Customer Reviews

Tibet-o-Rama

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tibet-O-Rama is a very refreshing book whose author is not afraid to blur the genres of ethnography and personal memoir (after all, Klieger shows, aren't our interests and observations informed by who we are?!). The protagonist, Eric, has a passion for Tibet -- is it just another case of the Westerner's Orientalist gaze/desire, or is it devoted political activism...or both? There is much to be learned here about those who readily give and receive aid, about the dilemmas that face those born with everything and those born with nothing, and about the commonalities they share.

Tibet-O-Rama by cultural anthropologist P. Christiaan Klieger (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco) is the recollections of a professional and personal life intertwined with the amazing beauty and rich culture that characterizes the nation of Tibet. From 1978 to the present day, and encompassing the paradox of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan exiles, Tibet-O-Rama is a wonderfully presented ethnographical and historical work celebrating the author's admiration and appreciation for Tibet, its people, and their courage in spite of all of the social and political dilemmas they face.

Tibet-O-Rama is a journey into the unfurling and weaving of the intricate vine of personality and character a person is. Each revelation a window into the puzzle components that mold an ever-evolving dynamic human being. I see Eric as a never stagnant, always changing-morphing person. There is never really an end to growing, for new information affects perspective. Eric's quest is revealed through a quilt of lived experiences, deep and honest, but never crass, and Eric sustains humor, integrating and learning about life. Eric's experiences touched me, made me laugh, feel the sadness and frustrations, and joy. His honesty, reminded me we are not alone, we all share in the journey of self-growth and awareness of life.