Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths BOOK OVERVIEW

Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths

Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths is a book written by Mark Shepard. The book was published in 2002 and is listed under the Political Science category. For readers who want to quickly understand what this title offers, this page gives a clear overview of the book, including its description, author information, page count, ratings, and ISBN details.

The full title of the book is Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths. When available, the subtitle is Civil Disobedience, Nonviolence, and Satyagraha in the Real World (Plus Why It’s Gandhi, Not Ghandi ), which gives extra context about the theme, focus, or main idea behind the book. According to the available description, Mahatma Gandhi is one of the least understood figures of all time — even among his admirers. In this Annual Gandhi Lecture for the International Association of Gandhian Studies, Mark Shepard tackles some persistently wrong-headed views of Gandhi, offering us a more accurate picture of the man and his nonviolence. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Mark Shepard is the author of “Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths,” “The Community of the Ark,” and “Gandhi Today,” called by the American Library Association’s Booklist “a masterpiece of committed reporting.” His writings on social alternatives have appeared in over 30 publications in the United States, Canada, England, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, and India. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// “A model of Gandhian journalism. . . . [Shepard] has put his finger on seemingly all of the popular (and some less common) misconceptions of both Gandhi and his philosophy, including some particularly important ones. . . . This book takes little space to cover its topic concisely and well. It would be [some] of the most valuable pages many people could read about Gandhi.” — Global Conscience, July-Sept. 1990 ///////////////////////////////////////////////// SAMPLE I suspect that most of the myths and misconceptions surrounding Gandhi have to do with nonviolence. For instance, it’s surprising how many people still have the idea that nonviolent action is passive. It’s important for us to be clear about this: There is nothing passive about Gandhian nonviolent action. I’m afraid Gandhi himself helped create this confusion by referring to his method at first as “passive resistance,” because it was in some ways like techniques bearing that label. But he soon changed his mind and rejected the term. Gandhi’s nonviolent action was not an evasive strategy nor a defensive one. Gandhi was always on the offensive. He believed in confronting his opponents aggressively, in such a way that they could not avoid dealing with him. But wasn’t Gandhi’s nonviolent action designed to avoid violence? Yes and no. Gandhi steadfastly avoided violence toward his opponents. He did not avoid violence toward himself or his followers. Gandhi said that the nonviolent activist, like any soldier, had to be ready to die for the cause. And in fact, during India’s struggle for independence, hundreds of Indians were killed by the British. The difference was that the nonviolent activist, while willing to die, was never willing to kill. Gandhi pointed out three possible responses to oppression and injustice. One he described as the coward’s way: to accept the wrong or run away from it. The second option was to stand and fight by force of arms. Gandhi said this was better than acceptance or running away. But the third way, he said, was best of all and required the most courage: to stand and fight solely by nonviolent means.

This book has 46 pages, making it useful for readers who want to know the approximate length before starting. It has an average rating of 3.64, based on 55 ratings, which can help readers understand how other people have responded to it.

For cataloging and reference purposes, the ISBN-13 is 9780938497196, while the ISBN-10 is 0938497197. These numbers are helpful when searching for the exact edition of the book online, in libraries, or in bookstores.

The book cover image can be viewed here: http://books.google.com/books/content?id=_Y7kwAEACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&source=gbs_api.

Overall, Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths by Mark Shepard is a title that may interest readers looking for books in Political Science. Whether you are researching new books, comparing editions, or building a reading list, this page gives you the most important details in one place.