With his trademark wit and unique narrative style, journalist Saket Suman delivers an illuminating account of modern India, tracing the consolidation, evolution and contestation of patriotism from the first war of independence to the pandemic.

This is a reporter’s chronicle spanning three generations, backed by first-hand accounts of luminaries, peppered with numerous anecdotes and a passionate examination of his own beliefs. It is as scathing in its takedown of bigotry as it is lucid in charting a blow-by-blow account of our recent past. It is a tribute to the making of India and its founders as well as the affirmation of the will of the Indians to place the power in the hands of the people.

The Psychology of a Patriot is a rare book, meant to be read with delicate attention. At its heart, it is a gripping story—the story of how we become us and why our bond must be cherished.