2 weeks ago
Sonia Gandhi Memoir Details Love, Loss and Political Choices
Sonia Gandhi has written a book about her life called “Belonging: A Journey of Love.”
The 544-page memoir is scheduled to come out on November 10.
It begins with her childhood in Italy and her meeting Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge in 1965.
She later moved to India after marrying him and became part of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
The book explains how she learned about Indian life, including Hindi, saris and Indian food.
It also describes the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi says heartbreak and loss eventually brought her into politics.
The memoir also explains why she declined to become prime minister after the 2004 election.
Sonia Gandhi’s 544-page memoir, “Belonging: A Journey of Love,” is scheduled for release on November 10.
The book begins with her childhood in post-war Italy and her 1965 romance with Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge, England.
It describes her marriage, relationship with Indira Gandhi, and adaptation to Hindi, saris and Indian cuisine.
The memoir recounts Sanjay Gandhi’s death, Indira Gandhi’s assassination and Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
It covers Gandhi’s eventual entry into politics and her decision to decline the prime minister’s post after the Congress-led alliance won in 2004.
- Who
- Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader and author of the memoir, along with members of the Nehru-Gandhi family whose lives it recounts.
- What
- The publication of “Belonging: A Journey of Love,” a personal and political memoir covering Gandhi’s life, family losses and political career.
- Where
- The memoir spans Gandhi’s childhood in post-war Italy, her student years in Cambridge, England, and her life in India. It will be published by Alfred A. Knopf.
- When
- The book is scheduled for release on November 10; the articles do not consistently specify the year.
- Why
- Gandhi says heartbreak and loss drew her into public politics, while writing the memoir allowed her to reflect on family, identity, duty, belonging and India’s changes over six decades.
Key facts
- Book title
- Belonging: A Journey of Love
- Author
- Sonia Gandhi
- Length
- 544 pages
- Release date
- November 10
- Formats
- Hardcover and ebook from Alfred A. Knopf; an audio edition from Penguin Random House
- First printing
- 100,000 copies, according to the publisher
- Major political decision
- Gandhi declined the prime minister’s post after the Congress-led alliance won the 2004 election; the articles say she chose Manmohan Singh to lead the government
Quotes
Press Trust of India
Indian news agency reporting on the memoir
“"In the wake of his mother’s death, despite Sonia’s fears, Rajiv steps into the role of prime minister. In Sonia’s vivid, wrenching retelling, we feel the full force of the tragedy when seven years later Rajiv, too, while on his campaign trail, is assassinated by a suicide bomber."”
theprint.in
“"But after a key election, when the Congress Party selects her to be prime minister, she makes an astonishing decision – declining the highest office, choosing instead to lead her party in an alliance that will govern the country for a decade."”
theprint.in
Jordan Pavlin
Executive vice president, publisher and editor‑in‑chief, Alfred A Knopf
“"We are honoured to publish the memoir, describing it as an account of Gandhi's life, resilience, family and history."”
rediff.com
Sources
Sonia Gandhi opens up about heartbreak and loss in memoir
‘Heartbreak, loss threw me into politics’: Sonia Gandhi’s memoir out in November
‘In revelatory memoir, Sonia Gandhi invites readers into her private world of joys and travails’: Publisher
'Writing about my life was not easy': Sonia Gandhi on her book
My book is homage to my family's 'humanness': Sonia
‘Heartbreak and loss threw me into the world of politics’: Sonia Gandhi on her book, ‘Belonging’
Sonia Gandhi memoir to chronicle love, tragedy and her 2004 PM refusal
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