Coolidge's biography will disappoint those who expect a glorification of Gandhi's philosophy of passive resistance or a recounting of a saintly life.

Coolidge explains the basis for Gandhi's distinctive movement of satyagraha, but she devotes little space to the development or intricacies of his philosophy.

She admires Gandhi's principles yet discusses her serious reservations about the practical application of nonviolence in a violent world. The biography addresses the plight of the untouchables and the rigidity of the caste system, as well as the unequal position of women as exemplified by the long-standing Indian tradition of suttee, whereby a woman was killed following her husband's death. While touching upon the social inequalities that roused Gandhi to action, the text centers on a political analysis of India's fight for independence and of the turbulent relationship between Muslims and Hindus that led to the partition of India and the...