New Delhi, Feb. 21 -- There are books about innovation. And then there are books about human enterprise. LeanSpark by Jaideep Prabhu, Priyank Narayan and Mukesh Sud belongs firmly to the latter category.

As reportage, the book is lively and often inspiring. It honours hustle, empathy and persistence while capturing the restless energy of builders who refuse to wait for perfect conditions. It is at its strongest when it chronicles ingenuity-the restless, improvisational, often under-resourced ambition of Indians trying to build something where little exists. It is somewhat weaker when it tries to persuade the reader that this constitutes a coherent, defensible theory of innovation.

The authors, all respected academics, are compelling sto...