Gandhi: Great Men in History: Great Men in History, #2

By Steve Knott

Gandhi has been the source of inspiration of millions of men, but:
Did you know that he was a lawyer that at the beginning of his career was practically a failure?
Did you know that he got the inspiration of non-violence and civil disobedience by reading Thoreau, an American philosopher?
Did you know that he was arrested more than 10 times spending about 6 years in prison for defending his rights and those of his people?

The second volume of the series Great Men in History is dedicated to this great man, Gandhi.

With black-and-white illustrations and sidebars with contextual information, this biography is recommended for kids or anyone who wants to know about him in an easy and short read  (10,000 words).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Knott
• Release date: Mar 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781498956345

Book preview

1. Introduction

It's 1948. There was a huge crowd of people covering the lawn, stretching as far as the eye could see. They waited eagerly, keeping their eyes on the wooden stage in front of them. Finally, he appeared.

Gandhi was a small man, thin from all the times he spent fasting. His head was bald and he wore glasses to help his eyesight. He wore nothing but a loin cloth.

He walked onto the stage, faced the crowd, and placed his palms together as a sign of greeting. The crowd returned the gesture. Then he began his evening prayers and the crowd listened attentively.

He used scriptures and songs from many different religions, and spoke of love and peace. He wanted the people of India, no matter what their religion, to come together as one people.

But, would Gandhi's message get through to them? Would their hearts be touched and softened? Would they embrace peace and forgiveness?

As Gandhi spoke to the crowd, he shared with them a lifetime of experience and wisdom, that had all begun long ago.

2. Childhood and Growing up

Karamchand was a man who lived in the coastal city of Porbandar in the country of India in the mid 1800s. He was the Dewan of the city, which is a lot like a Prime Minister of finance. That meant he was responsible for keeping track of the city's money. It was an important job because Porbandar was quite large and about 100,000 people lived there. It had many shipping ports which allowed traders to bring goods in and out of India.

Karamchand had been born into the Vaishya caste, which meant he was required to work in the industry of farming or trading, but his father had risen up to become Dewan of Porbandar, so Karamchand was able to follow in his footsteps.

Indian Caste System

Caste System

The Indian Caste System is a social hierarchy where a caste is used to designate a group of people having a specific social rank.

Each caste is associated with an occupation and each has its own rules and customs. However, castes are determined by birth and religion limits the ways people of different castes interact.

There are thousands of castes, but all of them fit into one of the four varnas, a classification that comes from old and sacred Hindu's texts:

Brahmans, associated with priests.

Kshatriyas, associated with rulers like governors and kings, soldiers, and property owners.

Vaishyas, associated with commercial occupations (like merchants).

Shudras, associated with laborers.

Since the 20th century, the caste system has been criticized by people like Gandhi. Today, the discrimination of castes is banned in India, but some of their social and religious aspects remain as part of Indian life.

Karamchand married a girl named Putlibai. She was gentle, kind and very devoted. She gave him one daughter and three sons. The youngest was born on October 2, 1869. He was a sweet baby, adored by all his siblings, and his parents named him Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. As they held their tiny baby in their

Reviews for Gandhi

[sheila1957 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

GREAT MEN IN HISTORY: GANDHI by Steven Knott gives us a brief history of Gandhi and his life. I found it interesting as I knew very little about him. This is a perfect book for 8-12 year olds. I especially liked how Mr. Knott would give explanations on what was happening and how it affected what Gandhi did as he led peaceful protests against racism and eventually the British. Though it is a quick read I found it informative.