Freedom at Midnight

At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, India achieved independence after nearly two centuries of British rule. Yet freedom came at an immense human cost. As the subcontinent was divided into the new nations of India and Pakistan, millions were forced to flee their homes, and one of the largest migrations in history descended into violence, chaos, and tragedy.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews and extensive historical research, Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre reconstruct the dramatic final year of the British Raj. They bring to life the towering figures who shaped the era—Lord Mountbatten, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and many others—while capturing the experiences of ordinary people caught in the upheaval of Partition.
Combining sweeping historical narrative with vivid eyewitness testimony, Freedom at Midnight is a compelling account of the end of empire, the birth of two nations, and the human consequences of one of the twentieth century's defining events. (simonandschuster.com)