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Rating: 
Summary: could've been longer....
Review: ...but it's a good selection of Gandhi's thoughts on the topic, and Merton's intro is wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: A good book to begin with
Review: If you want to start with Ghandi's experience on non-violence, this is a good book to begin with. Altough brief, the thoughts and feelings of Ghandi are clearly shown.
Rating: 
Summary: "War is an unmitigated evil."
Review: Somehow it just doesn't feel right to give a rating of three stars to a book containing Gandhi's sayings. "Gandhi on Non-Violence" contains an excellent introduction by Thomas Merton focusing on Gandhi's beliefs on non-violence (Ahimsa) and non-violent action (Satyagraha). I read the introduction, and quite frankly, I couldn't wait to launch myself into the heart of the book. Merton begins with some extremely powerful statements concerning the West's attitudes towards the East. But for me, one of the most significant comments concerned Gandhi's rejection of claims "advanced by a basically violent society that hopes to preserve order and peace by the threat of maximum destruction and total hate." That sentence resonated with me.
Unfortunately, after the introduction, there really wasn't any book to dig into. The rest of the book is divided into 5 sections of epigrams: Principles of Non-Violence, Non-Violence: True and False, The Spiritual Dimensions of Non-Violence, The Political Scope of Non-Violence, and The Purity of Non-Violence. An index is included. While the epigrams really held my attention, the book left me wanting more. How are these sayings, for example, applied in context? Subjects covered by the epigrams include nuclear weapons, fasting, volunteering, terrorism and sabotage, and non-violent resistance to invasion. Reading "Gandhi on Non-Violence" did not give me a sense of completion, or a sense that in any way I had managed to grasp the essence of Gandhi. This book felt more like the Cliff notes version, and I suppose that has its usefulness; I certainly am intrigued enough to want to read more--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: "War is an unmitigated evil."
Review: Somehow it just doesn't feel right to give a rating of three stars to a book containing Gandhi's sayings. "Gandhi on Non-Violence" contains an excellent introduction by Thomas Merton focusing on Gandhi's beliefs on non-violence (Ahimsa) and non-violent action (Satyagraha). I read the introduction, and quite frankly, I couldn't wait to launch myself into the heart of the book. Merton begins with some extremely powerful statements concerning the West's attitudes towards the East. But for me, one of the most significant comments concerned Gandhi's rejection of claims "advanced by a basically violent society that hopes to preserve order and peace by the threat of maximum destruction and total hate." That sentence resonated with me.
Unfortunately, after the introduction, there really wasn't any book to dig into. The rest of the book is divided into 5 sections of epigrams: Principles of Non-Violence, Non-Violence: True and False, The Spiritual Dimensions of Non-Violence, The Political Scope of Non-Violence, and The Purity of Non-Violence. An index is included. While the epigrams really held my attention, the book left me wanting more. How are these sayings, for example, applied in context? Subjects covered by the epigrams include nuclear weapons, fasting, volunteering, terrorism and sabotage, and non-violent resistance to invasion. Reading "Gandhi on Non-Violence" did not give me a sense of completion, or a sense that in any way I had managed to grasp the essence of Gandhi. This book felt more like the Cliff notes version, and I suppose that has its usefulness; I certainly am intrigued enough to want to read more--displacedhuman
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks Context
Review: This book was disappointing. Although the quotations are excellent, by themselves they are little more than random sentences. Without the context of Gandhi's story, without knowing what his life and actions were all about, having a book with some words he said is practically meaningless. As I read the quotations, I found myself referring to Louis Fischer's biography of Gandhi, and Gandhi's own autobiography to find out what the quotes meant when Gandhi actually said or wrote them. When I got too lazy to look up the quote somewhere else, the words merely passed before my eyes in a way that could not be described as reading. The entire volume has an engineered, overprocessed quality because of the topical, rather than chronological or situational, arrangement of entries. The introductory essay seemed to run on forever, but it is an interesting insight into Gandhi's motives and choices. Generally, though, it is verbose and tedious, not at all the engaging and lively reading I would hope would be associated with such a charismatic subject. I can see this volume being useful for gathering direct quotes for a paper or speech about Gandhi, but without background information found in other materials, the meaning behind the quotes in this book will be next to impossible to understand. In short, for general reading on Gandhi's life, find another volume. Get this only if you're looking for sound bytes arranged by topic for use as one liners.
Rating:
Summary: Lacks Context
Review: This book was disappointing. Although the quotations are excellent, by themselves they are little more than random sentences. Without the context of Gandhi's story, without knowing what his life and actions were all about, having a book with some words he said is practically meaningless. As I read the quotations, I found myself referring to Louis Fischer's biography of Gandhi, and Gandhi's own autobiography to find out what the quotes meant when Gandhi actually said or wrote them. When I got too lazy to look up the quote somewhere else, the words merely passed before my eyes in a way that could not be described as reading. The entire volume has an engineered, overprocessed quality because of the topical, rather than chronological or situational, arrangement of entries. The introductory essay seemed to run on forever, but it is an interesting insight into Gandhi's motives and choices. Generally, though, it is verbose and tedious, not at all the engaging and lively reading I would hope would be associated with such a charismatic subject. I can see this volume being useful for gathering direct quotes for a paper or speech about Gandhi, but without background information found in other materials, the meaning behind the quotes in this book will be next to impossible to understand. In short, for general reading on Gandhi's life, find another volume. Get this only if you're looking for sound bytes arranged by topic for use as one liners.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but hardly comprehensive
Review: This is a useful book in times such as ours if you find yourself in need of a short, pithy statement on nonviolence. It is a sort of "wit and wisdom" collection, with no passage longer than a few sentences. While that certainly doesn't allow the reader any in-depth study of Gandhi's philosophy, it is useful for readers already familiar with that philosophy who are seeking simple and quick access to essential statements.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but hardly comprehensive
Review: This is a useful book in times such as ours if you find yourself in need of a short, pithy statement on nonviolence. It is a sort of "wit and wisdom" collection, with no passage longer than a few sentences. While that certainly doesn't allow the reader any in-depth study of Gandhi's philosophy, it is useful for readers already familiar with that philosophy who are seeking simple and quick access to essential statements.
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