Part memoir, part travel book, this book ventures beyond our world-weary fantasies to discover the truth behind this country’s struggle for survival. A perennial vassal state, Tibet managed to preserve its culture until the nid-20th century when everything was taken over and destroyed by Mao.

Great book on Tibet although there may be a somewhat biased view about Dalai...for whatever reason. The promoting of books about Tibet, seems to be a thorn in the side of this author. I believe Tibets most celebrated ambassador, may just want more focus on tibet, so that Soverignty may be eventually won for he, and his countrymen. I have met Dalai, in Hawaii, he was beyond enchanting, and far beyond my reproach, quite magical, as a humanly / devine creature. Otherwise... I did enjoy the book, by Patrick French, about Tibet, and it's History and people. ( )

Fascinating and horrifying and depressing, this is about actual real Tibet, not the magical mystical Tibet of the popular western imagination.

The history of Tibet in the 20th century is framed by the story of the author's own travels in Tibet and the people he interviews. His subjects include Tibetans from many walks of life: monks, former aristocrats, commoners, prostitutes. He even talks to some of the elderly Chinese bureaucrats who were involved in the colonising following the "peaceful liberation" of 1950. The chapters on what happened during the cultural revolution are gut-wrenching. Not for the squeamish.

French mourns the loss of Tibetan culture and independence, but he does not idealise the pre-1950 lamasery rulers. Well worth reading, if you are at all interested in Tibet's history. It's lucidly written, and while it's not a formal history book, it is well grounded and referenced, with a detailed bibliography at the back. ( )

never finished this it got heavy going like what I did manage though ( )