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Learning to Breathe: One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival [Hardcover]

Alison Wright , Dalai Lama
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 14, 2008
A searing and uplifting account of one woman’s spiritual journey from surviving a terrible accident to a triumphant ascent of Kilimanjaro

On the second day of this century, world- renowned photojournalist Alison Wright was traveling on a windy mountain road in Laos when the bus she was riding in collided with a logging truck and was severed in half. As Alison waited for help to arrive—in excruciating pain and believing she was moments from death—she drew upon her years of meditation practice and concentrated on every breath as if it were her last.

Learning to Breathe is an extraordinary spiritual memoir about the will to survive. After the bus collision, Alison spent fourteen hours without proper medical attention (her arm was first sewn up by a boy with a needle and thread) and endured months of surgeries and grueling physical therapy. She struggled to remain positive while doctors discouraged her from expecting a return to her previous life. Never one to accept defeat, Alison set herself a goal: to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Alison did climb Kilimanjaro, reaching the summit on the morning of her fortieth birthday. Gasping for air once again, she stood at the highest point in Africa, thankful for every moment she’d had since the accident and determined to never again take one single breath for granted. Bringing the story full circle, she retraces her steps in Laos to thank those who helped her, and she has since resumed traveling the world photographing children and the underprivileged.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Photojournalist Wright has gone to the ends of the earth, including some mountaintops, in a career that has documented the human wonders of the world, especially resilient children and endangered cultures. In this memoir she turns her lens on herself and her own astonishing story. The victim of a horrific bus crash in Laos in 2000, Wright should have died of her grievous injuries. She survived, and in this book retraces the steps of her journey of physical recovery, spiritual development and literal return to the scene of the crash. An Asia enthusiast, the author was led by work and temperament to Buddhism and some of Asia's most compelling Buddhist figures, including Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi and the Dalai Lama, who contributes a foreword. Wright's editors owe this tale of courage and gratitude more respect in the form of harder editing. The author's spiritual insights are fascinating and should have been teased out more. A chapter set in Australia is an interesting but irrelevant sideshow, and chronology is occasionally confusing. This inspiring story deserves a wide audience and better editing. (Aug. 14) ""
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."

Review

“ Alison Wright is a wonder. I’ve known her for years as an extraordinary photographer and a serious meditator, and I thought I knew her story well. I knew nothing. I didn’t know what a profound writer she also is. Her life is one of a true pilgrim and a seeker of truth. It is a life of exploration, devotion, and transformation by fire. There is muscle and tears here, and the fierce flame of inspiration. She’s the real deal.”
—Richard Gere --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 269 pages
  • Publisher: Hudson Street Press (August 14, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594630461
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594630460
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

I will definitely re read it and have recommended it to many. Melanie Henderson  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
It's an incredible survival story. J. Roggow  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and Inspiring! October 26, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Author Alison Wright's book "Learning to Breathe: One Women's Journey of Spirit and Survival" is more than just a personal story - it speaks of the greater self and our ability to find courage and power within. I was truly touched by reading her inspiring story. She takes what happens to her and moves past the pains and the potential hardships and learns something much greater about her own self.

The reader is taken along on this spiritual journey of discovery. Alison is able to communicate her experiences not only in the physical sense of what was happening but also from a point of view that allows the reader to fully sense what she was feeling and thinking. The real story is her inner journey and that is what makes her work so much more powerful.

I bought this book for my older sister to read as a birthday gift and will gift other women in my life with copies as well. I feel that women need to see and read about strong courageous women; and to me, Alison Wright truly represents what a true hero is. She faced her pain and fears and through her will power and determination she met her future dreams with success.

This book is both inspirational and entertaining and will be hard to put down. I read it though in one sitting because I wanted to know the full story and how she came out. The book earns The American Authors Association's highest book rating of FIVE STARS. This book also gets my personal endorsement and fullest recommendations. This book is no doubt one of the top 10 best inspirational books of the last decade.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Fact checking June 1, 2009
Format:Hardcover
I was excited to read this book, having an interest both in adventurous women and Buddhism, however, I have to agree with Publishers Weekly that harder editing would have helped.
I was surprised to read that, during Wright's visit to Wat Pa Ban Tat monastery in Thailand described on pages 93-4, a Thai monk would call Wright a 'bodhisattva.' Thai monks belong to the Theravada tradition that uses the term `bodhisattva' to refer only to the past lives of the Buddha, such as those recounted in the Jataka tales. This is a major distinciton between the Theravada and Mahayana traditions. In the Tibetan Mahahyana tradition, however, that Wright is familiar with, both monastics and lay practitioners are referred to as `bodhisattvas' once they have taken vows to deliver all beings.
Another instance that surprised me occurs on page 209. Wright throws out, "Next stop Uganda, to white-water raft the Zambezi River, in hair-raising class five rapids." The Zambezi certainly doesn't flow anywhere near Uganda. It rises in Zambia about 690 miles southwest of Uganda, and flows south through Angola and Zambia to the border with Zimbabwe, and then east to Mozambique and finally to the Indian Ocean.
Wright is a gifted photgrapher dedicated to humanitarian issues. Her story of determination and courage deserved better editing in general. It is often presented in a style that seemed like a rush from here to there in the pursuit of physical recovery. I wished for more of her insights and development as a Buddhist practitioner, especially on her development of lovingkindness on the path of a bodhisattva.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been so much better! August 14, 2009
Format:Hardcover
This inspiring memoir could have been so much better if the author or her editor knew how to spell, knew the difference between too and two; knew the difference between whose and who's, the difference between better and best, etc. Strange also was her description -- in the third-to-last page of the book -- of finally learning about the death of Alan Guy. And then five pages later, in her Acknowledgments, writing: (Alan, please call me. I still owe you a beer.) Sloppy stories, incorrect geography, incomplete references. Her story of physical survival deserves better.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Amazing life; but....
The truth of the matter is that I wanted the book with the same title; but by Priscilla Warner. Instead, I ended up with this 4 year biography. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Juan Pelotas
4.0 out of 5 stars The BETTER eat, pray, love
"Learning to Breathe" by Alison Wright is a true story about Alison's recovery from a horrific bus accident in Laos, Asia. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Love at First Book
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!!
I must admit, I cheated. I Read the entire book in my local Barnes and Noble. I was glued to the pages, the story, and the fearless courage of this Woman. Read more
Published 9 months ago by sdjames4310
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing. One of the best books I've read
This book has so much wisdom, beauty, reflection and wisdom I wanted to read it slowly to soak it all in. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Melanie Henderson
1.0 out of 5 stars My bad
I ordered this book by mistake. I was looking for a book with the same title but by another author. So I have not read this book yet and not sure that I will soon. Sorry.
Published 17 months ago by Carol
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!
I really enjoyed Ms. Wright's book. She made me feel as if I was with her on her journey. I had trouble putting it down. I wish her well!
Published 17 months ago by 1211
5.0 out of 5 stars Learning to Breath by alision wright
Great read for anyone struggling with a physical tradegy in their life. Make sure you get alision wright because turns out there are 2 books with same title. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Debra A. Schultz
3.0 out of 5 stars Survival by meditation
I'm glad I read this book. It's not what I thought it would be about but I'm glad I read it. This woman's amazing recovery is inspirational for anyone needing hope in times of... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Beachstone
5.0 out of 5 stars Learning to breathe
I think of this as primarily a woman's book. It shows incredible strength and courage and is inspirational for all women.
Published 24 months ago by anna
5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Journey
Amazing memoir/travelogue by the author who survived a near-fatal bus crash in Laos. I enjoyed her well written account of healing through the spirit-mind-body connection. Read more
Published on January 25, 2011 by J. A. Bell
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