Gandhiji's devotion to truth and non-violence and his service to the downtrodden, Abraham Lincoln's fellow-feeling and deep concern for the lot of the slaves, Edison's untiring efforts to meet the challenges of the unknown, Helen Keller's courage in overcoming her physical inadequacies and her determined service to the blind children of the world, Winston Churchill's rare and almost infective courage, Tagore's large humanity and provocative creative output, Mother Teresa's saintly life and dedicated service to the destitute, J.C Bose's pioneering work in understanding the feelings of plants, Albert Schweitzer's concern for the superstition-ridden simple Africans and Martin Luther King's courageous, non-violent struggle against discrimination- these are enough to inspire the worst pessimist into positive hopeful endeavour.
This anthology comprising a variety of portraits has been entitled Inspiring Lives in order to underscore their beneficial influence on the minds of the young readers.