Gandhi Book

There's a certain amount of self-indulgence necessary for one to even begin to consider undertaking a study of somebody like Gandhi. A pivotal, complex individual whose actions affected not only his own people, but people everywhere--the Great Man writ large--seems almost unapproachable. His multi-dimensional personality makes this even more challenging (he was, it seems, kind of an asshole), so it's hard to fault the author entirely. But this effort is so dry, dull, plodding and dripping with event- and name-dropping that the vigor of such a divisive figure is lost in the disappointing quality of the work. The focus wavers back and forth between long, tiring passages on Gandhi's diet and health obsessions and dry accounts of the interminable political meetings and machinations of all involved.
Ironically, very much a soulless work. With some editing and consideration of some of the more challenging aspects of Gandhi's life and work, it could be much more.