S
onia Gandhi’s highly awaited book called “Belonging: A Journey of Love," which was to be released in India, is now experiencing trouble, with Penguin Random House India refusing to release it in India.
The book will be launched internationally on November 10, 2026, and has been published internationally through Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
According to reports, the controversy arose due to certain editorial changes and deletions proposed for parts of the memoir. The proposals were reportedly declined by Sonia Gandhi, and, as a result, the publisher opted not to publish the Indian edition.
But Penguin Random House India denied accusations that it "dropped" the book as Gandhi could not accept any editorial changes. According to the publishing house, it still had an interest in the book, and editorial recommendations and fact-checking are standard practices for any publishing house.
The exact passages of the book that caused disagreements are unknown and remain a mystery for now. But there is much speculation regarding the content of the memoir.
It is clear that the memoir by Sonia Gandhi is important not only in terms of the publishing controversy. She has been one of India's most prominent figures for many years, yet kept private details of her life mostly concealed.
Born in Italy, Sonia met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge when she was a student in 1965. Through marriage, Sonia joined the Nehru-Gandhi family which has always been one of the most powerful political clans of India.
Belonging is expected to reflect her journey from being an Italian student to being a part of the Gandhi family and her integration to India. It is supposed to discuss her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, her relations within the family and the events which changed the course of her life.
Many tragic events affected her life story.
Sonia witnessed deaths of many members of Nehru-Gandhi family.
After the killing of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi was reluctant to engage herself in the political world. However, she turned out to be a leader of the Indian National Congress and one of the most influential persons in Indian politics.
Gandhi became the president of the Congress in 1998 and remained the Congress leader for almost two decades after that. The leadership of the Congress of the United Progressive Alliance won the general elections of 2004 and returned to power in 2009.
One of the events in her political life that is worth mentioning took place after the victory at the general elections of 2004. In particular, she refused to become the prime minister and instead Manmohan Singh took the position in the UPA government.
Memoirs of Gandhi will be the best source to provide information about such decisions made by Sonia and private experiences that affected her public life.
This kind of situation is typical of disputes between authors and publishers.
It is the task of the publisher to check the manuscript on factual basis, potential legal implications and editorial comments. In case of the memoir of the author, especially, his/her personal memories are of great importance.
When the author happens to be a prominent politician, as in case with Sonia Gandhi, writing about prominent politicians and political events is of additional importance.
In this case, however, we cannot yet know what exactly is under dispute.
In light of the decision by Penguin Random House India to refuse publication, discussions have shifted to other publishers.
According to reports, HarperCollins India has nearly finalized a deal that will allow the publication and distribution of Belonging in India. At the time of writing this report, a formal announcement of the deal was yet to be made.
The international edition, on the other hand, has a release date set for November 10. There will be a lot of interest in the book due to the historical importance of Sonia Gandhi in the politics of India.
Belonging may also shed light on the lives of the members of the political dynasty like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, in addition to the life of Sonia Gandhi herself as she went through all the hardships and responsibilities.
