Tibet's War of Peace [Perfect Paperback]

Dennis Cusack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 2008

In September 1987, a meeting between the Dalai Lama and members of the United States Congress triggered mass demonstrations in Tibet, which resulted in the murder of unarmed Tibetan protesters in front of Western witnesses and the birth of an international movement to free Tibet from Chinese rule. Over two hundred Tibet support groups have formed in fifty countries, committed to helping Tibetans regain their freedom. People from all walks of life have taken up the cause, from movie stars to office secretaries, conservative politicians to environmental activists. In Tibet's War of Peace, Dennis Cusack tells the story of the people and events behind the world's best-known but least understood contemporary nonviolent campaign. Cusack describes its evolution, its philosophical foundation, and its political realities. He concludes with a provocative vision of its possible future. "Tibet's War of Peace fills a big gap in Tibet's recent history and provides the reader a clear sense of where the question of Tibet stands today. It is a must-read for all Tibetans, including Tibetan government officials in Dharamsala, members of Tibet support groups, and the average person interested in keeping abreast of what is happening with the Tibetan situation. . . . While it recognizes the real difficulties and challenges faced by the Tibetans, it is upbeat about Tibet's future." Phintso Thonden, former representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dennis Cusack is a lawyer and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently Co-Chair of the International Tibet Network, and a Board Member of Tibet Justice Center.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Brown Door Publishing; 1st edition (January 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979998700
• ISBN-13: 978-0979998706
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,768,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great timing!, March 17, 2008

By 

Catherine Wilson (Medford, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tibet's War of Peace (Perfect Paperback)

This book comes out at a perfect time. If you want to understand why Tibetans are protesting against Chinese oppression, if you want to understand why China does not want the international community to know about its inhumane treatment of Tibetans and the determination of the Chinese government to wipe out Tibetan culture, you need to read this book. Cusack goes back to the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the subsequent escape of the Dalai Lama to India and details the ups and downs of Tibetan efforts for the world to recognize their plight. He also outlines the emergence of the Dalai Lama as a spokesman for nonviolent protest and as a spiritual leader, not only of Tibetans, but of people all over the world.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful primer on Tibet - history, the freedom movement, current events, and ... hope, June 10, 2008

By 

Charles E. Thurston "Gene, to friends" (Kensington, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tibet's War of Peace (Perfect Paperback)

For nearly sixty years, China has pursued a policy of subduing Tibet by outlawing traditional Tibetan Buddhist practices, suppressing political freedom, overwhelming local populations with ethnic Chinese settlers, destroying historic buildings and institutions, and exploiting natural resources.

Yet the Tibetan identity and desire for independence have not been crushed. Cusack sees hope for freedom in united action, both within and outside of Tibet. Success will come with fostering a "new level of organization and leadership" in the government in exile, coordinating the efforts of Tibet support groups, and perhaps most important, reaching out to the hearts and minds of the Chinese people. Eloquently and systematically, Cusack builds his case that Tibetans and Chinese share the same needs and desires. Promoting common goals - freedom of speech, religion, and association; free elections, more transparent government, and comprehensive social services - is a crucial precursor for change.

5.0 out of 5 stars Tibet's War of Peace: A Timely History for Tibet and the World, April 27, 2008

By 

john "Tibet Supporter" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tibet's War of Peace (Perfect Paperback)

Cusack's book recounts some twenty years of how Tibetans and Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) from around the world have worked to educate presidents, ministers, religious leaders and common citizens about the China's invasion and occupation of Tibet.

His story is compelling, inciting moral outrage in its narration of the Chinese government's half-century of occupation and their attempts to marginalize Tibetans in their own land. Using hundreds of interviews with the movement's devoted campaigners, Cusack chronicles how TSGs have worked in support of the courage and resilience of Tibetans as they seek to preserve and restore their culture and religion, and to shape their own destiny.

The book's substantive detail is matched by its spare writing style. In this regard, Cusack succeeds in writing a book for a global audience -- even if English is not your first language, you will be able to follow much of this book. In addition, the final chapter provides a compelling articulation of the challenges that the Dalai Lama, Tibetans in Tibet and in exile, and the TSGs face as they try to maintain a movement seeking "genuine autonomy" for a people who, even after more than fifty years, through courage and resilience, refuse to give up hope.

Given the recent and on-going events that have been brought to light about how the Chinese government and the Communist Party continue to subject Tibetans to their authoritarian regime, there is not book more timely in its substance and its broad audience as Cusack's "Tibet's War of Peace.