In Exile from the Land of Snows, John Avedon
In Exile from the Land of Snows, John Avedon
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In Exile from the Land of Snows
The Definitive Account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Conquest

Author: John Avedon

Narrator: Bob Souer

Unabridged: 18 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/10/2015


Synopsis

Tibet, "the roof of the world," had been aloof and at peace for most of its 2,100 years. But in 1932, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, in his final testament, warned: "It may happen that here, in the center of Tibet, religion and government will be attacked both from without and from within." By the time his successor was enthroned in 1950, the Chinese occupation had begun.



In this gripping account, John Avedon draws on his work and travels with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to bring us the riveting story of Tibet and its temporal and spiritual leader. Included is an extensive interview with the Dalai Lama, who speaks about the conditions in Tibet, the mind of a Buddha, and the events of his life. Rigorously researched, passionately written, the original edition of In Exile from the Land of Snows was instrumental in launching the modern Tibet movement when it was published in 1984. Now, some three decades later, Avedon's testimony is more wrenching and relevant than ever.

About John Avedon

John Avedon has written for the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Maclean's, Parade, and other publications. He lives in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Preethi on July 21, 2019

This book will forever be one of the saddest books I'll read, forever! Reading the plights of the Tibetans under Chinese rules ever since the Occupation is traumatic, and puts life in a perspective - both for a refugee and for the ones left behind! There is so much to learn from this book - the histor......more

Goodreads review by Hank on August 21, 2013

Read this because I wanted to get up to speed on the Dalai Lama before his week-long tour of New Mexico, which I was assigned to cover in March 1991. Fascinating primer on all of it, especially the Tibetan exile. Brought all those "Free Tibet" bumperstickers into sharp relief.......more

Goodreads review by Marsha on February 05, 2011

Simply terrific. A very comprehensive study of the history of Tibet from the 1930's to 1979, whic special emphasis on the building of the exile community in India and the experiences of several important people who escaped both before and after the Cultural Revolution. A lot of information here that......more

Goodreads review by Songlin on February 12, 2024

I learned lots of facts in this book: that Central Tibet (Ganden Phodrang) is part of TAR, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu today; that Tibetan is not a single ethnic group but many more; Tibetan speak many dialects and they are not necessarily mutually intelligible to each other; that mass immigration of......more

Goodreads review by Emma on March 03, 2024

This was a dense and hard read. Had to chip away at it because the level of detail the author goes into is a lot to take in, but the amount I learnt about Tibetan culture and Buddhist beliefs are very interesting. The things Tibetans were subjected to under Chinese rule are some of the most vile and......more