Tears of Blood: A Cry For Tibet [Paperback]

Mary Craig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

From the author of Kundun , a powerful work that reveals the true horrors behind Chinas liberation of Tibet. . Since 1959, when China claimed power over this tiny mountain nation, more than one million Tibetans are believed to have perished by starvation, execution, imprisonment, and abortive uprisings. Many thousands more, including their spiritual and political leader, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, have been driven into exile. The country has been systematically colonized, so that indigenous inhabitants are now a second-class minority. Not only are Tibetans being squeezed out by Chinese settlers, but there are reports of Tibetan women being forcibly sterilized and of healthy full-term babies being killed at birth. Thousands of Tibetans languish in prison and suffer appalling torture. Rich mineral resources have been plundered and the delicate ecosystem devastated. Buddhism, the life blood of Tibet, has been ruthlessly suppressed. Mary Craig tells the story of Tibet with candor and power. Based upon extensive research and interviews with large numbers of refugees now living in exile in India, this book presents four decades of religious persecution, environmental devastation, and human atrocities that have caused Tibetans to weep tears of blood.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A necessary look at the heartbreaking story of a culture now on the verge of extinction....[A] powerful testament to fifty years of suffering." -- St. Petersburg Times

About the Author

A former journalist and broadcaster, Mary Craig is the author of many books, including Kundun, a critically acclaimed biography of the Dalai Lama's family. She lives in Hampshire, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582431027
• ISBN-13: 978-1582431024
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth about Tibet and China, October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tears of Blood : A Cry for Tibet (Hardcover)

This is a must read book. As the west invites the China that Mao created to share in the wealth and the market place it is ever more important to understand the brutality and ruthlessness of the current Chineese government.

This book presents a clear and well documented look at the atrocities that have been inflicted on the Tibeten People in the name of official Chineese "liberation". 1.5 million bodies or 1/5 of the tibetan population from killings, starvation and brutal torture are all spelled out. Most of the dead are buddists and therefore do not believe in a response by violence.

If you like your facts in glossed over versions check out the movies 7 years in Tibet, or Little Budda or the best of the bunch, Kun Dun.

For an well written and easy read of the whole horrible truth of a genocide that picks up where Hitler left off.This terrible situations continues to this day and this book is a must read.

As a nation we have to understand the monster that is the truth of the Chinnese Government and this book tells it all. You'll read this and then run to your nearest word processor to write your congressman and demand that before we allow China any more of the fruits of the free and capitalist system they have to change their stance on respect for human rights. This country has not only attempted to distroy a people but they are trying to human spirit in Tibet.

Want more, run a search on Tibet and take a visit to the official web site of the Tibetan Government In Exile. But what ever you do do not ignore this book.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand China, Ask a Tibetan, September 24, 2000

By 

Joe Mickey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tears of Blood : A Cry for Tibet (Hardcover)

China is now the newest trading partner for America. This bookand "In Exile from the Land of Snows" by John Avedon offer agreat deal of understanding tho the nature of the Government ofChina. If you are planning to do business or just buy the "Madein China" Label you should want to understand where much of yourinvestment goes and the horrors that your dollars pay for. This is nota read that will leave you unmoved. You will want to know more...Another Video to see is a chinese and Tibetan language film "Windhorse" Very accurate when compared to the other histories listed above and current news reports out of Tibet. For more on Tibet visit the website of the Tibetan Government in Exile at www.tibet.com or for a beginners introduction to Tibet visit www.tibetanphotoproject.com and then come back and get this book. Reading this book is a worthwhile journey in today's global marketplace.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative and concise! Compassionate and moving!, January 8, 2000

By 

April Richards (Mendocino, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tears of Blood : A Cry for Tibet (Hardcover)

Mary Craig's Tears of Blood is a masterful account of a history long overlooked and disregarded by the international community, the history of 20th century China's brutal invasion and occupation of Tibet. Ms. Craig has gone even further than most to support the struggles of the Tibetan people, refuting point by point the standard line of the Chinese government, "Tibet has always been a part of China." A must read for anyone even remotely interested in human rights or Tibetan independence.