After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance

After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance by Anne Sibley O’Brien and Perry Edmond O’Brien • illustrated by Anne Sibley O’BrienFebruary 2009 • Charlesbridge Publishing • Middle Grade non-fiction (illustrated)

I recently read this book and agreed to write a review about it (I am not being paid to do this.)
I found this book interesting and liked how it written in a chronological order. I thought it gave interesting information about different people and groups who have tried nonviolent strategies. Some of them worked and some of them didn’t but they all had an impact in society. I think each chapter could be done as a separate lesson which is appealing.

You can go to the After Gandhi website for more information. If you click on extras you can get downloadable posters and a teacher’s guide.

I felt the authors injected a lot of their own personal feelings in the stories and these stories were a little heavy on one side of the story instead of telling all sides of the story. I think it is great to inform students about the different events and people but I don’t think it is wise to push personal political agendas in the classroom so I would have to be careful using this book in the classroom.

I could see this book being used as a resource more on the high school level than the middle school level.

I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 (This book is good for a sandwich picnic on the lawn in the shade but it may not be worthy of a picnic planned around it) because I would feel it would take a lot of planning and extra resources are needed to balance the lesson taught with this book.