A good autobiographyJanuary 29, 2006 This is the only book I have read about Gandhi and it was enough for me to get an overall idea about his personality. It's an autobiography written in a simple style which talks about all aspects of Gandhi's life: childhood, his marriage at young age, the time he spent in africa, so on and so forth. It is a good book for first time readers who don't know anything about Gandhi's life. I saw the movie 'Gandhi' right after I finished reading this book which showed clear differences between the content covered in both. The book is far better than the movie because it is more honest and detailed.
Read Gandhi's autobiography aswellDecember 13, 2004 18 out of 20 found this review helpful
This book is a collection of Gandhi's writings linked together by a biographer. The writings are taken from many different sources (including his autobiography) which I found produced a slightly disjointed reading experience.
I found his autobiography (called The Story of My Experiments with Truth) worked much better for me. In this book, which is written entirely in his own words, we join Gandhi on a journey of self-discovery as he relates experiences and learning lessons which were important during his life. His mission was to seek truth, which he achieved through conducting experiments on himself and then appraising the results.
Gandhi was one who never followed the crowd. He felt they didn't know where they were going. He preferred to trust his own judgement and soul, rather than blindly following other people or their beliefs. This did not mean he rejected all commonly held beliefs but he always cross-examined them fully before finally accepting them. He urges us not to follow him, rather to seek the truth for ourselves through our own experimentations. After all seeing is believing.
He found that uncovering the truth was not always popular as many people are resistant to change, preferring instead to maintain the existing status quo either because of inertia, self-interest or misguided beliefs. However once the truth is on the march nothing can stop it. All it takes is time to achieve traction and gain momentum. As Gandhi says "The truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction".
His autobiography confirms to us that the most important battle to fight is in overcoming one's own demons, fears and insecurities. It is all too easy to blame people, governing powers or enemies for our actions and wellbeing. The solution to our problems can normally be found just by looking in the mirror. The path to enlightenment is a journey to be travelled alone and requires us to open our hearts, our minds and our eyes.
In addition to Gandhi's autobiography I would also recommend the film Gandhi by Sir Richard Attenborough plus the books The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy and Fit for Life II by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.
Easy to Read Impossible to ForgetNovember 5, 2003 8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The best anything I've ever read about Gandhiji! I read this over 6 weeks when I was visiting India in the Fall of 2000 to see my mother for the last time. Every night I was so eager to read the book from the place I left the night before. At the end, the book was in several pieces but I still remember the highlights. A great author to write a great book about a unique soul!
A Message for TodaySeptember 2, 2003 26 out of 26 found this review helpful
Gandhi's words have never been so pertinent as they are today. This is an anthology of his writings, edited by topic in chronological order. It's an autobiography revealing Gandhi's evolution from a fearful young man, afraid of the dark, to a fearless leader who feared no rebuke by an empire. More than an aesthete in a modern world, Gandhi's complexity is revealed in each passage as he penitently reveals his transformation into selfless service and living simply. His words and actions inspired others to follow without fear of retaliation and could guide today's leaders to a peaceful resolve. The book reads like a primer on non-violence.
Eknath Easwaran's 18 page Preface is worth the price of the 339 page paperbound book.
Must Read For AllMay 17, 2003 This book is one of my favorite non-fiction books. The beauty of this book is that the main points are in Ghandi's exact quotes while the flow of the arguments are edited by his biographer, Louis Fischer, to give a great feel of direction. Because Ghandi edited his own newspaper his life-changing views are abundant and easily accessible. If only this book were read by all leaders of people.
