Glimpses of World History

Customer Reviews:

History by a history maker........2004-03-15

Nehru himself calls the book as "Ramblings", given the background that book is a compilation of a whole bunch(196) of lengthy letters to his daughter, Indira Priyadarshini, during his stay in various goals across British Raj (which made him rely on memory than references). His main aim was to introduce his lovely daughter to the world but NOT to be a historian. He starts from the pre-Indus Valley civilization days and ends just before the dawn of WW II in this 971-page book. The book, apart from being journal of events in history, talks about opinions of Nehru on various events with more weightage to his favorite ones.

The book with Nehru's democratic spirit, his scietific and rational approach, his masterly narration with a poetic temper and his control over the language make the book immensely readable.

the reader from japan doen not know the facts.......2002-12-05

nehro or ghandi were not muslims. If you want to assign a religion to them you MUST know your facts. I believe they susbcribe to the "truth" and "faith in goodness" from hinduism, islam and christianity.

The other side of history.......2002-03-04

A brilliant intellectual pursuit that gives a glimpse of Nehru's intellect, comprehension and culture. In the myriad of Western opinions of human progress, 'discoveries' and colonialism, Nehru's Glimpses stand out for its bold 'other view' of history as well as generous and magnanimous acknowledgement of the merits of every civilisation. To have the 'Glimpses' lost on one, as a mere rambling collection of letters would be tragic. To appreciate the 'Glimpses' one must understand the context in which it was written. It was not meant as an exercise to outline history for the world with the global audience in mind. It was merely a father's restricted dialogue with a daughter outside the prison walls with the intention of instilling pride in her culture and history. And maybe, as an inspiration to India's freedom fighters to stand up against the might of a hegemonic empire and its propaganda on history and civilisation. While the bleakness of his and the Colonial India's circumstances colour his opinions slightly, it does not blind him to historical realities.
That a book with such a narrow, domestic agenda subsequently appealed to the wider audience internationally is probably the finest testament of Nehru's brilliance.

Oh boy..........2002-01-03

At best this book is the ramblings of a misinformed fanatic who looks at the world through a very small prison cell window. How can guys like this get published? Casually referring to John Wilkes Booth as "the crank who shot Lincoln", downplaying the very real, and very powerful role of the Japanese emperor three hundred years ago, and freely interjecting his own religious convictions whenever the chance appears (this is usually backed up with quotes from Marx or comments that reflect the books underlying theme - if "history" books are supposed to have a theme - which is loosely, "Why can't everyone be Muslim like me and Gandhi?")

The best thing you can do is ignore any book that tries to summarize over 2000 years of global history in less than 400 pages of someone's personal self justification.

History was never so interesting.......2002-01-03

The perfect book to answer your questions on World history. Nehru's knowledge of history is awe inspiring. His first letter to Indira Gandhi is very touching. His political achivements may be questionable but his intellect is not.

Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Second Series: Volume 32: 1 February-30 April 1956 (Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru)

Average customer rating:

Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Second Series: Volume 32: 1 February-30 April 1956 (Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru)
Jawaharlal Nehru
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0195667891

Book Description

This volume of the Selected Works covers the period between 1 February to 30th April 1956. Part of a prestigious series that is cited as an indispensable reference for research into modern India, this volume deals with a relatively tranquil period in the history of a newly independent
nation.

The Discovery of India (Oxford India Paperbacks)

Average customer rating:

Excellent read for all Indians who live abroad
The ONLY real Intro to India Available! A Master piece of work!
Amazing and Uplifting
Insightful
A Father's Gift

The Discovery of India (Oxford India Paperbacks)
Jawaharlal Nehru
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0195623592

Book Description

In The Discovery of India, Nehru sets out on a voyage of self-discovery and offers a penetrating analysis of his own motherland. The book, first published in 1946, prompted Albert Einstein to write to Nehru: `I have read with extreme interest your marvellous book...It gives an understanding of the glorious intellectual and spiritual tradition of your great country.'

Customer Reviews:

Excellent read for all Indians who live abroad.......2006-10-08

This book is compiled from Nehru's letters to his teen-age daughter from a British prison. Reading Discovery of India gives a glimpse of the intellectual level of politicians who contetsted British rule in 40's. India owes it's recent "Hi-Tech" growth to Nehru and his vision of sustainable freedom through knowledge and education.

The ONLY real Intro to India Available! A Master piece of work!.......2006-05-30

There is nothing to say other than 'to understand India'- this is where you need to start. A book like this only comes along once in a lifetime and I'm glad I've benefited from its wonders.

Amazing and Uplifting .......2005-02-21

Written by Jawaharlal Nehru for his daughter Indira, this book is an introduction to the history of India as well as an insight into Nehru's political vision during the fight for Independance.

The narrative framework is that of Nehru's stay in prison, which gives him time to write and look back on the history of the sub-continent, and on the Nationalist movement.
I find this work simply amazing. Nehru doesn't just tackle a few centuries of "Indian" (he actually speaks about a lot more than the present days India) history, he tries to offer a panorama through the ages, from the Indus Civilization (just discovered a decade or so ago at the time) to his entry in history. This history of India is eminently political, as the title proves it, since Nehru invites us to discover India, an entity that did not formaly exist yet. His presentation of the sub-continent's history aims at : doing justice to the incredible richness of the indian past and culture that was overlooked by the British (see MacCauley for instance), creating a history of the subcontinent as a "unified whole" (from Asoka to the Mughals and the British), and finally, summing up the nationalist movement's history.

However biased Nehru's view may be, his presentation of the facts is incredibly compelling and classifies this text as an uplifting testimony of his political views. No matter how much one knows about the more objective history of India, it is impossible to resist partaking in his dream of a unified country. This view might be criticized as imperialistic or just unrealistic since he thought of India as India + Pakistan + Bangladesh, nevertheless when reading this book it is possible to forget everything about history and share a bit of the fiever that animated Indian Nationalists of the Congress.

I find this book extremely informative as much in terms of Nehru's views as in terms of history. However you will need another source on the history to balance Nehru's unifying enthusiasm, for instance India a History by Keay is a very good read as well as an information packed volume (with nice photos).
As a final word I'd say that Nehru's take on the history of Islam in India is very intelligent in its attempts to minimize and expalin the gap that was starting to increase dramatically between the Congress and the Muslim League and is useful when trying to understand the origins of the Muslim/Hindu clash (here again, other sources are needed, but it's still worth taking in consideration).

Insightful.......2005-01-07

I read Nehru's treatise once when I was in 10th grade and appreciated little of it. I chanced upon the book again recently and decided to hash out the book from the first page to last. I was very impressed with his deep and insightful interpretation of various historical events in the 5 millenia long history of my country, and of his objective portrayal of the same. He was not overtly parochial as I suspected he would be, but was critical of my countrymen and of our culture and their actions when necessary, and lauded their actions when they were justified. Particularly interesting to me were his writings on the social evolution of our caste system, which is said to be a great problem, and is constantly criticized (particularly by the you-know-who's of the western world). However, Nehru showed that, the system in it's ancient and present forms are dogma-induced perversions of it's intended goal, which was to provide checks and balances to racial and class-based divisions that plagued other "more civilized" Hellenic and Saxonic/Nordic societies in Europe (he also pointed out that the caste system enabled ancient Indians to avoid the sick barbarity of the mass slavery of other human beings with minds and thoughts like our own, something which all civilizations other than India and those in the Far East have practiced on a nauseatingly copious scale). Also, I was impressed by his organized portrayal of the British Raj which, by all accounts other than those of the Europeans, was a savage massacre and rape of our land and people to satisfy the Anglo-Saxon bloodlust (while it did have a small number of benefits, it did not justify the claim of "Pax Brittanica"). If I were to paraphrase the British occupation based on his writings, I would have to say that his contention was that, while the British enslaved our people in order to "civilize" us, we wound up civilizing them, as, in the final analysis, they were amenable to reason and dialogue and consequently we were able to sue for our freedon through civil disobedience rather than wage bloody wars for it like other countries like the United States were forced to do.

However, one criticism for this work is that Nehru has often been a tad shaky on his facts. One might argue, of course, that his main intention was not to provide a litany of names and dates, but explanations and interpretations. But one must remember that history is a science as much as it is an art, and the scientific method entails detailed records of all the facts before providing an interpretation of them. Nehru is a little deficient on this. For example, he summarizes the spectacular rise of the Mauryan Empire in just 1 paragraph, without describing the palace intrigues that lead Kautilya to engineer the rather dramatic fall of the Nanda Dynasty and crown Sandracottus/Chandragupta Maurya as the Emperor after driving out the Celucid Greeks. He only touches the interesting bits about the invasions of Demetrius and the Scythians and Huns (though he does mention Mihiragula the Horrible), the mistreatment of the Buddhist monks by the Sunga Kings, and the grand achievements of the Gupta Empire that entail all that is finest about our people even to this day. Also, his portrayal of Muslim rule in India is somewhat biased, and he only describes the bad bits, such as the jizya and the pagan tyranny of Aurangzeb while glossing over the good bits during the reigns Emperors Akbar, Jehangir and all those chaps who tried to build bridges between Hindus and Muslims. He did not write about the reletavily progressive outlook of Indian Muslims (relative to the Persians and Afghans of that time) that laid to the establishment of the Ghulami (Slave) Dynasty in the Sultanate, when Iltutmish, a poor slave, rose in the ranks to become an Emperor, or of our first Empress, Razia al-Din (although the incompetence of the Tughlaq dynasty negated much of that later).

All in all, though, I'm glad I read this book as I know more about my roots than I did before.

A Father's Gift.......2004-08-25

A number of reviewers have noted that Discovery of India and Glimpses of World History were written during the years Nehru languished in British custody for sedition and civil disobedience. What none of them, nor the publisher, have pointed out is that these books were culled from hundreds of letters that Nehru wrote to his daughter, Indira (Gandhi), then in her teens and early twenties. As a forcibly absentee father, Nehru wanted both to explain his absences and play a role in her life and upbringing. The letters were his gift to her - an indication of his love and caring and a way to educate her in his world view. If the books seem romanticized, that is why. If they seem personal, that is why. And if they seem subjective, that is also why. They were not intended for publication. These were love letters from a father to his daughter to explain the world to her and her place in it, as he saw it. They imparted to the future Prime Minister of India a sense of nationalism, love for country and a belief in democracy, as well as an intimate understanding of politics and working the levers of power. These books are far more than an intellectual exploration of Indian and world history; they were the seeds from which modern Indian history grew. A precious gift, indeed.

Nehru (Routledge Historical Biographies)

Average customer rating:

Nehru (Routledge Historical Biographies)
B. Zachariah
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 041525017X

Book Description

How did Jawaharlal Nehru come to lead the Indian nationalist movement, and how did he sustain his leadership as the first Prime Minister of independent India? Nehru's vision of India, its roots in Indian politics, society and religion, as well as its viability have been central to historical and present-day views of India. This engaging and sophisticated new biography dispels many myths surrounding Nehru, and distinguishes between the icon he has come to be and the politician he actually was.

Benjamin Zachariah discusses the central issues of the Nehruvian period, such as foreign policy, non-alignment and the Cold War, the Indian nationalist movement and Independence, the Kashmir problem, economic pressures, and Nehru's political legacy. The introductory chapters look at Nehru's personal and family background and his time as Gandhi's disciple. Zachariah provides a balanced and critical account of Nehru's thought and actions, drawing on a wealth of primary and secondary sources.

Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography (Oxford India Paperbacks)

Average customer rating:

Simply Beautiful

Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography (Oxford India Paperbacks)
Sarvepalli Gopal
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Gopal's biography remains the most scholarly as well as authorized work to appear on Nehru. Its value lies in its comprehensiveness as well as its close look at how Nehru's mind was shaped by Indian politics, by colonialism, and by his birth within an elite professional class.

Customer Reviews:

Simply Beautiful.......2000-05-27

This is truly a great biography. Gopal writes with thoughtfulness and class. It tells about the joys and pains in Nehru's life in a original fashion. The insightfulness and portrayal of characters are just too good. The only single drawback I can think of is that there is not a very distinct clarity about events in Nehru's lifespan. But other than that, it's a good read for those interested in Indian politics.

Average customer rating:

An account of freedom-related events, not Nehru!
Great book
accurate portrayal of a great freedom fighter
Not Worth the Time
excellent biography

Nehru: The Making of India
M. J. Akbar
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0140100830

Customer Reviews:

An account of freedom-related events, not Nehru!.......2003-04-09

I am impelled to write this review after reading the ill-educated notes from others about this book. Especially one that extols Nehru as "the one who got us freedom". Nothing could be more risibly further from the truth.

For those who are not aware of it, M.J. Akbar is the chief editor of one of the fringe news publications in India called The Asian Age (and I label it fringe based on its circulation numbers, not its journalism). I could hoist innumerable examples of thoughtful articles and research that have come from Mr. Akbar, but unfortunately and inexplicably this book is disappointing in its view of the Nehru dynasty. Perhaps a more fitting title for the book would have been "The making of India" because there is little that is engaging or enlightening about Nehru's life and personality.

A very different view of Nehru and his peccadilloes emerges from a couple of other factual books, often not touted as being the most "popular" because they do NOT pander to mass opinions -- "Nehru Dynasty" by K.N. Rao and "Nehru: A Tryst With Destiny" by Stanley Wolpert. It is clear to any close watcher of Indian politics around that era that Nehru's life (as well as the lives of his children/grandchildren) that Nehru was in fact much more of an irresponsible womanizer, a rich-dad's spoilt brat more interested in touring the world, and a politician of absolutely no original thinking. He was an eloquent speaker and a charismatic person by virtue of his fluent English, which unfortunately at the time went a long way in impressing people but his life is rife with political blunders. None of which is mentioned in this book.

There is also a known controversy around the appointment of Nehru as the first prime minister, because a unanimous decision post-independence proposed Sardar Vallabbhai Patel as the first PM of India. But Nehru's attention-deficient and wheedling ways got him the podium instead -- not his caliber. Such information would have best suited a book like this one, but is sadly remiss.

To cut to the chase, if you are interested in Nehru and his errant ways, this is not the book (the other two recommendations are). If you are interested in the events surrounding India's independence -- which was a lot more influenced by the repercussions of WW II on Britain than the efforts of Gandhi or particularly Nehru (who was basically useless) -- then this book will have some interesting tidbits for you.

Great book.......2002-12-14

This is not only a great book about Nehru, but gives an excellent explanation of historical events that shaped Nehru's life. The reasons behind the events are explained very well. A must read, if you are interested in Jawharlal Nehru.

accurate portrayal of a great freedom fighter.......1999-10-01

A refreshing comprehensive biography by one of the formost scholars in India about one of India's great freedom fighters. If one wants to avoid orientalist lies such as Stanley Wolperts biography, then MJ Akbar's book is for you.

Not Worth the Time.......1999-09-13

Mr. Akbar's "effort" is a book suffering from its fair share of inaccuracies. Stanley Wolpert's biography of Nehru is far better, providing a more honest and objective portrayal about a man who was from being the indomitable giant Mr. Akbar makes him to be.

excellent biography.......1998-06-09

this is a book about the architect of a nation Jawaharlal Nehru. He is the one who made free India a country that can now be proud of itself. Akbar's book is one that captures the gist of this great man's life and it is a joy to read. Akbar, one of the premier journalists of India, has shown us exactly how important Nehru and Gandhi's role was in the independence struggle of India and the insights it provides are extraordinary. On the whole a brilliant and thought-provoking book.

Average customer rating:

Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny
An out standing Book, Sheading light on some truth.
A poor biography of a great leader
another orientalist disaster
Another Masterful Effort by Professor Wolpert

Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny
Stanley Wolpert
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

South Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Federal Government | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0195100735

Amazon.com

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India and the founder of a political dynasty realized by his daughter Indira Ghandi and her sons, was a statesman of immense depth, courage, and charisma. His semi-autobiographical account of his country's history, The Discovery of India, is astonishingly learned, drawing from Socrates, Nietzsche, Yeats, and the Bhagavad Gita with equal ease. Wolpert, who teaches Indian history at UCLA, met Nehru in the 1950s. As he assesses the legacy of a life devoted to Indian independence and socialism, his biography tries to show both the stature and the foibles of his subject. He also details Nehru's personal life, including the early death of his wife and his long affair with Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of the last British viceroy of India.

Book Description

Jawaharlal Nehru was India's royal figure, its matinee idol, its most gifted prime minister. He combined a unique array of talents: compelling oratory, a brilliant mind, good looks, a keen political sense, but he also suffered from brooding isolation. He left an indelible mark on both the country he led to independence, and the world in which he lived. Yet even though Nehru wrote more about himself than did any other modern Indian, "Panditji's" true face has always remained veiled. Following Nehru from childhood, through his Harrow and Cambridge education, to his years as nationalist leader and Prime Minister of India, Stanley Wolpert's compelling, authoritative biography strips Nehru of his many cloaks and covers, removing the public masks he fashioned for himself throughout his mature life. With a subtle analysis of the various influences on Nehru's intellectual and political life--including the early homosexual influences, his conflict with his father, his close relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, his English education, and the years of periodic and sometimes prolonged imprisonment--Wolpert lays open to the reader the most nuanced, insightful rendering of Nehru's life yet written. Wolpert describes Nehru's brief career as a barrister, and his devotion to India's struggle for freedom, following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi to the dust and poverty of India's villages. The book traces Jawaharlal's swift rise to the presidency of India's National Congress, revealing how his radical ideas and fearless leadership of Congress's left wing soon won him the martyrdom of long years behind British bars for conducting civil disobedience campaigns. After his release in 1945, Nehru met Lord Mountbatten, with whom he was destined to negotiate the independence and partition of British India into the nation states of India and Pakistan in 1947. Nehru then went on to become India's immensely popular Prime Minister for almost two decades. Wolpert brings Nehru's complex personality to life against a vividly portrayed picture of India's fascinating history throughout its most turbulent century. He shows how India's own destiny was intimately wrapped up in the destiny of Nehru, a charismatic leader who stands among the twentieth century's foremost statesmen.

Customer Reviews:

Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny.......2001-02-14

I admit that I knew precious little about India prior to reading this book, and even less about Nehru. Author Stanley Wolpert, UCLA professor of Indian history, presents well-researched information. Wolpert was given access to private files and letters that make his text gleam with insightful tidbits of Nehru's life. There is no doubt that Nehru's influence on India was profound during his life and since his death in 1964.

I began to think of Nehru as a "rascal" and this label for him continued to cross my mind as I read further. Although Nehru studied law at Cambridge, he had little interest in it. What did interest him was wandering around Europe, sitting in hot tubs at Harrogate's hydro, and acting, dressed as a seductive woman, in Victorian tableaux. Whenever he needed money to pursue his dalliances, he would ask his father for more. If Motilal would refuse, he would ask his mother to intercede.

Meanwhile, world events began to change India's attitude toward British colonialism. During World War I, over one million Indian troops fought for the British Empire, with over 100,000 killed. Not ones to show their gratitude, the British passed the Black Acts in 1915 that suspended Indian civil liberty and judicial due process. Nehru traveled through India with Gandhi to speak about Indian independence. Of the masses who greeted Gandhi, Nehru said that they were "dull...and uninteresting individually," but "produced a feeling of overwhelming pity and a sense of ever-impending tragedy."

By the late 1920's, Nehru was heavily entangled in Indian politics. Although he signed the Delhi manifesto, a compromise that gave India dominion status rather than full independence, he felt guilty about going against his inner voice. His fervent speeches about Indian independence led to years of incarceration. While in court in 1934 charged with sedition, Nehru stated his desire to "achieve the independence of India and to put an end to foreign domination." His approach to Indian independence became even more radical, moving further away from Gandhi's peaceful resistance. In public, however, Nehru did not admit his swing away from Gandhi's passivity. He recognized Gandhi's popularity as a guru. Gandhi, in turn, recognized Nehru's political support.

If ever a movie is made about Nehru, I am certain that the bulk of the story will be on his liaisons with Edwina, Claire Boothe Luce and others. Fortunately, author Stanley Wolpert does not dwell on this portion of Nehru's life in his book, but rather concentrates on Nehru's obvious impact upon India's government. Of course, a movie about Nehru's many years of incarceration would be quite boring. I found many parts of this book difficult to follow because Wolpert jumps around in time faster than a Quentin Tarantino movie. The absolute worst omission from the book is that there is no map of India or of south Asia. I am not the sort who carries a world map in my head, so when a book like this is chock-a-block full of references to geographical features and political strife, why is there is no map to which to refer? Other than this serious lack, the book is a thoughtful and well-researched focus on a great world leader.

An out standing Book, Sheading light on some truth........2000-08-28

I believe Prof. Stanley A. Wolpert has done intensive research on his book and has the concept of "free speech" in mind. Nehru an over-rated person has been defined truely in this book. This book is for the people who are free in their minds and for the people who can appriciate truth. I would recomend this book to all Indians who love their country in a true manner.

A poor biography of a great leader.......2000-06-24

This biography fails to show the life of Mr. J.L. Nehru in a true perspective and is very judgemental. The author's views are shaped totally on the impressions that he had while writing a book on the contemporary of Mr Nehru, Mr M.A. Jinnah. This book just seems to be an extension of the earlier one on Mr Jinnah, which certainly is a brilliant book written on a person that we know so less about. It seems while reading the book that the author is time and again trying to justify what he had written in the earlier biography and thus ends up showing Nehru in a worse light more often than not. A biography cannot be written on the basis of views of the opponents of the biographee. What the author fails to realize is that two people could have their own thinking that conflicts with one another and yet be great people. A bad book for an author of well written books like biographies of M.A. Jinnah and Z.A. Bhutto, and A New History of India. For those who are interested in reading a biography on Nehru I would recommend the one by M.J. Akbar which is brilliantly written.

another orientalist disaster.......1999-10-01

another failed piece about South Asia by a known orientalist scholar. If you like being in a fantasy world then this book is for you.

Another Masterful Effort by Professor Wolpert.......1999-01-29

With his biography of Nehru, Stanley Wolpert has completed a trilogy of works on three of the key architects of Modern South Asian history (with Zulfikar Bhutto and Jinnah). Wolpert's insight, aided by his impressive access to research materials and interviews with supporting cast, provides a comprehensive view of India's first leader, and gives a keen, objective account of his life. It is refreshing to see an accurate, unbiased reporting, instead of the overly romanticized and effusive distortion espoused by Attenborough in his movie, Gandhi. Upon reading Wolpert's biographies of Nehru, Bhutto and Jinnah, one will be left with the conclusion that Jinnah was a man to be respected and admired; Bhutto was a man whom one could admire but not respect; and Nehru was a man whom one could neither respect nor admire. The book shows Nehru to be a duplicitous charlatan who hid behind the guise of his pompous upbringing and education, and was more concerned with the sexual conquest of the wives of powerful men than with the concerns of his countrymen. These three biographies should be required reading for anyone interested in South Asian history and politics, particularly in light of the recent developments of India's and Pakistan's nuclear programs. One may better understand the genesis of the underlying hostility between these two nations through an examination of those who helped shape things.

Two Alone, Two Together: Letters Between Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru 1940-1964

Average customer rating:

Two Alone, Two Together: Letters Between Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru 1940-1964

Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Live and let live!

An Autobiography: Centenary Edition
Jawaharlal Nehru
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0195623614

Book Description

First published in 1936, and now available in a centenary edition, this book was written by Nehru almost entirely in prison from June 1934 to February 1935. His account, though replete with autobiographical details, is much more than a personal document; in the words of Rabindranath Tagore,
"Through all its details there runs a deep current of humanity which overpasses the tangles of facts and leads us to the person who is greater than his deeds, and truer than his surroundings."

Customer Reviews:

Live and let live!.......2000-04-14

This is a really good book. I liked it because the author is very honest. You find the exuberance of the language in the book. The chapter Animals in Prison talks about the co-existence of centipedes, spiders and other insects in jail with Nehru. He didn't kill any of them. Live and let live was his motto. I think it's a great one.

An Indian Dynasty: The Story of the Nehru-Gandhi Family

Average customer rating:

Very good

An Indian Dynasty: The Story of the Nehru-Gandhi Family
Tariq Ali
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

South Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0399130748

Customer Reviews:

Very good.......2000-01-08

Very good book, very well structured. Gives a good view of the Indian dynasties of the 20th century. I read it in one breath.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books