Severance (Winston Churchill, 1996) not only relates the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi in this biography, but eloquently conveys the ``Great Soul's'' philosophy to a new generation. The details are especially impressive to a young readership: Gandhi's arranged marriage at age 13, his just-average record in elementary school, the experiences of prejudice on a business trip to South Africa that inspired him to abandon a future in law in London and to rise above materialistic concerns in the struggle to improve the lives of the less-fortunate. Severance capably recounts the numerous arrests, demonstrations, and public fasts Gandhi undertook, as well as aspects of his personal life that are not the stuff of legends: his children's resentment over not being allowed to attend school, and his wife's bitterness at having to renounce worldly goods. Readers also see the deep regret and sense of chaos that haunted Gandhi whenever violence erupted in the name of independence for India, as well as his influence on such figures as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. An inspirational life by any measure, movingly told. (b&w photos, map, bibliography, index) (Biography. 10+)
