The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering [Paperback]

Melvyn C. Goldstein (Author), William R. Siebenschuh (Author), Tashi Tsering (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This captivating autobiography by a Tibetan educator and former political prisoner is full of twists and turns. Born in 1929 in a Tibetan village, Tsering developed a strong dislike of his country's theocratic ruling elite. As a 13-year-old member of the Dalai Lama's personal dance troupe, he was frequently whipped or beaten by teachers for minor infractions. A heterosexual, he escaped by becoming a drombo, or homosexual passive partner and sex-toy, for a well-connected monk. After studying at the University of Washington, he returned to Chinese-occupied Tibet in 1964, convinced that Tibet could become a modernized society based on socialist, egalitarian principles only through cooperation with the Chinese. Denounced as a "counterrevolutionary" during Mao's Cultural Revolution, he was arrested in 1967 and spent six years in prison or doing forced labor in China. Officially exonerated in 1978, Tsering became a professor of English at Tibet University in Lhasa. He now raises funds to build schools in Tibet's villages, emphasizing Tibetan language and culture. Written with Goldstein, head of Case Western Reserve's anthropology department, and Siebenschuh, a Case English professor, this unusual autobiography valiantly suggests a middle way between authoritarian Chinese rule and a return to Tibet's old order. Photos.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The considerable value of Tashi's briskly told life story is that it complicates our view of modern Tibet. Born in a Tibetan village in 1929, Tashi wrested the opportunity to study in India and the United States before returning to China in 1964 against the advice of his friends. A freethinking liberal and patriot, he mistrusted the Tibetan government-in-exile and naively viewed the Chinese occupation as an opportunity to modernize his tradition-bound homeland. But he was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution and prevented from returning to Tibet until 1981, when he finally got a university job teaching English. His is a harrowing but remarkably unbitter story with a happy ending for him, if not for Tibet. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.?Steven I. Levine, Boulder Run Research, Hillsborough, N.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: East Gate Book (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765605090
• ISBN-13: 978-0765605092
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > History > Asia > Tibet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering (Hardcover)

I finished reading this book in 3 consecutive nights. Fascinating account of a 10-year-old boy becoming a member of the Dalai Lama's personal dance troupe as a tax obligation; how the boy grew up, worked for the exiled noble Tibetan leadership, and eventually became a Red Guard--this is the first time I've learned that there are many Tibetan red guards during the Cultural Revolution, the reasons why these Tibetans try to better their old serf-noble society, and why they joined the misguided Cultural Revolution. At the end I can't help but feel utmost respect for Mr. Tsering. Even though he's made mistakes, he freely admits to them. The amount of trauma he has gone through in his life is beyond what many people can take, yet he perseveres. Now I fully support his goal: establishing schools in Tibet for the Tibetan children. Bravo, Mr. Tsering. I hope someday this life story will be made into a movie. It will be much more intelligent than 7 Years In Tibet. Instead! of a fluff story about the "dumb natives", here is one intelligent, complex Tibetan.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tibet--Not just the land of monks, nomads and Austrians!, February 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering (Hardcover)

Finally a book that treats Tibet as a nation and a people in history and not just a land of changeless Buddhism and nomads! The book was dropped quietly from the publisher/distributor Snow Lion after initial fan-fare when it was discovered that this Tibetan author, though fervently pro-Tibet, was equally fervent against the rule of the Dge-lugspa (the Dalai Lama's sect), and he describes in detail what he had to suffer as a member of the Dalai Lama's personal dance troup. Kudos to Tashi Tsering for telling his incredible story!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a poignant autobiography of a non-Buddhist Tibetan., July 10, 1998

By 

Steven Mattes ([e-mail]) (Pacifica, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering (Hardcover)

Tashi Tsering was born a Tibetan peasant but realized early in life that he wanted an education and was able to attain this in India and America. As a young Tibetan patriot and idealist he went to China in the l960s believing that Communism could actually be a help to his country. Instead he spent many years of suffering and deprivation in Chinese jails and internal exile. Ultimately he was set free to open schools in Tibet. Fascinating to read, this book's broader lesson is about the interplay of power between the communists, the Tibetan peasants, and the Tibetan aristochracy (who want all power for themselves) and the Buddhist church hierarchy.