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- Tears
of Blood -- a cry for Tibet, by Mary
Craig, is a riveting and distressing account
of the Tibetan experience since the Chinese
takeover.
- John
Avedon's In Exile from the Land of Snows
is largely an account of the Tibetan community
in Dharamsala, but is an excellent and informative
read.
- For
those with an academic bent, look out for
Civilised Shamans -- Buddhism in Tibetan
Societies by Geoffrey Samuel, a fascinating
anthropological investigation into the nature
of Tibetan Buddhism and its relationship
with the indigenous Bön faith.
- Keith
Dowman's new The Sacred Life of Tibet
builds on his earlier The Power Places
of Central Tibet and provides an excellent
insight into how Tibetans see the spiritual
landscape of their land.
- The
enduring myth of Shangri-la owes much to
James Hilton's 1937 classic novel Lost
Horizon, which tells the story of a
group of westerners who crash land into
an earthly paradise somewhere in remotest
Tibet.
- One
unusual book that might be worth checking
out is Invading Tibet, a novel by
Mark Frutkin based on the story of Edmund
Chandler, the journalist who accompanied
Younghusband's British invasion of Tibet
in 1904.
- Another
illuminating glimpse of the Tibetan experience
is provided by Freedom in Exile -- the
autobiography of the Dalai Lama. With
great humility the Dalai Lama outlines his
personal philosophy, his hope to be reunited
with his homeland and the story of his life.
- In
Seven Years in Tibet Austrian mountain
climber Heinrich Harrer tells the story
of his escape from a prisoner-of-war camp
via the Himalayas, and his subsequent friendship
with the Dalai Lama in Tibet before the
Chinese invasion.
- Peter
Hopkirk's Trespassers on the Roof of
the World: The Secret Exploration of Tibet,
details the pre- and post-invasion history
of Tibet.
- Kingdoms
beyond the Clouds, by Jonathan Gregson
is a delightful and thought-provoking read
about the Himalayn kingdoms and Tibet.
- Tsering
Shakya's The Dragon in the Land of Snows
sheds some light on therecent history of
Tibet. A must-read.
- Last
but not least the ultra tome for the adventurous
traveler: Victor Chan's Tibet Handbook.
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