4 comments about Alexander Hamilton And the Persistence of Myth (American Political Thought).

1. Finally! A compelling defense of the Founder second only to Washington in terms of indespensibility to the creation and greatness of this county. Professor Knott chronicles the roller-coaster ride of Hamilton's reputation, from his murder by the scoundral Burr to the present. He presents overwhelming evidence that General Hamilton has been abused by critics, historians and Jefferson-lovers alike. Knott's painstaking history of the apochryphal "great beast" comment provides a frightening lesson of how a single malicious report can turn even a great man's historical reputation upside down. The fact that Mr. Hamilton's solitary statue stands ignored at the back door of the Treasury Department while Mr. Jefferson is surrounded by marble and carved words perfectly illustrates how the myth of greatness trumps the reality of greatness. Professor Knott's conclusion that "a return to Hamiltonianism" could fix much of what ails American politics is right on the money. Fantastic book.



2. Knott provides us with a clear account of Hamilton's philosophical contributions and a compelling story about the uncertainty with which Americans approach his legacy. This book is masterful in detailing the competing political agendas and in framing how politicians, acamedicians, and pundits use the Founders and their rhetoric to push forward their own agendas. A wonderful book that helps us understand our American political culture, as much as one of our country's most important Founding Fathers.



3. "fall for anything."
   
   Construction on the myth began years before Alexander Hamilton died on July 12, 1804. It surely got its nurturing from the National Gazette started in 1791 by Philip Freneau, Madison's Princeton roommate, and Thomas Jefferson. And it surely had its fires flaming during the fallout from Hamilton's Reynolds Affair which tainted his career from then on. From the get go, Hamilton's image was tarnished. He didn't fall for anything however. The day he died is the same day as the battle of the Boyne where the catholic, Stuart King James II and his Jacobites were defeated by the protestant William III, of Orange. Another Hamilton had died in a duel on November 15, 1712 in Hyde Park in London. Although his birth was deemed illegit, Alexander Hamilton was of noble lineage; his father's family was derived from the Scottish, ducal line of Hamilton.
   
   Stephen F. Knott's book is not a biography; it's more of a thoughtful, unbiased tracing of pundits' and politicians' interpretation/opinion of his work in American government through the years up to the present. It is a must read for anyone who attempts to judge Hamilton's person because the historical record is replete with misrepresentations of his life's work. Knott's analysis is thorough; you'll understand the bias behind any biographer who studies him. I believe one best understands Hamilton from his own writings and those scholars who studied them as Knott did. Knott shows that Hamilton has been labelled a fascist, a monarchist, a Napoleon, a dictator, a Caesar by mostly Jeffersonians who were content with superficial studies of his life. He also explains how Hamilton viewed popular opinion, how he saw government stood to represent the people, how government stood to protect the people from unwise, even lawless movements such as fascism and communism. Knott also feels that we have much to learn from his thought on how our government should function.
   
   In Knott's Chapter 7, entitled Hail Columbia!, he quotes the historian Daniel J. Boorstin as writing, "we are either Jeffersonians or Hamiltonians. In no other country has the hagiography of politics been more important". However, where does Burr fit in? He was Jefferson's Vice President at the time, good friends of the New York governor Clinton who was vehemently opposed to the Constitution. Indeed, New York was the state most resistant to its ratification, very nearly succeeding in killing it altogether if it had not been for Alexander Hamilton and others. And, as Knott relates, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, and the other founding fathers saw Burr as unprincipalled and unfit to govern. As to labelling Jefferson's people as "the beast", Knott rightly traces it to a comment a Henry Adams made, years after Hamilton's death, from a comment he heard fourth hand. I believe, and noone has made the connection, if Hamilton made that comment, "the beast" that he referred to is none other than the symbolic beast of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 which opposes the saints and God and which exalts itself above God and above the law. Hamilton was christian to the core, fighting the good fight, not participating in evil deeds of darkness but exposing them just as Paul exhorted the Ephesian church to do in Ephesians 5:11. He publicly confessed his adultery. I believe he died a martyr and a saint.



4. When one looks at American political history, we tend to analyze the issues at the surface without realizing the ideology that influenced policies over the last 200 years. Stephen Knott developed a unique method at extracting the driving force behind American history. His thesis is that Alexander Hamilton was so influential in the development of the American government and economic system that his ideology has loomed in the background of every major period in U.S. history.
   
   Mr. Knott provides research on historians, authors, and politicians of the last 200 years who have provided favorable and/or critical analysis of Hamilton's influence on American government and policy. What Knott was successful in proving was the point that Hamilton has had an effect, for better or for worse, on nearly every presidential administration. He also demonstrated how these administrations tended to attribute their policies to either Hamilton or Thomas Jefferson. The rivalry that began while both worked in George Washington's administration has continued to this day.
   
   While unique and informative, this particular book on Hamilton does have one major drawback. Knott eventually shows his admiration for Hamilton. However, although he wisely references the negative material against Hamilton made by politicians and historians over the years, he tends to dwell on one particular comment that has not even been completely proven: the supposed quote that was used to show Hamilton's preference for a monarchy when he called the general public 'the beast'. Knott concludes his book by saying that most of the negative comments made towards Hamilton are not warranted, especially that particular quote. He does not help his own position with his constant referral to that quote throughout his book. He uses it so often, it tends to become distracting and it takes away from the other good material he has provided.
   
   This is not a biography on Hamilton. Therefore, before purchasing this book, it is recommended that a biography on Hamilton be read first. Knott assumes the reader already knows some of Hamilton's accomplishments, milestones, and thoughts on government. Recommended biographies on Hamilton would be the books by Ron Chernow or Forrest McDonald.

3 comments about Sacco & Vanzetti (New England Remembers).

1. Mr. Bortman has hit the nail on the head with this informative and well-written account of the famous trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. The background, trial and aftermath are treated with evenhandedness and an admirable attention to detail. Moreover, this book is easy to read yet chock full of facts, eyewitness accounts and analyses.
   
   This quick-read will turn even one with little prior knowledge of this episode into a well-versed expert. If more historical passages were covered as well, the historical awareness of our citizenry would skyrocket.



2. For a short book, the story is very well paced and still manages to give it a level of 'Hollywood Court Room' drama, although in this case, the story is real. The writing is clear and unpretentious and very accessible.
   
   The final chapter detailing the modern day reaction to the
   case serves as a warning that even one of the most advanced Western democracies has a way to go in ensuring Justice For All is more than just a slogan and that, with one or two minor exceptions, the case could occur again in modern times.



3. Many years ago as a fledging new lawyer, I read portions of the trial transcript from Sacco & Vanzetti trial. I was able to glean some of the injustice rendered in this case, but Professor Bortman's book clearly and concisely laid out the elements of a tainted legal system in Massachusetts in the 1920s. It was not until I read Professor Bortman's book that I fully understood the political elements involved at the time of the Sacco & Vanzetti trial. This book is a must read for every student of American history, especially legal history.

5 comments about Curzon: Imperial Statesman.

1. Lord Curzon was a major figure in British politics at the turn of the century. Immensely accomplished as well as ambitious, he served in several of the highest postions in government, including as Foreign Secretary and Viceroy of India. It is Gilmour's achievement that he manages to convey the complexities of the man, his overweening ambition, his insecurities and also, his tremendous drive to succeed. This a greatly detailed biography, but it is at the same time also very readable. It does not bog down in the minutiae of detail, and keeps a very articulately expressed story-line going. A book of immense interest to those keen on the politics and social and cultural history of that era.



2. George Curzon was born in the Victorian era with an extremely privileged family background. This excellent biography relates the multiple rises / falls in his career - I enjoyed the book because of the insightful account of the timeless contradictions of Curzon's character; he was born to an aristocratic family, yet worked incredibly hard all his life; he inspired great loyalty amongst those who worked with him, but thoughtless offense to other senior political figures contributed to missed opportunities; hopelessly out-dated on issues such as women's rights and empire, his views on foreign policy issues were well ahead of his time. David Gilmour gives a great overview of a life which started at the time of the Great Exhibition and ended just before Britain's humiliations of the Gold Standard in the 1930s. People who enjoyed Titan (Rockefeller) may well enjoy this account of a flawed but dynamically positive man.



3. David Gilmour has written an excellent biography of George Curzon, who, although little known to most Americans, was an important figure in English politics and government from the 1890s until the 1920s. The virtues of Gilmour's biography far outweigh its minor faults: the book is well-written and takes a balanced and comprehensive look at its subject.

   That balance is important: Curzon was by all accounts a brilliant but highly difficult man who was often haughty with subordinates and quarrelsome with his peers. Gilmour makes no excuses for Curzon's often indefensible behavior, nor does he gloss over Curzon's regrettable tendencies in this regard.

   Gilmour does a very good job overall reviewing Curzon's long life in English public affairs, starting with his career in the House of Commons, moving on to his years as Viceroy in India, then to his years in the House of Lords and then in Cabinet. Nor is Curzon's private life neglected. My sole criticism is that at times Gilmour assumes a relatively high level of background knowledge of English history and politics of the era. For example, many of the references to the passage or defeat of individual bills before Parliament were simply beyond my knowledge. For my part, that level of detail could have been omitted without interrupting the narrative flow. But although those sections were inherently less interesting to me, I still give high marks overall to this work.




4. Even though I read (on Dec 26, 1976) Superior Person: A Portrait of Curzon and his Circle in late Victorian England, by Kenneth Rose, I figured that was a while ago and I could enjoy another biography of George Curzon (born 11 Jan 1859, Viceroy in India from 1899 to 1905, in Lloyd George's War Cabinet from 1916 to 1919, Foreign Secretary from 1919 to 1924, died 20 March 1925)and I am glad I decided to read it. He was a fantastic and brilliant if difficult person. The book is solidly researched, with ample footnoting, and an interesting bibliography.



5. David Gilmour renders a balanced portrait of George Curzon, a complex imperial statesman. Curzon was born and raised as an aristocrat at a time that the British Empire was at its apex in the decades before WWI. Unlike the rest of his family, Curzon was very ambitious and determined to leave his mark in history. Gilmour makes a judicious use of Curson's writings to show us how extraordinarily well-traveled Curzon was for a man of his time. Curzon had a first-hand knowledge of many foreign issues, his undeniable specialty, unlike such luminaries as Lloyd George, A. J. Balfour, to name a few. Curzon was a work alcoholic, self-centered person who sounded condescending at times and was unable to delegate much because of his very exacting standards. Furthermore, Curzon often did not display much emotional intelligence in his relationship with others, including his own family. Unsurprisingly, Curzon's peers and superiors in politics found him regularly unbearable in Parliament, during his viceroyalty in India and as a member of different cabinets in the last decade of his life. Chirol summarized it very well when he told Hardinge that Curzon had the knack of saying the wrong thing, or even, when he says the right thing, of saying it in the wrong way, is quite extraordinary. I can recall no instance of a man whose personal unpopularity has to the same extent neutralized his immense abilities and his power of rendering great services. Gilmour shows very clearly how Curzon could be well ahead of his time in fields such as foreign policy and protection of old monuments and at the same time be so backward in such areas as women's rights and his attitude to nationalism. Overworked for most of his life, Curzon died prematurely at the age of 66. However, Curzon left some built-to-last monuments to posterity: think for instance about the impressive restoration of at one time decrepit Taj Mahal in India, the negotiation of the Lausanne Treaty that formalized the existence of Modern Turkey or Remembrance Day, a fitting tribute to the Fallen Heroes.

No comments about Cronicas.

No comments about African Game Trails: The Classic Big Game Safari.

1 comments about A White House Diary.

1. Bought this book for my in law since he loves to read. He mentioned for me to give it a whirl so I did. Great details from a woman whose life itself was under a microscope.

5 comments about Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

1. Steers write one of the most accurate and detailed books on the Lincoln assassination. He provides a history of the times when the "black flag" of warfare was raised after the Union's infamous Dahlgren raid that was part of a two prong attack on Richmond. The mission was to free prisoners and disrupt Richmond and allegedly included plans to kill Davis and his cabinet. This controversial raid, As Steers points out, may have raised the ante of warfare without rules as the Confederates start their own controversial plans such as biological warfare that included an attempt to spread yellow fever. Steers starts breaking myths early with the Baltimore controversy where Lincoln switched trains to avoid a real plot to assassinate him as his train passes through Baltimore earlier than scheduled with no sop on his way to his inauguration. Steers documents how surprisingly accessible Lincoln was to the public and how he was relatively poorly protected or at times not at all at his request due to his intuition that anyone could commit the crime regardless of a guard detail. The author provides fascinating detail on Booth and his companions as they initially plot the kidnapping of Lincoln and in failing to do so, turn to assassination as the war is closing and Lincoln's sentiments toward "black human suffrage" raises Booth's ire to an intolerable level. The high points of the book are the well documented associations between Booth with not only his immediate quadrant of conspirators but also with Mary Surratt and a number of Confederate agents in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Steers' analysis breaks any myth that Dr. Mud was innocent of aiding and abetting Booth. A recent book offers that Mud may have not recognized Booth when Booth appeared at Mud's home during his escape but that seems circumspect since Mud met Booth several times before and Booth was a relatively famous actor. The manhunt for Booth is covered in great detail and it is extraordinary fascinating as Booth escapes to Virginia with the help of established agents. Steers describes the temporary haven that Booth and Herold finally reach outside of Bowling Green at the Garrett farm but Stanton's dragnet discovers Booth's trail in Virginia. Although quite by accident, that accident puts them amazingly right on the trail of Booth at Port Royal, Virginia just west of Fredericksburg and a handful of miles from Booth's quiet and seemingly safe haven. As Steers notes, there is some interesting speculation as to why the three Confederates, who provide Booth assistance to his temporary haven, suddenly turn up to offer assistance at Port Royal. The author also presents excellent bios on the men involved in the conspiracies; the incompetent George Atzerodt who not only abstains from killing Andrew Johnson at the last minute but leaves evidence and a relatively easy trail to follow; Lewis Powell, the mysterious young veteran soldier who wounds virtually the entire Seward family in his attempt to kill the Secretary of State and goes stoically to the hangman; and young David Herold who deserts Powell but is Booth's guide in his escape through Maryland and into Virginia. Along with these prime conspirators, Steers brings in Booth's early associates that also get captured in the dragnet even though they withdrew from Booth's later plans. And finally Steer's aptly dismembers the theories that Booth escaped and that an imposter was buried in his name. Steer's even tells of an odd character that drags a corpse around for years eerily claiming it is Booth in an attempt for notoriety and money. The final chapter covers Lincoln's long funeral train trip that stopped at several large cities on his long trek back to Springfield, allowing a large population to view Lincoln's open casket. As the author notes, Lincoln returned to his hometown as he inferred when he left, that he might not return with the ability to enjoy his homecoming.



2. Last year, I visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Musuem in Springfield, Illinois. At the Musuem, they had a temporary exhibit called "Blood on the Moon". It was a fascinatating exhibit and when I saw that the exhibit's name was taken from a book, I started looking for the book to go slightly more in-depth about the assassination. The book is pretty good. The beginning is good and I liked all the photos that were included in the book. But there are two reasons why I couldn't give this book 5 stars: there were parts that I had a hard time keeping myself interested in. A slight bit of dry reading. The second reason is the author's repeated repeatings of somethings in the book. I'm not quite sure if the author forgot that he had already mentioned those facts or perhaps is underestimating the readers intelligence in remembering what they've read but I was annoyed that some things that I had already read kept popping up. I prefered the parts of the book when the author wasn't just reeling off facts and put things into action. The story of the assassination was fascinating and I liked how the author included maps of all the various Booth getaways. I also found the information about Lincoln's final trip back to Springfield very interesting.
   
   So I wouldn't say this would be a book for anyone who is more interesting in maybe the story-telling aspect of this part of history since the telling of fact upon fact might bore some people slightly. But I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning about the Lincoln assassination and especially anyone who was lucky enough to see the Blood on the Moon exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Musuem.



3. Edward Steers wrote one of the best accounts of Lincoln Assassination in recent history. Although his writing style is bit dry as many reviewers in the past have noted, his research is untouchable and this is a very readable account to anyone who have any interest in this subject. The author laid everyone and everything out in a clear and understandable matter. He take a careful reading to all who was involved, their backgrounds and the roles they played during the war. He also take study to Lincoln's own lackluster desire for security and how that encouraged men like Booth to take him on. Lincoln didn't realized that perception of protection can deter an assassination then the actual protection itself. The author take the efforts to debunked many myths and self-serving stories surrounding Lincoln assassination plot including if the real John W. Booth was really died on the porch of the Garrett house. The author also explained the legal definitation of the case and how it may be applied even in modern era.
   
   One of the great services of the book comes surrounding the role Dr. Samuel Mudd played. The author made it loud and clear that Mudd was clearly guility of the role he played and richly deserves his life sentence although he only served four years before being pardoned. Dr. Mudd is definitely not an innocent bystander and he was deep into the plot to assassinate Lincoln. Most of Mudd's guilt ironically come from Mudd himself which is a testament to the author's research. Mary Surratt's role was also clearly pointed out. Whether she deserves to hang or not is up to the moralists but she was definitely guility as Mudd.
   
   If I had a singular gripe, I would have to say that the author could have included the very last photographs of Lincoln taken on 10 April 1865 (by Alexander Gardner), the one which have him smiling would have been a better choice then his Nov 1863 photo on the cover of the book or Lincoln's Springfield photo since the author states quite often in his narrative how happy Lincoln seem to be during his last days.
   
   I would regard this book as a mandatory reading material for anyone interested in the Lincoln's assassination story. Although it little dry but still readable, superbly research and highly informative.



4. Without a doubt this is the most accurate accounting of Mr. Booth and Mr. Lincoln leading up to and after April 14th, 1865. Ed Steers, Jr. did his research well and has the talent to present the story in an enjoyable fashion. The final page tells it all. A must read.



5. this is , in my opinion, the definative book on the lincoln assassination, and the escape of john wilkes booth. not only does the author give a clear and concise accounting, he takes us out of the vacuum and explains the minute details of the very knotted relationships between the conspirators, and the links of the confederate underground to canada and back. there is no mistaking the intention of any one of the people involved. he also establishes the money trail that funded booth. im surprised that more people were not prosecuted. it doesnt let anyone off the hook.

No comments about Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

5 comments about Defying Hitler: A Memoir.

1. 
   
   This is the story of Sebastian Haffner, a man who lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power. I loved hearing the story from the perspective of the average German. I can't imagine living in such tumultuous times, but reading this book gives me a glimpse. The best part about it is the fact that it tries to answer two very important questions: how on earth a regime like the Nazis could rise to power, and how almost the entire nation where corrupted by them. It's a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone that is the bit interested in that period. Remember, it's by understanding the past that we can best keep from repeating it.



2. Amazing book! Proves that not all Germans were rabid Nazis. A personal journey through a unique perspective on how and why the Nazis were able to assume power, as well as why the Germans were unable to stop them. Highly recommended!



3. This is a powerful story of the rise of the Nazi movement with scary parallels to modern day events. The question has often been asked how the Germans could allow this to happen and Haffner does an amazing job at describing how. Along with a controlled media, one method was to turn the volume of fear and intimidation one little almost imperceptible increment at the time. Most people just laughed at the antics of Hitler and his crowd in the beginning, but by the time that people caught on to the seriousness of the issue it was too late. By this time many secretly just hoped that it would go away like a bad dream, but history tells a different story.
   
   The difference with this book is that it is told from a very human perspective from an ordinary German who was living through those times and who saw the transformation of German society and social interaction.
   
   Along with this book I would recommend the movie V for Vendetta (Two-Disc Special Edition), and the book Political Ponerology (A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes), which describes the process by which a society is taken over, and by what kind of people.
   
   Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it. This book is an important book to read so as to be better able to read the warning signs before it is too late.



4. Sebastian Haffner's "Defying Hitler" has an ambitious initial scope - to chronicle the rise of Hitler from 1918-1939. The memoir is "unfinished" in that the narrative leaves off in 1933 as Haffner put down writing the manuscript with the advent of World War II and never came back to it. Haffner's son, Oliver Pretzel ultimately had the work published after Haffner's death.
   
   Even in its "unfinished" condition, the work is a masterpiece. Haffner's purpose is not to excuse the average German in germany to succumbing to Nazism and to Hitler but rather to EXPLAIN the phenomenon. Excusing it would simply be post hoc. Explaining it serves the additional function of future application.
   
   Defying Hitler was a difficult thing to do in practice. One could certainly not do so in public. The repression of Nazism in Germany was all the more pervasive by its reach into the private sphere and by doing so, obliterating the prior German distinction between public and private. The only safe way to defy Hitler was, ultimately emigration.
   
   Haffner's narrative is frank, honest and ironic. It was a joy to read.
   
   Finally, a word about Robert Whitfield, the reader of the Audio edition of "Defying Hitler." I believe there are instances in which the audio edition of a work is equal to or superior to the printed version. These instances of "audio excellence" are directly related to the quality of the reader. Robert Whitfield repeatedly accomplishes "aduio excellence." Whitfield's diction is spot on, his tone fluctuates to match the text. If the text is ironic, so then is Whitfield's tone. If the text is frank, so then is Whitfield's tone. If the text contains italics for emphasis, that emphasis is contained within Whitfield's voice. In short, his contributions always enhance a book and never detract from it. For other texts read by Robert Whitfield, I would recommend Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and The Abolition of Man & the Great Divorce: Library Edition by C.S. Lewis.



5. Excellent book on the rise of the Nazis by an author with a very humane and sensible view of life who lived through the events. Haffner gives voice to the average Germans who witnessed the rise of Hitler and did not approve - the majority, as it turns out - but who could simply not make sense of the madness around them nor could they find a way to realistically oppose the Nazis.
   
   Haffner's narrative is often touching as he discusses personal events of his own, friends' and family's, illustrating how the sphere of their private lives was affected by politics. The result is that it reads like a 'non-fiction novel', and one extremely relevant for contemporary world events.
   
   It is a pity that Haffner never actually concluded the book. In the last section, his son briefly explains what happened after the abrupt ending of the narrative, thus we miss the detail and richness that Hafner's own perspective would have undoubtedly provided. Still, it is an unmissable book, packed with lessons for present and future generations.

5 comments about The Forgotten Woman: The Untold Story of Kastur Gandhi, Wife of Mahatma Gandhi.

1. A wonderful and important book that tells the story of Kastur Gandhi, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi. It is important that people know that Gandhi's wife played a part in helping to - peacefully - gain independence for India. I have met the authors and they are wonderful people.



2. I liked this book, but there wasn't enough in it about Kastur. There are virtually no quotes by her in the whole book. It is mostly a narrative about the life of Mahatma and then talks about her in his life here and there. I still enjoyed it, though, as the story of their life and times is amazing and inspiring.



3. This is the first book I read that focuses on the life of Gandhi and Kasturba, and not on the political situations of the time. It talks more about how Gandhi and Kasturba handled different and often difficult decisions they made during their lifetime.

   This book talks a lot about how Kasturba endured and supported Gandhi's extreme ideals ( simplicity of living at any cost).
   It was a continuous struggle for her to strike a balance betn. following Gandhi's ideals and providing the best possible care and tutoring for her children.

   The focus on truth at all costs (even at the cost of disowning their eldest child - Manilal) shines thru in this book.




4. A good attempt by Arun Gandhi to tell the world more about *the woman* behind the succesful Man,Mahatma.But its more an account of Gandhiji's life and then and there he sheds light on Kasturbhai Gandhi which I am sure anybody would know by reading "My Experiments with Truth" by Gandhiji.But its still a good biography to read about the Gandhi family.



5. It is wonderful to find a book about Kastur (Kasturba) Gandhi ("Ba" as she was known) wife of the legendary Mahatma Gandhi that debunks many historians who have depicted her as an inept fool who hadn't the foggiest notion as to what her husband tried to achieve.
   
   Arun Gandhi is the fifth grandson of Mahatma (Mohandas) and Kastur Gandhi through his second son Manilal Gandhi. Together with his late wife Sunanda, the couple have generated an extraordinary read in The Forgotten Woman: The Untold Story of Kastur Gandhi. Here is a book that is not only informative and accessible, but also graced by an elegance and sensitive understanding of a grandmother who was far from being ignorant or clueless a propos the importance of her husband's mission in life.
   
   Arun informs his readers in the introduction that he refuses to believe that his grandmother Kastur was incompetent as this was not his experience, nor that of his parents. Although she may not have been formally educated and could not read or write, upon reading this fascinating book we discover she certainly was far from being an unaware and a blundering fool. And as Arun states: "without her unstinted cooperation Grandfather could not have achieved the spiritual heights that he did."
   
   
   Beginning with an account of the Satyagraha struggle which Gandhi led in South Africa for seven years, Kastur had to give up a great deal and make sacrifices while living an austere life that many a woman would have rebelled against and probably would have also thrown out their husbands. There is even an anecdote where Mahatma wanted to turf out Kastur from their home.
   
   Perhaps initially she may not have understood her husband's technique of passive resistance that ruled out both verbal and physical violence, however, eventually she did come around to accept its principles as she championed it and embraced it whole heartedly. As Arun mentions, "that even though she could not, on her own account, accept any of her husband's peculiar new notions unless she was convinced he was right, she would always try to understand his way of thinking and, whenever possible, acquiesce to his wishes."
   
   What I found astonishing was her acceptance of her husband's harsh and sometimes cruel treatment of their children, herself, relatives and others. In other words, living with Mahatma Gandhi, when he was around, (he spent many years languishing in prison) or moving from one place to another and accepting his celibacy was not exactly a picnic!
   
   In spite of this, according to Arun, there does not seem to be a rejected or resentful long-suffering wife, nor was there a troubled guilt-ridden husband. As he goes on to say, "what is clear is Kasturba's willing acceptance of her husband's vows of poverty and celibacy had quieted his private turmoil of mind and spirit. Mohandas now felt free as never before to answer public calls to action."
   
   Arun and Sunanda Gandhi have done a splendid job in chronicling the life of Kastur and her struggles to overcome her reticence to initially accept her husband's principles, although at times I felt there was too much written about his grandfather rather than his grandmother.
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures