For Tibet with Love by Isabel Losada

About the Author

Isabel Losada was born in the United States and has dual British and American nationality. She is a writer and journalist. Her first published work is New Habits - published interviews with today's woman who have chosen to be a nun as a vocation.

About the Book

Isabel becomes obsessed with the injustice of Chinese occupation of Tibet since learning about the invasion in 1950. The book documents her efforts to join the exiled Tibetans at demonstration, rallies and sponsored sky dives to raise money for the cause. She eventually travels to Tibet for 14 days and during this short stay manages to negotiate her entrance through a security cordon to have a personal meeting with the Dalai Lama.

The Review

Rob said that although the book would not have been his choice he did enjoy reading it. He went on to describe his own experience of Tibet and his altitude sickness that he experienced He has also been to a vigil outside the Chinese Embassy. Although he quite enjoyed the book he found it was over long and he also questioned the credibility of some of the 'facts' that had been included as it was quite apparent that Isabel is a writer of creative non-fiction. Steve said that he quite enjoyed the book and also questioned what parts were fiction. He wondered when it was that she met with the Dalai Lama. There were interesting anecdotes and also the explanation of needing the Chinese perspective to negotiate. It was stressed that the Dalai Lama does not want independence but wants autonomy. It was also refreshing to have articulated how the different organisations associated with causes operate in different ways and pull in different directions. Rolf said that he read '7 years in Tibet' which is an autobiographical account of the experiences of an Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harre 1944 - 1951. He wrote to Heinrich and had a letter back. He did not manage to read 'For Tibet with love'. The fact that she was in Tibet for a mere two weeks took some talent and with that comes slight disbelief although if she did obtain and audience then this took some talent. The Dalai Lama and his spiritual teachings deserve to be listened to. Mary enjoyed the book and liked the explanations. She was dismayed that so many charities exist only to raise funds to subsidise their own existence. Most of the group were humbled by the way such an insignificant person got to see the Dalai Lama , her curiosity new no bounds and there were no inner boundaries. Overall the group felt that it raised awareness but was not life changing.

The choices for this week:

The Man in the High Castle - Philip K Dick

House Mother Normal - BS Johnson

Christie Malry's Own Double Entry - BS Johnson

Mort - Terry Pratchett