Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth | 
 enlarge | Authors: Mohandas Karamchand (mahatma) Gandhi, Mahadev H. Desai
Creator: Sissela Bok
Publisher: Beacon Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 5367
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 1.6
ISBN: 0807059099
Dewey Decimal Number: 954.035092
UPC: 046442059091
EAN: 9780807059098
ASIN: 0807059099
Publication Date: November 1, 1993
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Condition: Reprint Navjivan Edition. *BRAND NEW* Ships Same Day or Next!
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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
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...
 Experiment with yourself November 19, 2008
I first read this book in its Tamil translation back in my school days for a local competition. I must have been 11-12 years old at that time and had a profound effect on me.
This is one of the books that you go back to again and again just trying to make sure that such honesty and truthfulness is possible in life.
More than anything else, this book taught me the importance of being true to oneself and to see my actions clearly without strings and criticize and correct. This has not brought me a lot of good but then it has kept me sane in these crazy days.
The book itself is not very big and covers about the first 40 years of Gandhi's life. But this basically is the formation period where the man experiments with his tools for the imperialistic fight and wields them wisely to go on to become Mahatma and Father of this nation.
If you want to read a book which is brutally honest to its subject, look no further.
This book will tell you what Gandhi thought, not necessarily what you'd want to hear October 11, 2008
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 read this book first as a child (around 10 yrs) and then I found myself reading it again and again. I have read 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. Understanding that, is the key to this book.
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. Every chapter describes an event. Gandhi follows his thought process most candidly and describes what he learned at the end of it.
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 and it does so without introducing characters and events properly. I guess it was assumed that people will be more than familiar with all the characters and events described (I think they never thought that a non-Indian would care to read it). 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. Even in late 1920s, Gandhi was a force to reckon with. He was almost elevated to Godhood. I think it takes unbelievable courage to write what he wrote. And that makes this book special. Of course, through out the book he describes his experiments, analyzes results and matches it with his central hypothesis (Truth is God and God is truth).
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 September 6, 2008
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 June 8, 2008
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.
 A Review by Nicole March 13, 2008
Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth, is a culmination of the life of one of the most famous peaceful revolutionaries and supporters of non-violence. The book is basically an entire list of the life experiences of Gandhi, all of which prove to contribute to his spiritual growth, and in turn, each go to influence his way of thinking. Gandhi's autobiography reveals a vast array of experiments he performed throughout his life, leading to his praise of truth as the ultimate underlying principal, contributing to his adaptation of celibacy (brahmacharya), adherence to fasting, and development of Satyagraha: his concept of non-violent firmness.
Gandhi's autobiography stretches back to his youth in exploring all of his life experiences. Gandhi's inclusion of all aspects of his life in his autobiography illustrates the idea that each and every experience becomes an influence; which, in Gandhi's case, means influences leading to the development of a concept of non-violence to spear-head the Indian journey for Independence.
The strength in Gandhi's autobiography lies in his adherence to truth even as he tells his life story. Gandhi hides nothing, allowing this display of raw truth to help readers examine Gandhi's uncensored ideas and thoughts, making it possible to understand what Gandhi was thinking in even some of the most significant moments in his life.
The main weakness in Gandhi's autobiography, however, is his obvious omission of information where the information is most definitely needed. In order to fully understand a large number of chapters, an understanding of India and its culture is necessary, but not provided. Gandhi also seems to assume that readers have knowledge of the political situation in India, so if you lack any historical knowledge, you will find yourself somewhat confused. Because Gandhi's autobiography radiates the idea that every experience is an influence for the person he eventual becomes, it obviously is a challenge to include every experience and spend an adequate amount of time discussing them. But his choice to omit quite a few particularly significant experiences will not go unnoticed. He does not, for example, spend any time describing his experiments in South Africa, and instead instructs readers to consult other works. Lack of background information regarding people who Gandhi introduces and lack of historical information on the movements he involves himself in, may lead to an incomplete illustration of Gandhi's life.
At the conclusion of Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth, you are left with the desire to take a trip to the library, because you have surely reached the conclusion that there is much more to know about the teacher and leader who made the world aware of India's struggle for independence. The autobiography gives you an in-depth look into the mind of one of the most influential non-violent role models that the world has seen, with a detailed understanding of the steps necessary to try to follow in Gandhi's footsteps if you so desire. Gandhi's autobiography leaves a lot out, but it also leaves you with a strong desire to find out more.
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