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Gandhi: A Life Inspired
It has become a cliche to say that one person can make a difference, but the life of Mahatma Gandhi confronts us with the enduring truth of that statement. It is impossible to say exactly what moved people to revere and follow him and be imprisoned and beaten on his behalf in the thousands. No doubt, his ever gentle demeanor had a hand in that. His perpetual grace and joy, even in the face of terrible hardship, surely won some hearts and minds. His genuine ability to treat all men - Hindu, Muslim, Parsee, Sikh, Harijan, Christian, and Zulu - as brothers must have won even more.
106 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 21, 2015
How did I not know this?
I have heard of Gandhi all my life. When Book Bub highlighted this biography as a free book for the day, I downloaded it, realizing that I really knew very little about this famous man. As I read it, I was amazed at how little I knew. This biography is a short, easy read. It really only covers the highlights of his life. If you are already familiar with him, this is probably not the book for you. But it was perfect for me. I basically just associated him with civil disobedience, but did. OT realize that this was in both Africa and India. He challenged unequality in all forms. He hated the Hindu caste system and the treatment of the untouchables. He would not discriminate based on religion. He challenged the British government's control of India.
Somewhere along the line, I must have been taught that the British were in control of India and they were responsible for dividing India into two separate countries, India and Pakistan. This was their solution to the disputes between Hindus and Muslims. India was mostly Hindu; Pakistan was mostly Muslim. What they did not foresee was the intense discrimination against Hindu minority in Pakistan and against the Muslim minority in India. This ultimately led to the assassination of Gandhi. He was blamed for the treatment of the Hindus in Pakistan.
I did not know any of this! Sorry if I have spoiled this book for you, but I think most people surely know much more about Gandhi than I did! I just keep asking myself, "How did I not know this?"
I have heard of Gandhi all my life. When Book Bub highlighted this biography as a free book for the day, I downloaded it, realizing that I really knew very little about this famous man. As I read it, I was amazed at how little I knew. This biography is a short, easy read. It really only covers the highlights of his life. If you are already familiar with him, this is probably not the book for you. But it was perfect for me. I basically just associated him with civil disobedience, but did. OT realize that this was in both Africa and India. He challenged unequality in all forms. He hated the Hindu caste system and the treatment of the untouchables. He would not discriminate based on religion. He challenged the British government's control of India.
Somewhere along the line, I must have been taught that the British were in control of India and they were responsible for dividing India into two separate countries, India and Pakistan. This was their solution to the disputes between Hindus and Muslims. India was mostly Hindu; Pakistan was mostly Muslim. What they did not foresee was the intense discrimination against Hindu minority in Pakistan and against the Muslim minority in India. This ultimately led to the assassination of Gandhi. He was blamed for the treatment of the Hindus in Pakistan.
I did not know any of this! Sorry if I have spoiled this book for you, but I think most people surely know much more about Gandhi than I did! I just keep asking myself, "How did I not know this?"
January 24, 2016
This book refreshed everything I already knew, from syllabus in school, general reading about Gandhiji and his autobiography. There were quite a few typos, the worst put off being Gandhi spelled as Ghandi. I did not find any factual errors. For those who do not know Gandhiji, this might be an interesting account of chronological events in his political life. The title - Gandhi : A life inspired - is relevant only for the first chapter. The later chapters skim over historical happenings and do not really delve into what might have inspired the actions. I still wouldn't dismiss this book entirely, it does make an effort initially.
January 16, 2019
I am so shocked that I knew so little about this man. To a level that it feels like I must have done something wrong in school because surely this must be something that we are taught. I can’t help but wonder if it’s a typically British response - we’ll learn all the parts where we were good and brave and right, but this bit.. let’s just leave that.
It’s a strange feeling reading something like this where on one hand, I could not feel more inspired by someone. To do so much good, by just knowing what is right and standing by your convictions to do it. It’s perhaps the most powerful thing to come upon. And then on the other hand, just the sense of shame that people can do that to one another. It makes me think things like, do I have relatives who did these horrible things? Or, if I was born in that time, what would I have done? Anything? Nothing? It’s scary and powerful and just overwhelmingly inspiring.
But that’s the story, the man, the book itself is a good brief overview of what happened. I don’t doubt there must be so much more to know. But as a starting point, it has wet my appetite and I’m ready to go learn more. Occasionally there were editorial issues with repeating words or spelling, but I only noticed a couple and that did not take any enjoyment away from my read.
I would recommend anyone who doesn’t know anything about Gandhi to give this book a read - you might want more after this, or this might be enough. I suspect though, if you already have a basic understanding of Gandhis life that this might not be the best one for you.
It’s a strange feeling reading something like this where on one hand, I could not feel more inspired by someone. To do so much good, by just knowing what is right and standing by your convictions to do it. It’s perhaps the most powerful thing to come upon. And then on the other hand, just the sense of shame that people can do that to one another. It makes me think things like, do I have relatives who did these horrible things? Or, if I was born in that time, what would I have done? Anything? Nothing? It’s scary and powerful and just overwhelmingly inspiring.
But that’s the story, the man, the book itself is a good brief overview of what happened. I don’t doubt there must be so much more to know. But as a starting point, it has wet my appetite and I’m ready to go learn more. Occasionally there were editorial issues with repeating words or spelling, but I only noticed a couple and that did not take any enjoyment away from my read.
I would recommend anyone who doesn’t know anything about Gandhi to give this book a read - you might want more after this, or this might be enough. I suspect though, if you already have a basic understanding of Gandhis life that this might not be the best one for you.
December 25, 2018
While I do not necessarily agree with his religious beliefs, Gandhi was, without a doubt, one of the most prolific men of peace within the confines of this world! He never raised a hand, even in defense of himself, but he did push peace as the only way to accomplish whatever he could within this world. He could never wrap his mind around the forgiveness of Christ for all of mankind and the ideology of Christianity. But he portrayed peace as the primary methodology of seeking rights for the people and freedom for India. This was a well written book and a great overview of Gandhi, the man. Well worth the time to read!!
June 5, 2017
Excellent, well written, matter of fact book that tells the life of Gandhi smoothly and well paced. It gives the specifics without getting bogged down in it. Those specifics show actions and things around the man that affected how he saw the British overlord state and its affect on India.
I recommend it.
I recommend it.
June 3, 2024
Convinced One Person Can Make A Difference
Hearing of Ghandi all my life wanted to know more. After reading this I realize that He was one of the most determined people I have ever learned. His willingness to endure suffering over and over for his beliefs is astonishing. Let's not discount the others that followed Him. Awesome!!!!
Hearing of Ghandi all my life wanted to know more. After reading this I realize that He was one of the most determined people I have ever learned. His willingness to endure suffering over and over for his beliefs is astonishing. Let's not discount the others that followed Him. Awesome!!!!
August 22, 2017
This is a solid biography of a 20th Century hero of freedom. It is done in a fairly concise fashion. I learned a lot about Gandhi who made a real difference through self denial, persistence and peaceful action. This is an excellent book.
January 28, 2018
Enlightening story of the life of Ghandi
In this age of violence at every turn it is inspiring to read the instances where Ghandi’s nonviolent civil disobedience made lasting and positive changes
In this age of violence at every turn it is inspiring to read the instances where Ghandi’s nonviolent civil disobedience made lasting and positive changes
January 6, 2018
Nice read
This was a good simple summary and outline of his life and his fight for equality. I'm interested to read more about him in the future.
This was a good simple summary and outline of his life and his fight for equality. I'm interested to read more about him in the future.
March 11, 2019
A good primer on the life of Gandhi.
December 3, 2015
This Gandhi biography is relatively short and easy to read. I picked this book up because I wanted to learn more about his philosophy of non-violence as he applied to life and politics. He was indeed a very spiritual man and saw politics as an extension of that spirituality. He was able to free India from the oppressive rule and intense taxing of the British government, all without exerting a single action of force. What I liked about him was his intense dedication to reading and learning. He was a vegetarian by tradition/religion which led him to become associated with many intellectual circles including the Vegetarian Society, the English Theosophists, the Simple Lifers, and the Esoteric Christians.
Many writers and books influenced him... One writer who greatly influenced Gandhi's thinking and resonated with the Simple Life movement (which he was a part of)- was Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Civil Disobedience. Gandhi also studied the sacred text of Hinduism(religion of his parents) The Bahgdavagita and got into the works of Russian occultist HP Blavatsky and her book Key To Theosophy. Another Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy (a Christian and Anarchist philosopher) was also a major influencer with his book titled, The Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You, which would set Gandhi's framework for martyrdom as the first line of defense and giving up wearing anything but a piece of loin cloth. To conclude, I recommend this easy-to-read bio of an admirable man who changed history forever, and someone who was to become the inspiring example of many great leaders to follow. 5 stars.
Many writers and books influenced him... One writer who greatly influenced Gandhi's thinking and resonated with the Simple Life movement (which he was a part of)- was Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Civil Disobedience. Gandhi also studied the sacred text of Hinduism(religion of his parents) The Bahgdavagita and got into the works of Russian occultist HP Blavatsky and her book Key To Theosophy. Another Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy (a Christian and Anarchist philosopher) was also a major influencer with his book titled, The Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You, which would set Gandhi's framework for martyrdom as the first line of defense and giving up wearing anything but a piece of loin cloth. To conclude, I recommend this easy-to-read bio of an admirable man who changed history forever, and someone who was to become the inspiring example of many great leaders to follow. 5 stars.
May 1, 2015
Gandhi is well known as the "father" of nonviolent civil disobedience. Hamilton's well-written, factual account portrays a man who lived out, to astonishing extremes, the principles that he preached so effectively (as evidenced by his ability to gain a large following). Working with hand-picked trained compatriots, he led campaigns, which he called satyagrahas, at the expense of physical pain, imprisonment and finally martyrdom. I found it interesting that he refused to mount a satyagraha while Britain was busy with other crises (e.g. wars), because it would be taking unfair advantage. He felt that the effectiveness of a nonviolent protest could best be demonstrated if it had Britain's full attention. Hamilton also observes that Gandhi was even more passionately committed to justice for the dalit, the "untouchables," than he was to independence from Britain, an aspect of his life to which many of his biographers give less attention. This is a short, fast-paced book that gave just enough detail to hold my interest. It provides a valuable overview not only of an amazing life but also of an important chapter of world history that found its echo in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. I recommend it.
April 8, 2015
Gandhi's Life In A Nutshell
Well this book has left me with mixed feelings.
In 128 pages, the author briefly recounts the major watershed moments of Gandhi's life. From being an impressionable youth headed to Britain to study law in a suit and cap (IKR?) to the more mature and opinionated man who goes down to South Africa, we see his evolution. From being a vegetarian discussing philosophy, Gandhi becomes a compassionate yet passionate advocate for non-violent non-cooperation, to the very day of his assassination.
The author success very well in briefly presenting Gandhi though it's slightly biased as there's hardly a downside of his that we see. He does however give a brief overview of the socio-political contexts surrounding the various stages of Gandhi's life and work in agitating for various causes. I was quite surprised to learn how Pakistan came to be, due to such one instance.
I may not be a fan of Gandhi as o was before reading this book, but he did make a co tribute on to the world. This is an brief introduction to the life of Gandhi. Most recommended for those who've never read up on his life and work before.
Well this book has left me with mixed feelings.
In 128 pages, the author briefly recounts the major watershed moments of Gandhi's life. From being an impressionable youth headed to Britain to study law in a suit and cap (IKR?) to the more mature and opinionated man who goes down to South Africa, we see his evolution. From being a vegetarian discussing philosophy, Gandhi becomes a compassionate yet passionate advocate for non-violent non-cooperation, to the very day of his assassination.
The author success very well in briefly presenting Gandhi though it's slightly biased as there's hardly a downside of his that we see. He does however give a brief overview of the socio-political contexts surrounding the various stages of Gandhi's life and work in agitating for various causes. I was quite surprised to learn how Pakistan came to be, due to such one instance.
I may not be a fan of Gandhi as o was before reading this book, but he did make a co tribute on to the world. This is an brief introduction to the life of Gandhi. Most recommended for those who've never read up on his life and work before.
April 5, 2015
Excellent Overview of Gandhi's life!
Perhaps if God, in his infinite wisdom, would have sent us more of His "Angels on Earth," around the same time that Gandhi walked the Earth, then "World Peace" for all could've been possible in our lifetime. The world could use more advocates for peace, love, and caring for all people. I once heard from somewhere, that even a small pebble thrown in a pond can make large ripples--strive for really big positive ripples! Everyone can make a positive contribution if they try and they believe!
Perhaps if God, in his infinite wisdom, would have sent us more of His "Angels on Earth," around the same time that Gandhi walked the Earth, then "World Peace" for all could've been possible in our lifetime. The world could use more advocates for peace, love, and caring for all people. I once heard from somewhere, that even a small pebble thrown in a pond can make large ripples--strive for really big positive ripples! Everyone can make a positive contribution if they try and they believe!
January 24, 2015
Great Read on a Remarkable Life
I have heard much about Gandhi's life growing up. Taking the time to learn grow my knowledge, I discovered how much more there was to this remarkable man's life. This book is a great introduction to the work of Gandhi. It is a short book that delivers a lot of good information. I gained a greater respect for his life's work. If you want to learn more about Gandhi this book is a great starting point.
I have heard much about Gandhi's life growing up. Taking the time to learn grow my knowledge, I discovered how much more there was to this remarkable man's life. This book is a great introduction to the work of Gandhi. It is a short book that delivers a lot of good information. I gained a greater respect for his life's work. If you want to learn more about Gandhi this book is a great starting point.
December 3, 2015
Decent intro into the life of Gandhi. I was this to learn more about him and the things he did to bring about Independence for India. This book achieved that, providing a timeline of significant events in his life. I would have enjoyed more insights into Gandhi's spirituality, and perhaps some more quotes from him.
May 10, 2016
Short and sweet!!! I enjoyed this short biography of Gandhi. The author stayed away of the emotional drama that is often associated with the life of Gandhi. She stated the facts and made this book an enjoyable educational record telling. I knew a bit about his life; this book gave me a great insight on what motivated him and who he was and became. I recommend it.
December 7, 2015
A short, but informative, very easily readable biography of one of the greatest men of the 20th century, who left a lasting imprint on the psyche of modern India, as well as on the minds and thoughts of millions of others throughout the world. His vision for peaceful co-existence for all Indians, regardless of creed, caste or political stance, is worth pursuing in our own troubled times.
April 18, 2015
I was inspired by learning about Gandhi's life, but the writing in this book was a little dry. It got the facts of his life across, but there was little emotion conveyed. Gandhi life serves as an incredible example of commitment, sacrifice, and triumph.
April 20, 2015
Providing additional information
There were a number of facts that I was not aware, which further boosted his image and accomplishment. I do think it works best in situations within countries like Britain and U.S. and not like Nazi Germany and other like governments
There were a number of facts that I was not aware, which further boosted his image and accomplishment. I do think it works best in situations within countries like Britain and U.S. and not like Nazi Germany and other like governments
September 29, 2015
A life that continues to inspire
I have read several biographies of Gandhi, and this short, carefully written book is one of the best. After reading it, you will understand the essence of the man. I continue to admire him today. You won't go wrong with this book.
I have read several biographies of Gandhi, and this short, carefully written book is one of the best. After reading it, you will understand the essence of the man. I continue to admire him today. You won't go wrong with this book.
January 17, 2016
This was an informative book about the life of Gandhi, including his young adult life, his work in South Africa, and his work and death in India. There were some serious typos, but all in all, the writing style was quite readable.
July 26, 2016
This is a short biography of one of the best non violence leaders. He was a brave and spiritual person and is this book you get to know him a bit more from his early years until his end of life.
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
August 5, 2016
Gandhi reveals the limitless power of love through example
The only thing that could possibly improve this biography would be more pages like the ones that proceeded them. What I'm saying is, 'you can't get enough of this complex man.
The only thing that could possibly improve this biography would be more pages like the ones that proceeded them. What I'm saying is, 'you can't get enough of this complex man.
March 31, 2015
Average
Good collection of all important phases of a Mahatma Gandhi's life...give good glimpse of India's independence and importance of Mahatma Gandhi's in it...
Good collection of all important phases of a Mahatma Gandhi's life...give good glimpse of India's independence and importance of Mahatma Gandhi's in it...
April 1, 2015
A short and concise introduction to the life of an amazing man.
August 3, 2016
A short book briefly describing the many episodes within a remarkable man's life. Inspiring albeit brief.
April 30, 2015
A very interesting account of Gandhi's life and work.
April 12, 2015
Educational
Not terribly in-depth, but interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who knows very little about gandi's work and life.
Not terribly in-depth, but interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who knows very little about gandi's work and life.
December 8, 2015
inspirational.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews