After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance [Hardcover]

Perry Edmond O'Brien (Author), Anne Sibley O'Brien (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

In 1908 Mohandas Gandhi spoke to a crowd of 3,000. Together they protested against an unjust law without guns or rioting. Peacefully they made a difference. Gandhis words and deeds influenced countless others to work toward the goals of freedom and justice through peaceful methods. Mother and son team, Anne Sibley OBrien and Perry Edmond OBrien, highlight some of the people and events that Gandhis actions inspired. From Rosa Parks to the students at Tiananmen Square to Wangari Maathai, these people have made the world sit up and take notice. The provocative graphics and beautiful portraits accompanying these stories stir the emotions and inspire a sense of civic responsibility.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—It's been a century since a young lawyer named Mohandas Gandhi peacefully defied the British Empire in support of Indian laborers working in South Africa. In this book, a mother-son team of social activists trace the impact of that seminal event, highlighting the subsequent, worldwide history of nonviolent resistance through understandable text and rich portraits and illustrations. The book does an admirable job of clarifying complex conflicts and conveying that the truth eventually prevails when persistently applied, even against the most malevolent regimes. Coverage includes dozens of examples profiling the durable courage of leaders like Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Václev Havel, and Wangari Maathai and ending with a chapter on the role of nonviolence in shaping the future.—Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI
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From Booklist

Using Gandhi as its starting point, this large-format book traces the history of nonviolent resistance by looking at significant adherents from 1908 to 2003 including Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Charles Perkins, César Chávez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Vaclav Havel, and Wangari Maathi and groups such as the student activists of Tiananmen Square and the Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of the Disappeared) in Argentina. Each of the 15 main entries includes a little background information as well as an account of significant events. Read individually, these entries offer basic introductions to leaders of nonviolent protests on six continents. Read together, they give a sense of the breadth of the nonviolent movement over a hundred years and its potential as a catalyst for change. There are no source notes, but a discursive, chapter-by-chapter bibliography is appended. The handsome design and striking black-and-white illustrations are strong visuals that complement the story of nonviolent resistance in action. Grades 4-7. --Carolyn Phelan

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; New edition (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580891292
• ISBN-13: 978-1580891295
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Sibley O'Brien (AnneSibleyOBrien.com) is a children's book creator who has illustrated thirty books, thirteen of which she also wrote. Picture books include JAMAICA'S FIND (Houghton Mifflin) and six other Jamaica books by Juanita Havill; and TALKING WALLS (Tilbury House) and four other titles by Margy Burns Knight , for which they received the 1997 National Education Association Author-Illustrator Human & Civil Rights Award.

O'Brien wrote and illustrated THE LEGEND OF HONG KIL DONG: THE ROBIN HOOD OF KOREA (Charlesbridge), which won the Aesop Award and the Asian-Pacific American Award for Literature, and was named to Booklist's "Top Ten Graphic Novels for Youth 2007." With her son Perry O'Brien, she co-wrote AFTER GANDHI: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE (Charlesbridge), which won the Maine Literary Book Award, and is on IRA Teachers' Choice and NCSS Notables lists.

Her newest titles are WHAT WILL YOU BE, SARA MEE? (Charlesbridge) by Kate Aver Avraham, and MOON WATCHERS: SHIRIN'S RAMADAN MIRACLE (Tilbury) by Reza Jalali.

O'Brien's passion for multiracial, multicultural, and global subjects was kindled by her experience of being raised bilingual and bicultural in South Korea as the daughter of medical missionaries. She reflects on race, culture and children's books at her blog, "Coloring Between the Lines" (www.coloringbetween.blogspot.com).

She also performs as a singer and actor and has created a one-woman show entitled "White Lies" (www.WhiteLies.ws).  She lives with her husband on an island in Maine, and is the mother of two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars For a kids book this is pretty heavy..., March 20, 2010

By 

Brian (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance (Hardcover)

Where to begin. When I saw this book I wasn't sure what to expect, but having read it I can say that it is truly an amazing book. The book is written for children but the message is so profound that is warrants reading no matter what your age. The bibliography is one of the best I have ever seen. It is a fantastic resource for anyone who want to learn more about nonviolent movements. I also highly recommend Mark Kurlansky's book "Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea". Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)