When the Boss is Not Right is a gripping, raw, and surprisingly emotional journey through the chaos of newsroom politics, toxic mentorship, and moral courage. Set in the heart of Mumbai’s media world, the book follows Satyajit Kumar, a small-town journalism rookie who crashes headfirst into the cold bureaucracy and corrupt soul of a high-powered newsroom. Through his eyes, we witness not just the emotional grind of navigating ruthless bosses and office politics, but the very real cost of speaking truth to power.

One of the most immediately striking aspects of the book is its visceral and immersive writing style. Rather than merely describing Mumbai, Dash thrusts the reader into its chaotic heart. In the opening chapter, Satyajit’s first encounter with the city is portrayed with the intensity of a storm. Phrases such as “The station was a cathedral of chaos” and “Truth’s a luxury here” are particularly memorable, not simply for their rhetorical impact, but for their authenticity. The narrative does not attempt to romanticize or sanitize the city’s complexities. Instead, the prose is saturated with the sweat, ambition, and heartbreak that define urban life. This raw honesty, rather than elegance, is what I found most compelling.

But beyond the city, it’s the relationship with Deep Kakarpathi, the boss from hell, that gives this story its fire. Deep is smug, manipulative, and emotionally abusive in a way that made my skin crawl. The power games, the humiliation tactics, the weird mood swings, if you’ve ever had a nightmare boss, this will hit home. There’s a scene where Deep berates Satyajit for arriving late to a seminar he was informed of at the last minute. My gut twisted reading it, because Dash nailed how powerless you can feel when someone misuses authority to belittle you.

What really pulled me in emotionally was the human cost of this toxicity, especially through Bhagyashree’s arc. Her relationship with Deep is disturbing, complex, and uncomfortable to witness. It’s clear she’s caught in something deeper than office politics. There’s one moment where she avoids eye contact after an event, holding a folder to her chest like armor. That image haunted me. And later, when the corporate exploitation spills over into Satyajit’s own family in Lohardaga, his childhood home literally burned down, it stopped being a workplace drama and became something else: a story about systemic rot and the price of integrity.

I found When the Boss is Not Right to be equal parts catharsis and cautionary tale. It’s not an easy read. It’s not meant to be. The writing is unfiltered and emotional, the pacing relentless, and the characters, especially the villains, are so real it’s uncomfortable. But it’s also hopeful. Satyajit’s evolution from wide-eyed intern to investigative editor feels earned, not forced. He gets bruised, burned, and broken, but he doesn’t bend. That’s the win.

I’d recommend When the Boss is Not Right to anyone who’s ever been crushed by a bad boss, anyone who loves journalism stories, or, honestly, anyone curious about how personal courage can stand up to power. It’s messy, angry, heart-wrenching but it’s also real. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need in a book.

Pages: 37 | ASIN: B0F23KL8C6