The UPSC syllabus is enormous—like an ocean—and you can’t possibly cover everything on it. Every candidate for the IAS should read one of the many fantastic non-fiction books available. This will not only help you gain a deeper grasp of the world around you, but it will also aid in your preparation for the UPSC curriculum. To see things from a different perspective, it is a good idea to read some non-fiction novels in addition to your curriculum.
What are some books that you may read before starting your IAS exam journey?
- My Experiments With Truth (Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi)- Your morals and values will be constantly tested in the UPSC IAS Exam, particularly in the Mains exam.
- India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra- One of the best books you can read about modern Indian history is this one. If you want to understand why things happened the way they did and be able to create educated and convincing responses to queries at the UPSC IAS exam level, it is crucial.
- A Short History of Nearly Everything- This book uses science to illuminate the rationale. The principles of general science are engagingly presented to readers in Bill Bryson’s book. The Big Bang hypothesis and the Quantum of Physics are also used in this book to explain time. The tale of the discoverers, including Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, is what draws readers in.
- I Do What I Do- Raghuram G. Rajan, a scholar and a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, is the author of the book. He discusses India’s past, present, and future economic outlook as well as the necessary reforms and steps that may be taken to make India a better country.
- Thinking Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman– The book Thinking Fast and Slow explains how two brain systems are continually vying for control of your behavior and actions, how this can result in mistakes in memory, judgment, and decision-making, and what you can do to fix it.
- Challenge and Strategy by Rajiv Sikri- The book takes a strategic and policy-focused approach to assess India’s present and future foreign policy issues. It examines the long-term elements and patterns that ought to influence how the nation formulates its foreign policy.
- A Brief History of Time- One of the best-selling books that teaches you about essential ideas like cosmology, light cones, quantum physics, the big bang, and much more while allowing you to journey through time. Stephen Hawkins, a talented author, wrote the novel. The book also discusses the scope and boundaries of “God’s” authority.
- India After Gandhi- The History of the World’s Largest Democracy- Ramchandra Guha paints a wonderful portrait of India post-Mahatma Gandhi. There are a few academic curricula that discuss what occurred in India after independence, but this book has all the answers. The nation of India’s climb from obscurity to the apex is described in the book along with its current economic, political, and religious circumstances.
- The Great Indian Novel- Shashi Tharoor’s reinterpretation of the famous epic Mahabharata in the context of Indian independence and the decades that followed is what makes this book special.
- The Google Story- Any thought that occurs to mind is searched for on Google. David Vise and Mark Malseed are the authors of the book that follows the company’s development from its inception to its notoriety. This book explains readers about Google’s actual founders, and the internal culture that distinguishes Google from other businesses worldwide.
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