Product Description

Translated by Mahadev Desai and with a New Preface
The only authorized American edition
Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century.

In a new foreword, noted peace expert and teacher Sissela Bok urges us to adopt Gandhi's "attitude of experimenting, of tesing what will and will not bear close scrutiny, what can and cannot be adapted to new circumstances," in order to bring about change in our own lives and communities. All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5816 in Books
• Published on: 1993-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Amazon.com Review
Gandhi's nonviolent struggles in South Africa and India had already brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation, and controversy that when asked to write an autobiography midway through his career, he took it as an opportunity to explain himself. Although accepting of his status as a great innovator in the struggle against racism, violence, and, just then, colonialism, Gandhi feared that enthusiasm for his ideas tended to exceed a deeper understanding. He says that he was after truth rooted in devotion to God and attributed the turning points, successes, and challenges in his life to the will of God. His attempts to get closer to this divine power led him to seek purity through simple living, dietary practices (he called himself a fruitarian), celibacy, and ahimsa, a life without violence. It is in this sense that he calls his book The Story of My Experiments with Truth, offering it also as a reference for those who would follow in his footsteps. A reader expecting a complete accounting of his actions, however, will be sorely disappointed.

Although Gandhi presents his episodes chronologically, he happily leaves wide gaps, such as the entire satyagraha struggle in South Africa, for which he refers the reader to another of his books. And writing for his contemporaries, he takes it for granted that the reader is familiar with the major events of his life and of the political milieu of early 20th-century India. For the objective story, try Yogesh Chadha's Gandhi: A Life. For the inner world of a man held as a criminal by the British, a hero by Muslims, and a holy man by Hindus, look no further than these experiments. --Brian Bruya

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)

From the Publisher
All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.

Customer Reviews

This book will tell you what Gandhi thought, not necessarily what you'd want to hear
Let me just start by giving a little background about me, so that you can get a better idea where I am coming from.

I have read this book first as a child (around 10 yrs) and then I found myself reading it again and again. I have read its Gujarati (original) version, so I can't comment on how loyal other translations have been. Also, I am an ardent fan of Gandhi. The more I read, the more I respect this man. And here is the reason - Gandhi did what he - at a given time - thought was closest to truth.

As many people have pointed out, it is not an autobiography in the strictest sense. It is not even a narrative of history since it stops right in the middle of one of the most important moments 20th century - Indian independence. The book is about what Gandhi thought were important episodes in his life that shaped his mind. That's all this book is about. He narrates what he did as a child and what mistakes he made. A usual child becomes a man with indomitable courage and that transformation is aptly captured (and hidden) within those narratives. Gandhi, being an unassuming man that he was, writes a lot in passive tone. He almost sounds apologetic for hurting British at times. But all that is part of what he really was.

A major shortcoming of the book is that it traverses an epic event it does so without introducing characters and events properly. If you are looking for history, this is not the book. This book needs to be read in the backdrop of thorough knowledge of Indian history. Gandhi never explains what he did, but goes into greater details of why he did what he did. Again, as pointed out by many many reviewers here, this is no literary masterpiece - so if you are looking for a sleek story, you should shy away from this book.

However, if you are looking for the most brutally honest narrative a person can write about himself, this is the book to go through. Apotheosis was prevalent at that time too and it took unbelievable courage to write what he wrote. I would simply read the book to get inspired in that aspect. Overall, this is one of the book that shaped my ideas and philosophy in a major way. Hope it can prove to be a similar experience for someone out there.

Good, Inexpensive Edition
If you're like me and like to read straight from the source, this book is a great introduction to Gandhi. Having been published in 1927, his autobiography does not cover his whole life, so it will not give you a complete picture; there are other resources for that. By covering his early life and his personal growth, and how he developed his ideas and opinions, this book gives you great insight to his thoughts and values.

The book is not perfect. It starts out very interesting and highly readable, and the short chapters make it easy to move through. You may stumble over some people and place names, as well as some unfamiliar Indian terms, but it is all very fascinating - for a while. The farther he progresses with his story, however, the more he gets into the minutia of his political activities, meetings, acquaintances, and travels, to the point where you may feel you are still reading only for the sake of finishing the book. It's still worth it, for what few nuggets of gold can be found in those last several pages.

Now, on a practical level, I selected this, the Dover edition, over the Beacon Press edition (Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth) upon looking over both in the bookstore, because the Dover edition is cheaper, has better paper quality, and is in an easier-to-read font (however, Dover books don't smell that great, I've noticed). The Dover cover is kind of blah, and got scuffed up pretty easily, but the inside is really nice. So the deal is, if you DO judge a book by its cover, and want it to look good on your shelf to impress your friends, get the other one. If you intend to actually READ this book, buy the Dover edition.

A life changing book
This is easily the most powerful book I have ever read. Gandhi does a great job of telling the story in his life in such a way that not only tells a story, but teaches lessons that go along with it. The title explains a lot, considering that Gandhi considered his entire life to be an expirement with the truth.

He is very open about the mistakes that were made (such as his marraige and bigotry at an incredibly young age) and details how he took those mistakes to make his life as consistently honest as possible. The way he organized people to non-violence in two terrible situations in Africa and India are legendary, but the way he brings it home to the individual is under-rated, to say the least.

Gandhi teaches that it doesn't take an army to learn the truth, nor does it take an army to become a part of that truth. His story explains that an individual dedicated to the empowerment of honesty and love can overcome any violence or hatred that can exist. It is within this context that one can use this book to change themselves.

These ideas used in an individual's every day life will lead to the understanding that love is more powerful than hatred, and honesty more powerful than lies. His examples of these ideas and proof that they are true is the most inspiring part of this book.

Even for those of us not religious (like myself) his use of religion is also motivating. He teaches lessons from religions and explains how to use this understanding as a way to love people of opposite religions rather than fighting them.

I will leave the indivudal stories to Gandhi himself, but his life is something everyone in the world would benefit from knowing.