HarperCollins India will publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s much-anticipated memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, in India on November 10, 2026. The announcement comes amid a controversy over the book’s earlier publishing arrangements with Penguin Random House India.

“HarperCollins India will publish Belonging: A Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi. The long-awaited memoir will be published in India on 10 November 2026. One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time, Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging, and offers a rare insider's view of India’s journey,” it posted on X.

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) had reportedly decided not to publish the book after a disagreement over proposed editorial changes to the manuscript. According to The Indian Express, sources had said that the decision followed PRHI’s request for certain “editorial changes and deletions” in “a part of the manuscript”, which were rejected by Gandhi.

According to the paper, the publishing deal between Penguin Random House India and Sonia Gandhi fell through after a “back-and-forth” lasting at least two months. Sources had earlier told The Indian Express that among the passages that were objected to were: references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his 12-year rule; the role of the RSS; references to instances of communal divide and riots, and the plight of minorities.

Penguin Random House India, however, had disputed the characterisation that it had simply refused to publish the memoir. The publisher said it remained “willing and keen” to work on the book, while maintaining that fact-checking and editorial recommendations were part of its publishing process.

The reported disagreement concerned the Indian publication of the memoir and did not indicate any change to its international release. 

Belonging: A Journey of Love is scheduled to be released on November 10, 2026, through Alfred A Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House. Knopf has announced an initial print run of 100,000 copies.

The memoir is expected to trace Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her move to India, her marriage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and her life with the Nehru-Gandhi family. It is also expected to recount major personal tragedies, including the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, as well as her entry into public life.

The memoir is also expected to address Sonia’s decision not to become prime minister after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance came to power following the 2004 Lok Sabha election.

In the publisher’s announcement, Sonia Gandhi had said, “Much has been written about my family, but few narratives were able to reach into the truth of their motivations, their actions and even their human failings…My story also offers readers a unique perspective of the social and political changes I have witnessed for six decades.” Knopf described the book as a memoir offering a personal account of love, family and India.

Rahul Gandhi also reacted to the forthcoming memoir, addressing his mother as “Mama” and recalling the years following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991. He wrote, “Since the day Papa left, I have watched you face everything life threw at you with never-ending courage and dignity.” Rahul Gandhi said he was proud that Sonia Gandhi had chosen to share her story with millions of people who had followed and supported her. He also referred to the difficulty of writing publicly about a life she had largely kept private.

The latest development comes amid other recent publishing controversies involving Penguin Random House India. PRHI earlier this year said it had “not printed” former Army chief General M M Naravane’s memoir Four Stars of Destiny, after a hard copy was displayed by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament. Media reports had carried excerpts from the manuscript concerning the Galwan clashes and the Agnipath scheme.

In June, PRHI also pulled the plug on graphic novelist Joe Sacco’s book The Once and Future Riot, about the Muzaffarnagar riots. PRHI CEO Gaurav Shrinagesh had then said the publisher had raised “content issues” with the author during legal scrutiny, including concerns over a map showing inaccurate boundaries of India.

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