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Mohandas K. Gandhi
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Gandhi: An Autobiography - The Story of My Experiments With Truth Paperback – November 1, 1993

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 12,103 ratings
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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.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    560 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Beacon Press
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 1993
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.25 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807059099
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807059098
  8. Lexile measure
    1010L
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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

Review

“Here is an autobiography more captivating than fiction and more stimulating than romantic adventure. It is the most revealing study of the human soul that I have ever read.”
—The Christian Century

“An absorbing book that stands alone in frankness and plain honesty...Its place among the classics of autobiography cannot be in doubt.”
—The New Statesman

“An amazingly frank self-revelation of the greatest and humblest modern man.”
—The Annals

“It is...only by reading the whole long and detailed day-by-day record that readers can sense the magic of Gandhi’s being and discover him fully.”
—Saturday Review

“(Gandhi’s) autobiography remains invaluable for its account of the shaping of a new path to collective resistance to injustice.”
—From the foreword by Sissela Bok

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beacon Press (November 1, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807059099
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807059098
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1010L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 12,103 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

Den
5.0 out of 5 stars NOT for everyone
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2014
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I have a great respect for Gandhi and I read this book to get a clearer understanding of the man. I reject the pedestal he has been placed upon, a fate no one deserves. Here are his words and thoughts, foreign in many ways to those of the west and unfamiliar with of man of his time and place. Readers who cannot understand his era or upbringing will likely be disappointed or confused by his account. Those with insight, compassion and the wisdom to know that Gandhi was indeed only human, will be able to enjoy this book completely.
Due to the publisher's marketing is is called an autobiography, which it was never intended to be and does not include his later years when he was a considerable political force. Still there is much here and plenty of opportunities to meet the real Gandhi with all his glitter and grime. I feel I know him so much better now and am amused and surprised of the many attitudes/beliefs we share. It is unlikely that if I were a contemporary I could have called him friend, but it is especially satisfying to be able to identify more closely with what made this good man tick. A great read, but not a breezy read and not for those who do not want to see anything but a courageous white knight figure. He was so much more than that stereotypical caricature.
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Dale Brehm
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
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Nice to understand his upbringing and how he developed into a great leader in India and throughout the world. Thank you
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Noa
4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2011
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Recently, TIME/CNN released its list of top 25 political icons. Topping that list was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948). It's hard to reconcile the image of the frail and cherubic- looking senior with the iron-willed patriarch of the Indian nation, who forced the most powerful empire of the age to back down and walk away. Once we read his memoir however, it's easier to understand.

Gandhi's `An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth' covers his life from early childhood to 1921, and portions of it were written when he was imprisoned by the British government for his pro-freedom activities. It was originally written in Gujarati, and was intended by Gandhi to lay out the case for `Satyagraha' (Abidance in Truth), the name coined for his non-violent and peaceful resistance of British occupation. Gandhi's language is unostentatious, as can be expected by a man known for his ascetic simplicity. The reader is of course always at the mercy of the competence, or otherwise, of the translator. But the plain, factual language lets the unadulterated essence of Gandhi shine through.

Born in the village of Porbandar, in Gujarat, a state on the west coast of India, the Gandhis had for three generations been in public service. His father having passed away when Gandhi was relatively young, the responsibility for his education was assumed by his elder brother, who supported him in going to England to study for the bar. Once Gandhi returned to India, he was unable to find satisfactory prospects, and went to South Africa to pursue a career in law. He stayed there for several years to champion the cause of the disenfranchised Indian community. On his return to India, he joined the struggle towards a Free India. From being a marginal figure, his influence rapidly grew to spearhead the movement, on his own terms - under the banner of Satyagraha, based on the principle of Ahimsa (non-injury).

The reader has to contend with some obscure details of the Indian Resistance movement, many of which may not be of popular knowledge, but Gandhi always ties these incursions into Indian history to the subject of his autobiography - the application of Satyagraha, and its results. He mentions many of the stalwarts of the Resistance, but the main body, the Congress, comes across as a flabby, lumbering, and ineffectual piece of political machinery. Gandhi's intense love for his country and compatriots does not blind him to the challenges he faces both within the country, as well as without. When he does speak of the English, there is a remarkable lack of rancor in his statements.

Gandhi, the private man, is as interesting as Gandhi, the public figure. He was married at the age of thirteen to the unlettered, but spirited Kasturbai. Kasturbai had his passionate devotion, but he ruefully acknowledges tyrannizing over her. Theirs was an enduring marriage that weathered many storms. He admits to having made some mistakes in the raising of his four sons, and there is a note of pain in his mention of his estrangement from the eldest. One doesn't doubt that it would have been hard living up to the Mahatma's standards.

His influence on his family and friends is that of a benevolent dictator. Once he was convinced that he was on the right track, he spared no pains to persuade all around him to join him in his choices. This sounds autocratic, but we can easily credit that only a man possessed of this unique combination of unbending conviction and mesmerizing charisma could have galvanized a nation onto the path of Satyagraha.

He certainly had his share of quirks. His dietary experiments seem to have gone beyond principles and eccentricity, to border on a reckless disregard for common sense and well being. Gandhi was also an enthusiastic proponent of home-schooling. While one can hardly argue against the need for active parental involvement, and values-based education, his execution of these ideas seem woefully ill-conceived, as well as inadequate. The education of children is no undertaking for unprepared amateurs. One would wonder if perhaps, the Mahatma could have practiced moderation in these issues and others, but it seems to me, that like those who are addicted to extreme sports, he applied an `all or nothing' philosophy to everything he did.

He was not comfortable with the title of Mahatma (Great Soul) bestowed on him by his adoring countrymen. He seems to feel that he didn't deserve it. He was a man acutely conscious of his own shortcomings. His reticence seems quaint in that it's in such marked contrast to the public and private behavior of today's elected officials, many of whom aspire to lead without ever having served.

Gandhi, from his earliest years showed both patriotism, as well as an all-embracing humanitarianism, but it is a revelation that many of the other qualities that we associate with him - his adamantine integrity, his courage, faith, abstinence, vegetarianism - were all hard-won, through a process of trial and error. They were in short, the very experiments that established him in the Truth so dear to him. Gandhi grew into his principles. Therein lies the beauty of his message and the power of this book.
15 people found this helpful
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Bologi
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
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Amazing Book.
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Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Eh
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2023
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Gandhi is an interesting figure - but the book itself is a slog - barely touching on the things that made him so famous.

It’s about celibacy and vegetarianism and how he was a lousy husband.

Good if you’re really interested about the inner tickings of the man (which themselves seemed to be grandiose for your reading pleasure) not great if you’re looking for the part of his life - the independence movement - that’s surely the most interesting.
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jefferson dickey
5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, profound masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2023
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One of my top 10 books, Ghandi's masterpiece reads like a travelogue interspersed w tasty nuggets of simply brilliant insight into the nature of humanity and the relationship between the societal members individually and collectively and the political state. To greatly oversimplify his work, he leaves South Africa because he cannot win the non violent fight against apartheid because the political leadership does not have a conscience. So he takes his work to India, where, by following the simplicity of a sustainable lifestyle, he provokes brutal repercussions which trigger the conscience of the British people. Realizing that Hitler is a much greater threat than Britain, along the way he serves Great Britain as an ambulance attendant in WWII, demonstrating his political loyalty to the crown. Clearly, Ghandi had one of the great minds of the modern era, overthrowing a hegemonic dictator just by living simply. It still gives me chills to think about it.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in Brazil on November 2, 2022
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Gandhi's experiments with truth shows us that only truth can lead us to no suffering an self purification. Great book I read twice.
One person found this helpful
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Falguni
5.0 out of 5 stars Product
Reviewed in India on April 15, 2024
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Good book
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N L Wright
5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Inspiring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2023
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This is one of the most honest and inspiring autobiographies I have read. Gandhi was incredible. Well worth a read to see how he viewed his life from the inside. Amazing.
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Tobia
5.0 out of 5 stars Pura e assoluta umiltà, totale assenza di ego e autocelebrazione: un uomo straordinario
Reviewed in Italy on September 8, 2023
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Gandhi racconta la sua storia e il proprio viaggio interiore in maniera interessante ma totalmente priva di orgoglio o ego.
L'assenza di ego potrebbe far sembrare la storia noiosa per alcuni ma, in realtà, rappresenta il più chiaro indizio del altissimo livello etico, morale e spirituale di questa persona.
Da leggere!
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Vitali
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in Germany on December 21, 2022
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Absolutely worth reading.
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