February 17: “True courage results in some extraordinary outcomes, something which we hope for deep down in our hearts but don’t expect in our practical life and yet life surprises us with some beyond imaginable out-turns, only because of our courageous and bold decisions!”

The stories in this thrilling novel are very sensitive and are born out of some very personal and intimate experiences of the Author. The Author, who is an Indian Army, has spent over three-decade in the Indian National Army as a Commissioned Officer.

The Author, Colonel Hemant Saxena, is a soldier-scholar and an Indian Army veteran. He is best described as a wanderer on his journey to be a published author with a collection of stories titled ‘Olive Diaries’ (https://www.amazon.in/dp/9354464092). Colonel Saxena has many stories to share with his readers that are based on his personal experiences spanning over three decades in the Indian Army. A civil engineer by education, Colonel Saxena had started his career as a Sapper in the Indian Army in 1984 and later during 1991; he transited to the Military Intelligence branch, where he served there until superannuation in 2015. This stint helped him to get a rare insight into the finer nuances of World’s second oldest profession shrouded in the mystery of cloak and dagger, which is also reflected in his writings.

This book, Olive Diaries by Author Hemant Saxena, is a collection of some very sensitive stories from the lines of fire which a soldier experiences on the battlefields. These stories rise above the stereotype projection of military heroes and their lives in a predictable manner where the characters are often seen wearing patriotism on their sleeves.

There are a total of “7 Thrilling Chapters” in this book, and they serve the readers with those precious moments from the lives of the ordinary people and their extraordinary deeds. Moreover, the chapters in this book had made an attempt to highlight the bravery of our Veer Jawaans, who never complains when it comes to serving the nation. This book is for all those readers who are not afraid of breaking the myths and stereotypes that have been built around the sentinels of our great nation!

The title of this book, “Olive Diaries”, is most certainly a catchy title, and this is something that makes the book even more interesting as the title itself compels you as a reader to pick up this book for a read. You would feel a longing urge to dive inside the chapters of this book and try to understand the stories from the Author’s own perspective!

Well, without any shred of doubt, Author Hemant Saxena has completely succeeded in choosing a perfect Title for his book, and his writings, too, had fully justified the title. Therefore, I must mention that it is a very apt title for this book, and the Author had been extremely wise to go for this title!

Readers Connect: Through this book, Author Hemant Saxena has very vividly painted an immortal picture of the exceptional bravery and courage of the faceless heroes who put out their heart and soul into each and everything that they do for their nation. These stories very gently reveal to the readers the finer nuances of the lives of our real heroes while they live their qualifying acts. The book very clearly highlights the role of our brave-hearted soldiers who go on doing what they think they ought to be doing, unmindful of the fact that it invariably remains much beyond the call of their duties.

The book “Olive Diaries” is something purely incredible; in addition, these stories present the readers with enough reasons to shift their focus towards the lives of our mighty soldiers who are the real protector of our nation!

Verdict: A Book like “Olive Diaries”, Published by Evincepub Publishing, is for sure a Must-Read one and deserves a chance since you do not get to read a book like this every now and then in the market. The way Author had penned down his experiences through these seven sensitive, as well as marvellous chapters in his book, certainly deserves an appreciation. His work is praiseworthy as he has succeeded in painting an immortal picture of our Veer Jawaans through his writings.

Moreover, if you are looking for something truly worthy and out of the box to read, then this book is the perfect fit for you. The chapters are indeed reading worthy, and Author Hemant Saxena is a promising Author who is very honest with his writings, which the readers can feel through his spectacular writings!