannot be dismissed for frivolous reasons like not writing a classic book.

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