Our Gandhi: Child of Fear to Man of Freedom

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Summary: A student inspired by Gandhi's transformation
Review: This version of "Gandhi the Man," written for a younger audience, contains the essence and wisdom of its predecessor. I work as an educational therapist in a center that specializes in assisting students of all ages with their academic difficulties. Many of these students have mild to severe learning disabilities. One of my favorite students, a young black man of about twenty years of age with particularly severe problems in reading comprehension, was especially inspired by this book. His grandfather had been one of the bodyguards of Martin Luther King, Jr., and he knew that King had followed Gandhi's ideas. This young man also had many fears and he could well relate to the description of Gandhi as a child - awkward, shy, seemingly with no potential. After each page we read together, his homework assignment was to write a summary of the portion covered. This proved to be an excellent means for him to improve academically while receiving the needed inspiration to face the challenges in his life with courage. Easwaran's portrayal of Gandhi enables a person from any background to overcome his inner weaknesses and achieve his greatest potential.