Book Review: Brick, Cement and Dotcom

Life is a journey of learning for everyone. People who step out of their comfort zones or think beyond mainstream or try work in a unique direction for others experience more challenging and unpredictable situations. This experience becomes a treasure for the coming generations or people who look up to those who thought beyond the mainstream. One such example in this regard is Deep Malhotra’s “Brick, Cement and Dotcom: The Unspoken Dark Realities of Entrepreneurship.” As the author says, the term entrepreneur in itself sounds glamourous; this is indisputable. But as it is said, there are two sides to a coin; and Malhotra intends to show the readers the other side of the coin honestly and fearlessly.

The author keeps the book in the first person, sincerely reporting the events as they occurred, and lets the readers decide and infer based on their observations. In addition to this, the post scripts at the end of the chapters make the readers understand the author at a personal level and bring them closer to him without their realizing it. This technique's usage makes the book more of a heart to heart conversation rather than merely words scribbled on paper. Simultaneously, “Brick, Cement and Dotcom” gives essential life lessons to the readers and those who may dream of becoming entrepreneurs. The author also shows the transition phase from the times of late 90s to the stage when technology was in its boom phase. Through this, the author depicts the changing circumstances of the many who would have faced the situations he faced.

Malhotra keeps the chapters mostly short and keeps the readers connected to the text throughout. He gives brief names to the chapters, but the depth that they carry is a lot more. Although the book is written on a personal note, the author's story can be a story of many. Even if “Brick, Cement and Dotcom” mainly revolves around the dynamics of entrepreneurship, the reading base cannot be restricted to any particular set of readers. This book is open to reading for all people, whether they read fiction or non-fiction, as it not only unveils the truths of life and also inspires them to work towards achieving what is unthinkable for others and have what the author says, “a happy ending”.