Customer Reviews

Tibet, Tibet

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Near the beginning of this book, while describing the inordinate amount of media and celebrity attention Tibet has received in recent years, Patrick French writes a funny line that I think captures the essence of why he wrote this part history/part travelogue/part memoir: "[The attention] made me recall the days when you had to say `Lhasa, the capital of Tibet,' in the same way you might say, `Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.'"

Tibet was once a place of remoteness to Westerners; today, it seems all too familiar to them, at least superficially. Its spiritual leader, its religion, and even some of its fashions are now widely recognized by many Europeans and Americans. Celebrities seem to fall hard for its causes. As a long-time advocate for Tibet, French, in some ways, assisted in this process and his book is something of a reassessment in how he looks at the place that is at once so familiar to many, yet remains widely misunderstood.

"Tibet, Tibet" is ostensibly about French's return to the Himalayan land to rediscover the place and people that have fascinated him since his teenage years. But along with personal observations made while traveling, he mixes in a good deal of Tibetan history, interviews with both prominent and unknown Tibetans, and, of course, large sections on the country that has dominated Tibet for most of the modern era: China. French writes in a discursive style, occasionally returning to subjects he has already covered to further elaborate on them.

The author is a man approaching middle-age who is revising his youthful views on Tibet and making the inevitable mental compromises that the young do not make. But this is not an angry repudiation or even mournful elegy of his former views; this is a mature work. While his love for Tibet and its people are still obvious, French now seems to realize that many of the causes he once advocated are so far removed from the reality that Tibetans must deal with everyday that those causes have become unhelpful to them.

This is not to say that French seeks to downplay what has happened to the Tibetans. His descriptions of what the Chinese (as well as the British and Americans) have done to Tibet are about as subtle as a punch to the stomach. But he now knows that the destinies of Tibet and China are tied together, and that it no longer makes sense to speak of a "Free Tibet" without speaking of a "Free China".

I read this book after a short trip to Lhasa, during which time I did a more limited and amateur version of what French has done in this book. As a college student I was familiar with the activist youth groups that have become standard fare on all U.S. campuses. As a student of East Asian studies I was also familiar with the Chinese counter-claims with respect to Tibet. When the opportunity presented itself to me I went to judge for myself. While there I reached a similar conclusion that French did during his own travels through China and Tibet. Suffice it to say that French is dismayed by both sides. The Chinese are not telling the truth, we all knew this, but neither are the Tibetans in exile and their Tibetophile Western cohorts a trustworthy source from which to base opinion from. French is under no delusion, horrible things happened in Tibet, especially during the Cultural Revolution, and there are still shady happenings going on in Tibet. The thing to remember, and the thing that French has laudably included in this work, is that similar things, and sometimes worse things, happened in China at the same time, and a "Free Tibet" is not possible without a free China. In this way French may anger many of those in the Free Tibet camp by forever linking the destiny of Tibetans with that of the nation of China. French even surprised me by speculating that perhaps the Western activist movement (A movement which French himself is, or at least was, involved in)has actually hurt, rather than helped the Tibetans, an opinion that had also started to form in my mind before reading this book. All in all I can say without a doubt that this is probably the best book written yet on the political and social conditions regarding Tibet and the Free Tibet Movement. My only problem with the work is that it was not longer.

This book operates on three levels - as a historical text that links the current Tibet back to its historical roots, as a travelogue that describes the author's journey through Tibet, the places he goes through, the sights he sees, &, finally, as journalistic interviews of seemingly ordinary people but who historically, or in the current context, represent a section of people who have shaped Tibet.

Together these three approaches create a very coherent & complete picture of Tibet both socio-politically within Chinese borders as well as in the world outside, particularly the West. French also seems to be a cogent analyst of events, & his objectivity comes across many-a-time when he discusses issues like the political lameness of the "Free Tibet" movement in the west, the Dalai Lama's political failures to take advantage of certain Chinese overtures in the past, & Tibet's own societal ideologies in the latter part of the second millenium that contributed to its fall to China.

And luckily, because histories mingle, this is also a book on China, the Cultural Revolution & its horrors, Chairman Mao's rise to power, his ruthless version of communism & other Chinese political currents & customs.

Overall, a most informative & analytical book - one that'll help the interested reader appreciate the current realities of Tibet holistically.

S!

I have been boning up on Chinese history and culture for nearly a decade now, and am to the point where I consider myself to be relatively well versed. Tibet, on the other hand, has always been rather hazy; informed by the Heinrich Harrer novel, a book on Tibetan Buddhism by Sogyal Rinpoche, and a rather short visit there. That is, until I read Patrick French's book. And what a book it is.

After years of idealizing the remote land and its culture and inhabitants, Mr. French (a Tibetophile and former head of a Free Tibet organization) finally allows his powers of perception to override preconceptions based on an archtype lodged deep within the recesses of his Western psyche. The conclusions he comes to (via investigation and a great deal of research) are sobering, if not chilling.

What makes this book exceptional is its layers and levels. There's a lot of information here (I read it twice) and it makes for a very unique travel narrative. Think Tibetans are a non-violent people? Read their history. Believe Buddhists to be a sagacious lot of semi-divine beings? Think again. Western leaders are going to stand up to China any day now, aren't they? The author provides us with an overview of their sorry efforts to date. Not even the Dalai Lama, who French interviews (and deeply respects) is exempt from the writer's newly found (compassionate) scrutiny. This is a vastly engaging book; one that says as much about China as Tibet and the odd, uninformed way the West views the world.

Troy Parfitt, author of Why China Will Never Rule the World

This book combines French's clandestine and seemingly aborted (given Chinese surveillance) visit to Tibet in 1999 with a history and a context that brings into focus, more clearly and therefore more shockingly, the cultural destruction perpetrated in the name of Communism by the Chinese. The history is eye-glazing too often, but the personal encounters keep you reading regardless of too much diplomatic and biographical digression. French labors to demystify this realm, and his careful discussions span the whole variety of Tibetans caught within the grasp of a far more mighty and relentless regime, bent on obliterating what they do not contort to meet the expectations of a still-romanticized tourist trade. As he admits, no admirer of Tibet can fully abandon the romance that accompanies our visions of this land, but his book does separate what has been called the "mind's Tibet" from the considerably more broken and compromised real land and its people and its heritage.

French is too smart to gloss over the poverty that the some more well-intentioned Communists originally sought to eradicate when they overthrew the largely-feudal theocracy. He interviews an original member of such a delegation, and gives him as much a fair hearing as he does, in an unforgettably poignant scene, the account of an Amdo nomad who saw--in a single day--his land invaded and the outnumbered Tibetan warriors who rode against the People's Army's guns massacred. After one day, there was no more war, only guerrilla resistance that French shows was abandoned and left, without the US assistance promised, to be at the mercy of the Chinese. He interviews those remnants of the lower caste who cleaned the Potala, the fading few indigenous Muslims who had been there at least since the 12th century, and--over and over--those who have been broken by Chinese torture and imprisonment. His account of Tibet's fate in the Cultural Revolution and Mao's eagerness to "bombard the Headquarters" while "Maoists" marched in Paris in the same 1968 makes for grim comparison between Western naivete and Eastern pragmatism, perhaps the opposite of usual stereotypes.

He also, as a leading activist, takes on "Dalaidolatry" and how the current Dalai Lama has, perhaps unwittingly, been exploited by greedy book ghostwriters and failed to control the royalties and the rights that should have accrued. He even-handedly considers the failure of political rebellion against the Chinese and the impossiblity of changing Tibet for the better without changing China, and how the latter must precede the former, perhaps in another regime change in the future. Meanwhile, his prognosis is sobering: India will not let the exile government of Tibet last long after the current Dalai's demise, French predicts. China does not deep down care what the Tibetans can do to fight back for it is ultimately so little against so great a force. Tibet remains a backwater assignment for Chinese cadres, and ironically Tibetans who have chosen to collaborate can also guardedly gain in small amounts a better life for their compatriots, given the lack of power Tibet has.

Realpolitik has given the real Tibet little hope. "The Mind's Tibet" may have occupied a higher profile outside in the West, but practically it has achieved just a little in tangible human rights or political leverage. Recent events since this book have only confirmed French's conclusions that the West is only too happy to favor Chinese trade over Tibetan aspirations. In both Asian lands, the people still suffer in the name of a regime that claims to alleviate their long-inflicted pangs.

I hope readers who reliably buy the lavishly photographed and sumptuously presented displays of Tibet's terrain and heritage and read Buddhist popularizations of doctrine will also promote this book as a necessary, if dispiriting, antidote of the Real Tibet that should counteract too much that is peddled for the Mind's Tibet. In a better world, this book would provoke outrage and foment change against the Chinese regime. In our compromised condition, still, French's message of facing the reality that Tibet may not survive the depredations of the past half-century demand more than armchair reading or contemplative reverie.

Tibet, Tibet is the best possible book to read for anyone interested in Tibet. It goes beyond being a travel guide in its capacity as travel journal. It goes beyond being a collection of biographies in its capacity as the vehicle for many people's life stories. It goes beyond being a historical treatise in its function as a relayer of events from Tibet's past. In truth, it is all these things, but improved with considerable humor, warmth, good writing, detail and any number of similar virtues. It is pleasant to read, entirely informative, moving and outlook-changing. It is excellent. Perhaps its most powerful and useful feature is its revision of the traditional view of Chairman Mao. The book reminds and awakens the reader to the truth of the 20th century's greatest mass-murderer.
This book is admirable for its lack of false sentiment, its honesty without romanticizing. A true picture of Tibet, not an ideal.
Buy it.

It's very clear after reading this book that the author loves Tibet and its people. The book is part travelogue and part history, with the emphasis on the travel throughout the country. We get "up close and personal" with many of the Tibetan citizens, and the author examines how the people are adjusting to living under the domination of the Chinese. The travel scenes are very well written, and the stark beauty and fearful danger of the country comes out in every sentence. For those of us who will never travel to this exotic spot,this book is a welcome read, for we learn much about the country and its people.

Just finished this fascinating book. Arguably, it appears to be the most honest (i.e., authentic) book on Tibet that I've yet read. The author shares his journey into modern Tibet and provides interviews the numerous people he mets. He examines the evils of the communist takeover, including the horrors perpetrated upon millions of innocent souls by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other monsters.

Consistent with ethical authors who are concerned with reporting facts, rather than to create propaganda to support their own view, French tells it like it is - including such things as the flawed policies of the American government to support the communists in pursuit of the almighty dollar, rather than standing up for the freedom of those (i.e., Tibetans) oppressed by the communists. Richard Nixon's visits to China were discussed and Henry Kissinger's vile actions were simply unconscionable.

While it is clearly evident that the author has a long history of supporting the Tibetan cause, he also discusses problems inherent with the Tibetan government-in-exile that have aggravated their own cause. Sadly, the author maintains that the mistakes that have already been made will not be resolved until the massive problems within the Chinese (not Tibetan) regime are toppled.

I would highly recommend this book to those interested in this topic.

This book is by Patrick French. A theme of the book is that the real Tibet is not like the Tibet of the mind (what we probably imagine Tibet to be). This was certainly true for me.

I have always been somewhat fascinated with the idea of Tibet - sort of like Shangri-La to me - until Mao got involved, at least. All those peaceful Buddhists and all that.

Well, the facts are a little different. Tibet wasn't all that peaceful before Mao arrived, and it was really a bad place after that and until fairly recently, it seems. Mao really caused some bad things there. The Tibetans have my sympathy.

As an aside, I remember an episode from the Honeymooner's (1950's TV) where Ralph Kramden (the main character) reads aloud from a newspaper about a new road from Tibet to Mongolia. Sounded like a good deal. Well, Mao came as part of that bargain - if indeed the road was not made up for the program.

The Dali Lama is shown in a sympathetic light, but not as perfect by any means. Of course, events were not totally in his control to say the least.

I liked the book, except for one or two things. The book is written as a travelogue interspersed with historical background; this usually worked for me, but didn't in some places. The author suddenly is in the middle of nowhere in western China when the book really gets started. It is a bit disjointed at times. Also, the historical background sometimes goes on so long and gets a little off topic based on where the author is at that point, that one can get a little lost at times. Not fatal flaws, but there could have been better editing here and there.

The author did a good job overall. Give it a try.

I will probably not do justice to the author since my choice of words and phrases are limited, unlike his. This is a very touching book. It is heartrending to read just the few instances of Tibetan suffering that French mentions. It also makes me very afraid for Chinese people because nothing much seems to have changed from the scenes described in the book in China, except for income. Money cannot make-up for lack of freedom; at least not in the long run.

I also felt that French goes overboard in some of his interpretations of his subjects. He also has strong opinion over smaller issues like where he says the Tibetan Government (in exile) does not receive royalty from books written by the Dalai Lama - I am sure one big donation from one of his (Dalai Lama's) patrons would be worth many times what the royalties would have contributed.

Anyway, you need to read the book not just if you are a Tibetophile, but as a human being, as a global citizen. I would like to reproduce a quote from the book, by Dalai Lama in 1959:
"There are two great forces in the world today," he said. "One is the force of the people with power, with armies to enforce their power, and with a land to recruit their armies from. The other is the force of the poor and dispossessed. The two are in perpetual conflict, and it is certain who will lose ...Unless this is changed, the world will perish. Therefore every poet, every religious man, every political leader, should fight against this division till he dies." There you go - despondency and hope (that the fight will change it) in one paragraph!