Great Soul

A revelation. . . . Lelyveld has restored human depth to the Mahatma. --Hari Kunzru, The New York Times Lelyveld shows us Gandhi in tight close-up, and he places the man in various frames of reference--social, political and religious--that allow us to understand and appreciate him not as a plaster saint but as a flesh-and-blood human who wrote himself into history, and not only because of his shimmering vision of a more perfect world but also because of his sheer force of will. --Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Lelyveld brings . . . an intimate knowledge based on his years as a foreign correspondent for The New York Times in both South Africa and India and the exhaustive research he conducted with a rare and finely balanced sympathy. . . . The picture that emerges is of someone intensely human, with all the defects and weaknesses that suggests, but also a visionary with a profound social conscience and courage who gave the world a model for nonviolent revolution that is still inspiring. --Anita Desai, The New York Review of Books Rather than focus on Gandhi's chronology, Lelyveld slices through his life to understand his compulsions, read into his thought processes, and assess his actions and outcomes, maintaining a tone of admiring observation without tipping into hagiography or criticizing him with the wisdom that only hindsight can provide. . . . Lelyveld is a worthy interpreter of Gandhi's varied life. --Salil Tripathi, The Washington Post A noteworthy book, vivid, nuanced and clear-eyed. . . . Lelyveld brings to his subject a reporter's healthy skepticism and an old India hand's stubborn fascination with the subcontinent and its people. --Geoffrey C. Ward, The New York Times Book Review A deeply insightful analysis of perhaps the most intriguing political leader of our time. A marvelous book. --Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner in economics and author of The Idea of Justice