Review by Booklist Review
Dramatic and highly readable, this biography will hook readers from the start with a long comic strip about a crucial incident in Gandhi's life: while working as a lawyer in South Africa, he was literally thrown off a train for sitting in the whites-only carriage. Twelve short prose chapters follow with details of the leader's life story, from his early years in a well-off Hindu family in Bombay under the British Empire, through his many years spent in prison for his activism in India's struggle for independence and his drive to end the rejection of the untouchables. Color illustrations and black-and-white photos appear on every spread, as well as boxed facts about the Hindu religion, the caste system, the British in India, and much more. The historical facts are as compelling as the biographical story, and the message of nonviolence will spark intense debate about political action, then and now. The end matter includes a bibliography and 10 spacious pages of quotes by and about Gandhi.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This highly illustrated book on Gandhi seeks to tell young readers about his life and teachings by using numerous real photographs of Gandhi as well as a comics spread showing how he was kicked off a South African train for being Indian. Illustrated text tells the rest of his story. Gandhi's life and teachings are covered, as well as more general topics, such as India's treatment of the untouchables and the practices and rituals of Hinduism. The book ends with several pages of quotes by Gandhi and related quotes by others. Everything is easy to read and it covers a fair amount of ground, and the extra bits on India and Hinduism expand Gandhi's world for any readers who would be unfamiliar with it. Along with being a general biography, it also emphasizes the goals of nonviolence and shows how people, Gandhi and others, have used pacifist means to make changes in society. Ages 9-12. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Photos, illustrations, and a "biographical comic" that opens the book all play an integral part in relaying the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. The book follows the trajectory of his life, from a suit-clad young lawyer who only came to embrace his Indian identity while living and working in London, to the simple man in a hand-made loincloth who preached peace and nonviolence only to be felled by an assassin's bullets. Readers who are looking for more particular facts about his family won't find it here. Instead, the spotlight is on Gandhi's work: using nonviolent protest as a model for battling oppression in all forms, engaging in hunger strikes, and enduring multiple jail sentences, all to call attention to the mistreatment of his people, and indeed all people who suffer. Students will find information for reports, as well as an inspiring story told with many images supplementing an engaging text.-Carol Fazioli, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Gwynedd Valley, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The bulk of this biography is well written, informative, and thoughtful, combining personal and historical anecdotes and supplemented with evocative photographs, drawings, and sidebars. The introductory "biographical comic" detracts somewhat from the overall message and aesthetic. Several pages of appended quotes, though nicely laid out, do little to further the power of Gandhi's story. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This mixed-format profile of the Great Soul sandwiches a concise narrative account of his lifeenhanced by plenty of photos and sketched illustrations, plus side boxes and a spread on Hindu theology and customsbetween a look at formative experiences in his early career presented in graphic panels and closing spreads of short passages from his works arranged by major themes ("Civil Disobedience," "Love"). Urging readers to "listen to his words and consider whether some of his goals are also our own," de Lambilly follows Gandhi from birth to assassination, focusing especially on the development of his philosophy, his methods of nonviolent protest and the relentless courage with which he took on the forces of racial, national and religious prejudice. Though the author's fact checking could have been betterPakistan was not "the world's first Muslim country," nor was her subject the "first person to use non-violence in politics"Gandhi's inspiring example and message is conveyed here with eloquence and simplicity in an appealingly designed package. The resource list includes works for both adults and younger audiences. (index) (Biography. 11-13)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
