Customer Reviews

A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World: A True Life Adventure Story

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I was intrigued by this book. Having read 'The Batterea Park Road To Enlightenment' a few years ago, I thought it would be a good laugh! Knowing virtually nothing about the Tibetan situation, I wasn't sure what to expect. I found it spellbinding and totally inspirational. Isabel manages to be informative and funny, without trivialising the issues. Her passion is so infectious, I was inspired to read more about the Dalai Lama and Buddhism generally. In times of trashy novels, reality tv and celebrity worship, an author with something really meaningful to say, and who says it in a way which inspires people to listen and act, is a real talent. Read this book, it could change your life!

if you have ever had one of those days when you just have to do SOMETHING, or you've ever asked rather embarrasedly (as i once did)'who exactly is the dalai lama' then this is the book for you. isabel's positivity and refusal to be static and moan about the state of the world while doing nowt is totally and utterly infectious. this is a book that says YOU CAN DO IT and goes on to illustrate this fact. a journey that takes you from a vague interest in the position of tibet and culminates in a meeting with the dalai lama cannot help but be inspiring and remarkable. isabel's style of writing, as in her earlier book 'the battersea park road to enlightenment' is fantastically accessible, while discussing a very difficult and often deeply disturbing issue she still manages to make it a greatly enjoyable and ultimately wholly inspiring read.go on read it, i'd be amazed if your perspective on what an individual can achieve isn't totally transformed for the better!

Can one person make a difference? This book is for anyone that has found him or herself asking this question. Join Isabel on her journey of self-discovery while she attempts to answer this very question.
Funny and informative this book is insightful, and explores the history of the Tibetan people in their quest for autonomy from the Chinese. Travel with Isobel as she meets the Dalai Lama, travels Nepal, Tibet and India in search of some answers. This book makes you want to find out more about the situation in Tibet...and anything that moves anyone to act in a selfless manner in this day and age should be applauded.
It is well worth a read as it, sneaks up on you and works it magic without your knowledge. And when you're finished you will b immeasurably changed...Even if it is just the smile it puts on your face....and that alone makes it worth every cent!!

A little story:
I was browsing through a bookshop in Cavan, Ireland one day last year when i picked up this book. I almost felt drawn towards it. (have you ever picked up a book and felt that way?) anyway i bought it and brought it home, when i finished reading it, i just sat back and thought, 'every book should be like this!'
It is one of the best book i have ever read, i seriously cannot express how much i love it!
I love the way it is written, the stories, the focus, and most of all the passion and heart with which it was written.
And all that was packed into one book sitting in a bookstore in Cavan, Ireland which happened to be the book i picked up.

If there is any sense of humanity/love within your heart then you will love this book... however if you are cold hearted with no care for anyone but yourself, you should also buy this book and i guarantee by the end of it, it will have touched your heart in such a way that you will never feel the same ever again.

(Message to author: No matter how many copies you've sold, your book deserves way more attention. You are a fantastic and brilliant human being!

Thank goodness there are people like Isabel in the world! This book is truly inspiring. Informative and funny, touching and determined, Isabel made me laugh out loud and made me cry but most of all she gave me hope. Something can be done to make this world a better place. It's easy to despair surrounded by the media today and yet there is also this book a shining example of courage, of faith in peace, and just how far aim and action can take you. Isabel should be proud of herself.

Isabel Losada has succeeded here where a lot of the world's greatest political leaders have failed. Isabel makes it easy to comprehend with clarity and simplicity the appaulling human rights problems still facing Tibet in the 21st century. She doesn't fail to insert her own human frailty whilst undertaking a personal journey from which she will emerge a different person. Her book has had a profound 'wake up call' effect on me and I defy anyone to read it an not to make something of a journey for themselves, for Tibet, for Love and for Compassion.

Isabel Losada wears many hats: single mom, writer, traveler, and now newly christened activist. Journey with Losada as she tells of the seemingly endless trials and tribulations as a wannabe activist fighting for the religious freedom of Tibet. Interesting choice. Yet when the author explains her reasoning behind backing this particular cause, readers will fall into her line of thinking with a natural acceptance simply because Losada is so charming and sincere. Her expression of sadness over the rising regularity of terrorism worldwide is so commonly felt, so consistently lamented, that when Losada poses the premise of fighting the war on terror with nonviolence, it makes sense. Who then is the leading proponent of nonviolence? The Dalai Lama, of course. Losada determines that he's the man for her --- and on this basis Losada begins her story, her journey toward social activism.

Making use of the famed serenity prayer, Losada divides her text into three main sections. Part One: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." Recognizing that she has never done much besides navel-gazing, Losada decides to invest some time in protesting outside the Chinese Embassy, a not particularly auspicious beginning. Next, the author starts investigating, interviewing, and finally traveling to Tibet. Waking up in Kathmandu, Losada details in comical fashion the advice passed along to her from a girl in the know from Tibet: Never squat down in the bushes on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas. Leeches have a way of attaching themselves. Before you know it, you're pouring with blood.

Sounds enchanting. Not to be daunted, Losada repeatedly hears the warning of altitude sickness, which can kill you. More seriously, though, were the injunctions to take extreme care in how one speaks to the Tibetan people regarding their loyalty to the Dalai Lama. And never, ever, hand out photos of the Dalai Lama as they're illegal. Losada does indeed travel and immerse herself in Tibetan culture where she sees both beauty and evil side by side, incongruously thriving together. Hard to accept.

"The courage to change the things I can..." comprises the second part of Losada's tale as she begins making advances in practical activism without much initial success. From approaching the Free Tibet Campaign organization to requesting and receiving an interview with a member of Parliament, from setting up a company, a website, to delving into the nitty-gritty of fundraising via parachuting for donations, Losada makes even the most dreary activities both humorous and sobering.

Finally, in Part Three, "And the wisdom to the know the difference..." Losada's journey becomes at once more introspective and profound as she receives an invitation to meet with the Dalai Lama. It is this portion of the text alone that will likely bring the most fascination to readers. Losada takes her time to carefully unfold the details of this once in a lifetime encounter and the results are most satisfying.

While Losada communicates with regular dashes of humor and wit, she likewise is serious about making a difference in the world. Even the most socially complacent readers will glean tips on how vital doing "one's bit" is to a better, safer, more peaceful world. As the Dalai Lama so succinctly states, "If the individual acts, society is changed."

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

The author's story was inspiring for me. From what she said, she started out as a novice political activist. But within a relatively short time, she'd masterminded and organized several high profile events -- complete with extensive media coverage -- and her fledgling group 'Act for Tibet' had become a force to be reckoned with....A good book for anyone who's been thinking 'what can one person do?'

Moreover, this book was enjoyable. I learned a lot from what the author had to say -- especially about Tibet -- but its tone was more like a novel than a textbook, so it was fun to read.

It is good that someone has written a funny book that explains the serious issue of Tibet for the ordinary person. As a Tibetan I have been looking for a long time for a way that I can tell my American friends what being Tibetan is, but without having to make them cry. To read this book they do not have to be Buddhist or know about Tibet or anything about the Dalai Lama. I gave a copy to my best friend and now she is more of a Tibetan activist than I am. And she bought one for her friend who said it inspired her in her work for homeless children in South America so I was very happy. This book is really a kind of miracle for us and I am so grateful that it gives me a way that I can talk about Tibet with my friends for the first time and they enjoy the book very much. I think every Tibetan and every supporter of Tibet in all of America needs to buy this book. We appreciate the funny and clever work of this author very much.

A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World is an amazing book.

Ostensibly a book about a woman (author Isabel Losada) who decides to do something to help the people of Tibet (the Chinese should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to that peaceful country!), A Beginner's Guide is a book for anyone who longs to LIVE life to its fullest. It's a book for people who yearn for adventures, yet never take the first step toward making them happen.

It isn't just for people interested in Buddhism, either. It's a fun-to-read, inspiring book that anyone, of any religious faith, could embrace and enjoy.

Written in a breezy conversational style, A Beginner's Guide is a tale told wonderfully and joyfully. It recounts Ms. Losada's adventures in Tibet, revealing a side to that country's people the Chinese don't usually let people see. If you'd like to see Tibet, but don't have the time or money (or government permission) to go there, A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World is the next best thing.

I wholeheartedly embrace Ms. Losada's desire to help the people of Tibet. I think what happened (and is happening) in that country is just as terrible as anything that happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany. A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World is one woman's attempt to come to grips with the enormity of the situation and to do something about it. (And you'll never believe what kind of things she dreams up to do about it!)

But, again, this book is not heavy-handed or dire. This is one of the most joyful and positive books I've come across in a long time.

I strongly recommend Isabel Losada's book A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World.