Born in Lhasa [Paperback]

Namgyal Lhamo Taklha (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 2001

It is a fabulous account of the old traditions of her culture and the inspiring strength with which she faced her own personal struggles and the loss of the world she knew as a child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this touching, amiable and undemanding autobiography, Namgyal Lhamo Taklha, sister-in-law of the Dalai Lama, recounts her childhood in Tibet in the 1940s before the Chinese invasion as well as her life's chapters in India, Switzerland, the United States and back to India. As a student, refugee, translator, highly placed government health-care professional and consultant in Hollywood (for Scorsese on Kundun), Taklha surely appreciates the truth that life is change, an understanding embraced by her fellow Buddhists. Likely the greatest value of this work is in its detailed portrait of the veritably irreclaimable world of Tibet before Chinese occupation: the sights, smells, rituals and landscape of a precious culture now largely lost save through captured memories such as these. Taklha does not trade deeply on her in-law status to His Holiness, and readers yearning for intimate family glimpses of the 14th and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be disappointed. Although he is present in this narrative, he is cherished, revered and distant. Heir to two distinguished Tibetan lineages, Taklha's story is her own, filled with the twists and turns and triumphs that few experience on this grand scale of politics, spirituality, geography and grace.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Isolated, defenseless, and underpopulated, Tibet attracts the compassion of the world because China is intent upon destroying it as a nation and a culture and has been populating it with Han settlers. Many Tibetans have fled to northern India, Bhutan, and Nepal. Taklha, the wife of an older brother of the Dalai Lama, lived in Tibet as a child, fled to India with her family when the Chinese seized power, and has since worked for the Tibetan government-in-exile and various refugee groups. Well written and informative, the book is filled with the details of daily life in Tibet and in the refugee communities where Tibetan culture and nationhood are preserved. The author is a sympathetic observer of people, and her affection for her countryfolk and many others shows clearly. The reader will find the Tibetans portrayed here generally hopeful and cheerful in spite of their ongoing hardships. This straightforward, highly readable book will appeal to casual readers, but will also attract scholars interested in the author's history. Recommended for both public and academic libraries. James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications (May 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559391022
• ISBN-13: 978-1559391023
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,517,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tibetan life in the 20th century revealed, August 16, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born in Lhasa (Paperback)

Tibetan life in the 20th century is revealed by a woman who recreates life in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, revealing personal and public activities and lives and recounting the author's journey around the world. Taklha lived in the old Tibet, saw it change under the hands of the Chinese, and experienced its restoration in her life. Born In Lhasa, her compelling autobiography is moving.

5.0 out of 5 stars An intimate view on a lost culture..., June 9, 2011

By 

Chime Nangchen (Hackettstown, NJ, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Born in Lhasa (Paperback)

I am priviledged to know Namgyal Lhamo-la and recommend this personal narrative of her life and society to all those who love Tibet. The culture into which Namlha-la is one of grace and beauty and readers will be whisked away to her world as page after page leads them into the lanes and byways of a lost Tibet. We also grieve with her as her family seeks to reinvent themselves after the Chinese takeover of Tibet forces them to take refuge in one country after another. An essential for students of Asian cultures and friends of Tibet everywhere!