Customer Reviews

Gandhi: Young Nation Builder (Childhood of World Figures)

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The title and the series of this book is somewhat misleading: this is a throrough look at all of Mahatma Gandhi's life, beginning with an account of his childhood including his marriage at a very young age, but continuing through all the major milestones of his life as a leader in uniting India for self-rule up through his death at age 78. It is a very good introduction to the life and work of this important world figure for upper elementary school readers.

The book describes the events of Gandhi's life as a story, and because the dialog surrounding every day of his life was not recorded the account must be called fictionalized, but the details and dialog are based on documented events, not fanciful "what if" scenarios. Kudlinksi describes Gandhi's childhood as a backdrop for the changes he seeks in his later years and contrasts the way he grew up with the life he led as an adult. Kudlinski presents the facts of Gandhi's life in a very readable and memorable format, so a young reader understands how such events as Gandhi's journeys in South Africa and the Salt March played a part in his contribution to Indian politics. The reader will understand how Gandhi wove together non-violence and independence as he worked for Indian self rule, but will also learn about times when violence related to independence occurred.

This chapter book is written at about the sixth grade level and includes a glossary, timeline of Gandhi's life, list of some quotes from Gandhi's writing, and suggestions for further reading.

This is the kind of book that brings history to life for young people.

While I agree with some of the evaluations of the previous reviewer Amy (that it does tell the story of Gandhi's life in a way that can engage 6th graders, that highlights some of the milestones of his life and career well) I found a serious inaccuracy in this book. It states that the assassin of Gandhi was a Muslim, when rather the assassin was Nathuram Godse, an extremist militant Hindu who was against Gandhi precisely for his concessionary and warm outlook towards Muslims. This is a glaring error that I do not know how the author and publisher did not catch. It also puts educators at the risk of perpetuating false history which could in turn perpetuate dangerous prejudices. If you use this book, make sure to account for this inaccuracy.

I also was not overly pleased with the proportion of the book given to Gandhi's young/personal life. While it is interesting, it may have been better to write about his life's work in a way that engages kids than to write about Gandhi AS a kid.