Gandhi and the Unspeakable: His Final Experiment with Truth [Hardcover]

James W. Douglass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2012

In 1948, at the dawn of his country s independence, Mohandas Gandhi, father of the Indian independence movement and a beloved prophet of nonviolence, was assassinated by Hindu nationalists. In riveting detail, author James W. Douglass shows as he previously did with the story of JFK how police and security forces were complicit in the assassination and how in killing one man, they hoped to destroy his vision of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation. Gandhi had long anticipated and prepared for this fate. In reviewing the little-known story of his early experiments in truth in South Africa the laboratory for Gandhi s philosophy of satyagraha, or truth force Douglass shows how early he confronted and overcame the fear of death. And, as with his account of JFK s death, he shows why this story matters: what we can learn from Gandhi s truth in the struggle for peace and reconciliation today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A slim, elegant volume containing explosive insight into who conspired to assassinate the father of modern nonviolence and why. . . No other contemporary writer is exposing the mechanics of assassination as methodically and bravely as Douglass. But because he is a Catholic scholar and activist most well-known for his writings on nonviolence and suffering, this book is more than a fresh look at historical circumstances: it s spiritual spelunking into the depravity of unchecked political power. -- --Publisher's Weekly

Well argued, documented, and very revealing. --Arun Gandhi, President, Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute, Rochester, NY

Jim Douglass deeply researched little masterpiece based on Gandhi s faith in nonviolence and his assassins misguided philosophy is an eloquent story of the two conflicting philosophies that humankind faces today and makes us pause and think. --Narayan Desai, author, My Life is My Message

Well argued, documented, and very revealing. --Arun Gandhi, President, Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute, Rochester, NY

Jim Douglass deeply researched little masterpiece based on Gandhi s faith in nonviolence and his assassins misguided philosophy is an eloquent story of the two conflicting philosophies that humankind faces today and makes us pause and think. --Narayan Desai, author, My Life is My Message --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

James W. Douglass, a long-time scholar and peace activist, is the author of many books, including JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, widely acclaimed as one of the most important books ever written on the subject. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Orbis Books (January 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570759634
• ISBN-13: 978-1570759635
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism > Gandhi
  • #20 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( G ) > Gandhi, Mahatma

More About the Author

James W. Douglass is a longtime peace activist and writer. He and his wife Shelley are co-founders of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action in Poulsbo, Washington, and Mary's House, a Catholic Worker house in Birmingham, Alabama. His books include The Nonviolent Cross, The Nonviolent Coming of God, and Resistance and Contemplation.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gandhi Overcame the Fear of Death February 9, 2012

By Michael D. True

Format:Hardcover

This remarkable study of Gandhi, by a major nonviolent activist, provides accurate historical information informed by the author's personal experience in resisting injustice and violence over the past four decades. It tells the story of Gandhi's confronting a fear of death, at the time of the first attempt on his life in South Africa, before he returned to India to lead the movement for independence. He will face death several more times, eventually assassinated by a Hindu radical who hoped to destroy Gandhi's vision of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation. This book resonates with Douglass' powerful study of the "unspeakable" forces, as Thomas Merton named them, that led to the assassinations of John Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Douglass alerts us to the corrupting influence of nationalism and fundamentalism that can lead to terrorism and murder by individuals and by the State. Highly recommended for anyone interested in peace, conflict, and nonviolece studies, as well as for the general reader.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy successor to "JFK And The Unspeakable" March 12, 2012

By Mean Mr. Kite!

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Those readers of the JFK book referenced in the title will also treasure this next installment, in what I understand will be a five book exploration of the Unspeakable (ie, Ghandi, JFK, Malcolm X, MLK & RFK). We can be grateful that Jim Douglass' meticulous research and deep understanding of the 'why' in all of these tragically seminal events in our recent history affords all of us something with which we can change our lives, and our world. Knowledge is the golden key, and instead of fear we can find hope through our understanding. No small feat that, given the tragedies of post-WWII world (and primarily American) history. A treasure, pure & simple.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Organized Efforts to Kill Non-Violence April 10, 2012

By D. D. Delaney

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book will be no surprise to readers of Jim Douglass' "JFK and the Unspeakable," but in its deeper message, found in the life-long commitment Gandhi made to prepare to die rather than to give in to violence to liberate his country, we find a model of what it takes to live in peace. The book also offers a crash course in Indian politics which helps us to understand that country today as a rising economy, a nuclear power, and, unfortunately, a nation which long ago abandoned the guidance of "the father of their country."