Triumph
This is a fascinating story of three generations of strong Tibetan women and how their Buddhist religion and outside forces shaped their lives. It is a remarkable story about triumph over adversities beyond their control. I was particularly fascinated by Tibetan life and the Buddhist religion which dominated everyday activities. Tibet was a country that the twentieth century bypassed. People lived life as in the Middle ages with extreme hardships and none of the modern comforts such as electricity and indoor plumbing. The Buddhist religion both helped and hindered them in their daily lives. For the women in this memoir, Buddhism was of the utmost importance and guided them. When the Chinese invaded Tibet, they brought the twentieth century to Tibet but at the same time they destroyed a beautiful country along with the culture and religion. This memoir relates how these women coped with all the dramatic and terrible changes in their lives. A great story and I believe book clubs will love it.
Rated of 5
by Pam L. (Palm Bay, Fla)
Across Many Mountains
A good book educates, or takes the reader somewhere they've never been; Across Many Mountains effortlessly accomplishes both. This memoir contains peril, adventure, survival, birth, death, and love. A fascinating look at how the ancient religion of Buddhism and its way of life collides with the modern world in just three generations of remarkable Tibetan women. How they persevere and maintain their traditions within a crumbling culture is excellent reading for anyone.
Rated of 5
by Joan C. (Warwick, RI)
Across Many Mountains
This is a wonderful story! This multi-generational Tibetan family encourages the reader to travel vicariously with them as they leave their homeland and experience the inequalities that life brings to displaced individuals. The author offers, not only awareness of the struggles of the Tibetan people, but insight and knowledge into the strength and conviction of their religious beliefs and how these beliefs sustain them.
Rated of 5
by Donna N. (High Rolls, NM)
Tibetan Odyssey
Across Many Mountains is an exciting and unique story of the cruel subjugation of Tibet by China. Once I opened the book, I couldn't put it down. I would compare it to Elie Wiesel's "Night" - although Ms Brauen does not present any horrifying details, it illustrates the persecution of a people based on their religion, in this case Buddhism. You learn a lot about Buddhism and the way people in an isolated country can live on nothing. There is plenty of adventure and daring.This book should be read by everyone interested in human rights.
Rated of 5
by Susan S. (Lakeville, MA)
It had me at "Hello"!
This book is written by the granddaughter of two amazing Tibetan women. She writes about her grandmother, who is a Tibetan nun, and her mother who struggled through extreme poverty and hardship to survive and educate herself. I was mesmerized by the trek to freedom across the Himalayan mountains during the winter and the deeply spiritual nature of the grandmother and her husband, a Tibetan monk. If you like books about strong, successful women, you will love this as much as I did. I finished it in a marathon reading session.
Rated of 5
by Mary H. (Okemos, MI)
Across Many Mountains by Yangzom Brauen
I, of course, had heard of the Dalai Lama, and have seen posters and bumper stickers that say “Free Tibet”. But I never really knew what it was all about. This book gives a recent history of Tibet through the amazing experiences of three generations of women in a remarkable family. The story of Buddhist nun Kungsang and her family’s escape over the Himalayas is harrowing and moving. I kept looking at the beautiful faces of the book’s subjects on the cover and admiring them for their strength. There will be additional photographs in the finished book which will be a wonderful complement to the story. There is also a great deal about Buddhism in the book, which I found very interesting. This will be a great selection for the International Book Group I lead at our library – there will be lots to discuss.
Rated of 5
by Cynthia S. (Rensselaer, NY)
Across Many Mountains
Three generations of Tibetan women share their lives and culture. Kungsang, Sonam and Yangzom relate their family struggles under the Chinese rule in Tibet. Across Many Mountains is a must read and relates much history of a people who remain true to their identity even in exile.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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of 5
by Anita S. (santa barbara, CA)
