Darkness Everywhere

October 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-This straightforward narrative opens with an overview of Gandhi's youth, years in South Africa fighting for social justice, use of nonviolent protests, and role in India's independence. The second chapter presents a history of religion and politics in India, detailing why Gandhi's message of tolerance was seen as dangerous by some. Readers with at least a basic knowledge of world religions are the most likely to understand this. The next two sections describe the assassination plot, while the last chapter covers Gandhi's legacy, including how he served as a source of inspiration for other leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. The text is broken up with archival photos, quotes, and sidebars on related topics, such as the Mughal empire and the Hindu caste system. However, the book design lacks pizzazz and is unlikely to attract readers. A time line, who's who list, and glossary are part of the helpful back matter. Kem Knapp Sawyer's Mohandas Gandhi (Morgan Reynolds, 2012) provides a deeper look at Gandhi's life but less detail about the assassination plot.-Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

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September 15, 2013
The assassination of Mohandas Gandhi, India's spiritual leader and the world's most famous pacifist, shocked the world. Doeden chronicles Gandhi's life, accomplishments, assassination and legacy in this compact biography. The first half of the biography describes Gandhi's religious beliefs and moral convictions, his personal experiences with discrimination in South Africa and his leadership in a civil rights movement for Indians. Doeden provides background information about India under British colonial rule, India's caste system, and the tensions between Hindus and Muslims, offering valuable contexts to readers unfamiliar with the region's history. The second half of the book thoroughly explores the circumstances of Gandhi's assassination, the motives of the conspirators, the background of assassin Natharum Godse, and the trial and executions of Godse and a co-conspirator. The book concludes with a discussion of the influence of Gandhi's nonviolent resistance on leaders of social-justice movements such as Martin Luther King Jr., Lech Walesa and Cesar Chavez. The design uses orange as a highlighting color, a decision that makes photo captions rather difficult to read. Though brief, this informative and insightful overview of Gandhi's life, assassination and legacy is a solid introduction to the subject. (photographs, timeline, glossary, source notes, suggestions for further reading) (Biography. 12-18)

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September 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 The subtitle indicates this is a book about the Mahatma's assassination, but it's much more exhaustive. Along with Gandhi's life and social and political legacy, it examines the complicated interplay of competing forces in twentieth-century India, offers a discussion of India's caste system, and looks at Gandhi's contributions to civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance movements. The text draws heavily on primary source material, replete with quotes from the leader himself, from witnesses to his assassination, and from the assassin and coconspirators during their trials. All this is illustrated with some fascinating photographs, including those of Gandhi's family and his time in college in London. Doedon treats the cruel irony of Gandhi's murder in a frank and factual way, delving into the polarizing politics at play at the time, including the movement for an independent India and the mutual distrust between Muslims and Hindus. Though dense with facts, this is, nevertheless, an engaging story and high-interest read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)