Voyages with my Grandfather

Voyages with my Grandfather by William D. Hanna tells the story of Robert Boyd, a leading Irish missionary of the first half of the 20th century. It draws on his influential books and previously unpublished memoirs and letters. Join William Hanna, as he follows in the footsteps of his grandfather around the world. Travel from Ireland in the 1880s via the United States to India. Learn how Annie Higginson sails to India to marry Boyd during the First World War, and how he meets Mahatma Gandhi. Enjoy Boyd’s letters to his children from Japan, Korea, and China in 1936, and his heart-warming return to India and its people. Share the author’s emotion as he visits Gujarat many years later to see where his mother was born, and Burma where his uncle was killed in the Second World War. Voyages with my Grandfather gives a glimpse into part of the former British Empire, from the eyes of a loyal but perceptive participant. In retracing his grandfather’s path, the author discovers lasting values that will inspire readers today. Humanity should live, Robert Boyd said, “not according to the selfish, sensual, materialistic principles of this world, but after the spirit of liberty, tolerance, kindness and brotherly love”. Here is Alexander McCall Smith 's endorsement: "This is a memoir in which in one generation remembers another. It is unsentimental and clear-eyed, but it is also very moving. Set in two very different worlds – an Irish and an Indian world – the author’s account of his grandfather’s life and his own retracing of that life provides us with a beautifully-written and fascinating account of a complex and colourful past." All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to charities working with the Rohingya people.