Gandhi: Amazon.ca: Louis Fischer: Books

Product Description

Book Description

This is the extraordinary story of how one man's indomitable spirit inspired a nation to triumph over tyranny. This is the story of Mahatma Gandhi, a man who owned nothing-and gained everything.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

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First Sentence
By the holy waters of the Jumna, near New Delhi, almost a million people waited in the sun for the funeral procession to reach the cremation grounds. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great for fans and neophytes alike., Mar 22 2004

By

B. M. Chapman "bnio" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gandhi (Mass Market Paperback)

I find it a little odd that I just wrote in the title that people can be 'fans' of Gandhi. Like he is a rock star or famous model. But in essence that is what most people who admire influential people are. And I admit that I am a fan of Gandhi.

Being such I decided it was time to learn something about him that was not a movie (though the movie is very good; truncated but good) or a magazine article or some old handout from high school I found in a dark corner of my closet. So I chose Louis Fischer's short little biography. And I am very satisfied.

Mr. Fischer does not make any excuses for being a fan of Gandhi either. Like another biographer of Gandhi mentioned, it seems everybody whoever saw Gandhi and spoke to him felt the overwhelming need to write something, preferably a biography, of him. Mr. Fischer met Gandhi twice, stayed in his Ashram for a week as a guest, and he documents it in this biography.

I fear I will sound repetitive with my biography reviews, but once again this is a great introduction to Gandhi. Just over 200 pages, full of important details, but never drowning in the complications of them (though it gets close to such when dealing with the creation of Pakistan, which is admittedly complicated and difficult to explain).

Louise Fischer writes with emotion. This is not a straightforward academic account of the life and times of Gandhi, but a thank you letter to the spirit and power that Gandhi was. For one rare moment I let the emotion sway me as Gandhi's death was recounted and I felt a very rare sympathy that I have rarely ever experienced with the written word; a remarkable achievement.
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5.0 out of 5 stars His life is his monument., Jan 14 2002

By

Cipriano "www.bookpuddle.blogspot.com" (Planet Claire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gandhi (Mass Market Paperback)

The perfect introduction. This is the perfect book for someone who wants to learn the essentials about the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi without having to wade through some of the larger books that have been written. This one is under 200 pages, and is laid out in three easy to read sections (From Birth To Greatness - Gandhi In India - Victory and Tragedy). Fischer does not bog down into political minutiae, post-assassination trial stuff, or hair-splitting Gandhi-isms (on this latter point for instance, Gandhi's own autobiography devotes four consecutive chapters to his internal agony over whether or not to include goat's milk in his vegetarian diet)! Fischer's book is more of an OVERVIEW of the profound world-shaking life that was Gandhi. Yet it is immensely informative, and well-paced. The author personally met with Gandhi in 1942 and again in '46, and his book shows that he had a wonderful understanding of the Mahatma's faith and convictions. Those who want to know more about Gandhi should, however, go on to read the autobiography (subtitled "The Story of My Experiments With Truth") and also Yogesh Chadha's "Gandhi: A Life".

The book ends abruptly with the three shots, the smile fading from Gandhi's face, and his final words on earth "Oh God."
"His legacy is courage, his lesson truth, his weapon love.
His life is his monument.
He now belongs to mankind."
We turn the page, and hope that something is there... but it isn't. The world since, has not seen anyone like Gandhi.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, detailed and accurate., April 23 2001

By

Xavier Thelakkatt (Dayton, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gandhi (Mass Market Paperback)

Through this book Louis Fischer successfully presents the Mahatma of India to the English speaking world at large and especially to the Americans.The soul of Mahatma Gandhi is well captured here in words. The author takes pains to elaborate the political movements in Britain, the varied struggles of Indians in South Africa and the complexities of the socio-political situation in India in order to paint an accurate picture of one of the most remarkable human beings of the 20th century. The philosophy and witness of this Indian saint shall continue to influence and enrich the lives of millions in the years to come and Fischer's deeply moving story of his struggles shall go down into history as a worthy testimony to his life and message.

The book does inevitably contain Indian words and concepts, which could stand in the way of making it a leisurely reading. But the author has a great advantage since he has a familiarity with the Indian situation and a personal acquaintence with Gandhi himself. Anyone who is intereested in working for the advancement of humanity should learn about Gandhi and this is the book to begin with.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage and Truth
This is one of the best biographies I've ever read, in part because of the enormous charisma of the subject and in equal part because of the obvious respect and affection with... Read more

Published on April 20 2001 by R. Davis

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book With Lots of Info on Gandhi
Wow, what a info packed book. When choosing the book i was skeptical because i thought it would be really boring. Read more

Published on Oct 26 2000 by Jason Kreider