Very Readable Essential Reading
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As a member of the reading public who is not a Tibet expert I found this fantastically well researched history hugely informative and surprisingly readable. Having read 'Freedom in Exile' (HH the D.L's autobiography) first this detailed history was more possible to follow and gave me greater understanding of the Chinese perspective. The most memorable section of the book for me is learning how the world did absolutely nothing when China walked into a country unable to defend itself. The British Government was particularly pathetic in her refusal to stand up to China and was guilty of gross hypocrisy in having seemingly forgotten a former relationship with an independent Tibet. Hugely important reading. Well worth the effort of 448 pages.
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Excellent, but some quibbles
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A much-needed account of Tibet's tragic history since the Chinese invasion. Meticulously reseached and organised, it is especially strong on the political battle of wills between the Chinese and Tibetans in the uneasy period up to 1959 and on the bravery of the Panchen Lama in the 60s and 70s. As someone who has visited Tibet and read a number of books on its past, this has come as a welcome infusion of balance and objectivity. And now the quibbles. The author's grimly unsentimental style is at a particular disadvantage in the dry episodes dealing with the United Nations. And, while his objectivity is largely to be commended, little or no mention is made of the well-documented and routinely brutal treatment of Tibetan prisoners. Instead the author merely talks about 'paramilitary measures'. The methods used by the police and army in Tibet seem to me to be germane to a history of the region. The maps at the front of the book, while useful, do not appear to have been prepared with the text in mind. So many of the towns, villages and regions mentioned by the author simply do not appear on the maps. Finally there should have been a short chapter explaining a little about what Tibet was like before 1949. However, I'm quibbling here. To use a reviewers' cliche - this should become the standard text, if it isn't already.
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A very comprehensive study of modern Tibet
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This book provides a very comprehensive and thought-provoking review of the situation in Tibet. Whilst written from the perspective of one of the Tibetans who left Tibet, the author is at pains to balance his perspective, taking into account and explaining the position of the Chinese government where ever possible. He illustrates the fact that the argument is never as simple as any of the main protagonists seek to paint it. He explains the issues briefly, but effectively, and then chronicles and explains the events well, not being afraid to voice his opinion where they are called for. The research involved is formidable, but he does not use it to overwhelm the reader, but to illuminate the narrative. The only problem with the book is understanding the first few chapters, as the book launches into a discussion of Tibetan politics in the period up to the Chinese invasion (or resumption of control) without any real attempt to explain any of the terms used. For example, it took me several pages to work out what the Norbulingka is/was. As a novice to Tibetan politics a foreword or better footnotes would have been useful. The editor could have also done a bit more with the prose style, which is a bit stilted in parts. These criticisms are, however, minor in terms of the book as a whole. It is very good as a place to start to understand the complexity of the issues involved in modern Tibet, either as the basis for further study or just to understand why the situation is as it is. To paraphrase the old cliche 'If you buy only one book on Tibet, make it this one.' A worthy and compelling read.
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