Book Review: The Secret of the Red Crystals by Dr. Sujata Sharma

'Nature is the first scientist in the Universe. The most brilliant and intricate scientist ever.'


Some books come as pleasant surprise.

The Secret of the Red Crystals by Sujata Sharma is one such book for me. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book for I'm not fond of reading biographies. I didn't even like My Story by Kamala Das who is one of favourite authors. But, one thing that the author had said in the mail that made me curious --- she said, 'Though it is a story of a scientist, it can be the story of anyone who dares to dream, and makes up one's mind to achieve the dream "at any cost".'

Plus, Dr. Sujata Sharma is a professor in the Department of Biophysics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The moment I read the first paragraph, I knew I was going to like it as I really liked the writing style. 

This book is an autobiography, a genre that I do not prefer. It's about a medico's journey of passionate research about Lactoferrin.

You may think it's not your genre, and you wouldn't enjoy reading this book. You may presume that the book would be filled with medical/scientific terms...trust me, you would be wrong.

Even though the story is about medical research, it isn't focused on heavy/intriintricate medical terms. Of course there are many scientific terms but those terms are common (Pretty common if you have a science background) or interesting, particularly the facts about Lactoferrin is very enlightening.

The story is more about chasing your dreams; about being passionate about your goals, about the idea of not giving up no matter what.

And most importantly, it is really well told. Skillfully narrated, Dr. Sujata's writing creates nice imagery. The emotions are very well expressed. The what next factor keeps you intrigued. There are so many insightful lines yet it is not preachy.

My favourite quotes:

'In science and anything else in life, if we leave something unfinished, it comes back and keeps coming back till we resolve it. If a question has arisen, then you need to answer it now.'

'Anyone can pick the low hanging fruits because it is easy to do that. Very few people aim for the high hanging fruits because it's so challenging.'

'Losing hope would be equivalent to losing the entire game.' 

I loved Dr. Sujata's passion and her stubbornness. I loved his mentor and his faith. I would like to read Dr. Sujata's next book. I'd like her to write fiction for she is a good storyteller. 

I would recommend it to every book lover. It's a quick, interesting and insightful read. So go for it.