Stephan Talty. (2010). Escape from the Land of Snows: The Young Dalai Lama's Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero. Crown.

Stephan Talty. 2010. Escape From the Land of Snows: The Young Dalai Lama's Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero. Crown.

Stephan Talty, Escape From the Land of Snows: The Young Dalai Lama's Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero. Crown, 2010.

Stephan Talty. Escape From the Land of Snows: The Young Dalai Lama's Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero. Crown, 2010.

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creators

1. • role: Author
   • fileAs: Talty, Stephan
   • bioText: Stephen Talty is the award-winning author of Agent Garbo, Empire of Blue Water, and other bestselling works of narrative nonfiction. His books have been made into two films, the Oscar-winning Captain Phillips and Only the Brave. He is also the author of two psychological thrillers, including the New York Times bestseller Black Irish, set in his hometown of Buffalo. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, GQ, and many other publications. Talty now lives outside New York City with his family.
   • name: Stephan Talty

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2010-12-28T00:00:00-05:00

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title

Escape from the Land of Snows

fullDescription

The remarkable true story of the miraculous journey that made the Dalai Lama into the man he is today and sparked the fight for Tibetan freedom
 
“A hair-raising tale of daring and escape.”—The Washington Post
 
In the early weeks of 1959, a bloody uprising gripped the streets of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa as ragtag Tibetan rebels faced off against their Communist Chinese occupiers. Realizing that the impending battle would result in a bloodbath and his own capture, the young Dalai Lama began planning an audacious escape to India, a two-week journey that would involve numerous near-death encounters, a dangerous mountain crossing, and evading thousands of Chinese soldiers who were intent on hunting him down. The journey would transform this naïve young man into one of the world’s greatest statesmen . . . and create an enduring beacon of hope for a nation.
 
Emotionally powerful and irresistibly page-turning, Escape from the Land of Snows is simultaneously a portrait of the inhabitants of a spiritual nation forced to take up arms in defense of their ideals, and the saga of a burgeoning leader who was ultimately transformed into the towering figure the world knows today—a charismatic champion of free thinking and universal compassion.

reviews

1. • premium: False
   • source: Publishers Weekly
   • content:

     "Skillful...Talty has woven a vivid picture of a dangerous journey and a country in crisis."

2. • premium: False
   • source: Kirkus Reviews
   • content: "Riveting, informed...A great read for Tibetophiles old and new."
3. • premium: False
   • source: James Bradley, New York Times bestseller author of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, FLYBOYS, and THE IMPERIAL CRUISE
   • content: "It was perhaps history's most momentous escape: the Dalai Lama fleeing over the roof of the world from Mao's advancing troops. I loved losing myself in ESCAPE FROM THE LAND OF SNOWS and you will too."
4. • premium: False
   • source: Ed Viesturs, 7-Time climber of Mt. Everest and author of NO SHORTCUTS TO THE TOP: CLIMBING THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PEAKS
   • content: "An amazing, behind-the-scenes account that reads like a bound-for-the-big-screen thriller. Talty vividly captures the Tibet I know and have immense respect for -- including its harsh beauty, epic terrain and fiercely resilient people. Reading this, I was completely absorbed as a series of divine prophecies cause a small peasant boy – the future 14th Dalai Lama -- to be chosen to lead his people, and as threats from marauding Chinese occupiers send that same boy, now a young man, on a dangerous gauntlet through the Himalayas. Talty shows in the most compulsively readable way how a champion for peace came by his warrior instincts."
5. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     November 8, 2010
     Drawing from written eyewitness accounts and interviews with survivors, Talty (The Illustrious Dead) describes the events in 1959 that irrevocably altered the future of Tibet. He skillfully moves between protests in Lhasa and the Dalai Lama's escape toward the border, tracing stories of the many people involved. Adding complexity to this narrative are details about CIA support of Tibetans fighting against the Chinese regime, the U.S. role in securing permission for the Dalai Lama's entry into India, and the worldwide media frenzy that shaped the public's perceptions of Tibet. Witness reports include those of the Dalai Lama's mother and brothers, rebels and refugees, members of the CIA's Tibetan Task Force, and former prisoners of the Chinese. From these multiple voices the author has woven a vivid picture of a dangerous journey and a country in crisis. The accompanying analysis provides context for the intricate events that changed the young leader into a "movable Tibet," and an isolated mountain society into an international cause and "a place of the mind."

6. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     October 1, 2010
     

     A riveting, informed narrative about the current Dalai Lama's 14-day escape from Chinese-occupied Tibet in 1959.

     Journalist Talty (The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army, 2009, etc.) uses this remarkable historical event to tell the greater story of Tibet's transformation from a veiled kingdom to a world cause, and the Dalai Lama's coming of age from a teenage king and living god to an international spiritual leader. The author effectively gives the reader an introductory lesson in Tibetan history and a sense of the Tibetan people while maintaining the pace of an adventure tale. The Dalai Lama is always at the center of the story, even in passages told from other points of view, including Tibetan Khampa soldiers and CIA agents. After being discovered as the next Dalai Lama at age two, then struggling with the loneliness and formality of palace life, he ascended the throne early, at 15, upon Mao's invasion. The Tibetan people endured Chinese occupation and escalating brutality for nine more years before a true rebellion emerged in response to a rumor that the Dalai Lama's life was threatened. As his peace-loving people tried to hold off the ensuing Chinese attacks on the palace, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee with plans to establish a provisional government outside the capital. But after days of sandstorms, blinding sun, avalanche blizzards, dysentery and threats of leopard attacks in the 19,000-foot passes of the Himalayas, the Dalai Lama and his group learned that the Chinese were on their trail. The chase was followed by President Eisenhower, protesters worldwide and a colorful cadre of journalists who introduced Tibet to the world, "becoming famous just as it ceased to exist." The Dalai Lama was granted asylum in India, where the he still resides, mournful for Tibet but now able to spread his culture's peace and compassion in ways previously unimaginable.

     A great read for Tibetophiles old and new.

     (COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

7. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     September 15, 2010
     

     In an introduction, 16 chapters, and an epilog, journalist Talty (Empire of Blue Water) covers a great deal of ground: a history of Tibet and its relations with China; how Tibet came to be governed by religious leaders (the 14 Dalai Lamas); the character and experience of the current Dalai Lama; and why China under Chairman Mao decided to fully take over the governance of Tibet (a "province" that China believed it controlled), thus causing the Tibetans (who long believed themselves independent) to rise against Chinese occupation. It's a history of mutual mystification that culminates in the slaughter of one-fifth of the Tibetan population and the exile of thousands more, including the Dalai Lama. Talty writes very well, and much of the book is moving (especially when he writes about the suffering of the Tibetans and the ruthlessness of China's People's Liberation Army). He shows how everyone involved (China, the UK, India, the United States) misunderstood the Tibetans and how the Tibetans misunderstood the direness of their situation. VERDICT Well worth reading, especially for those interested in 20th-century political and religious history or Asian history and society. Recommended.--James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

     Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

8. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from January 1, 2011
     In spite of the Dalai Lamas great renown, the complete story of the brutal events that forced him into exile is not widely known. Talty takes readers back to 1950, when the Dalai Lama was a 15-year-old sheltered monk in Lhasa as China invaded with 80,000 seasoned troops, confronting a poorly equipped Tibetan army of 8,500. The Dalai Lama abruptly ascended to the throne and for nine years struggled to protect his people. Finally, Mao unleashed the full force of his mass terror on Tibet, igniting a courageous uprising. Drawing on riveting first-person accounts of the subsequent battles and providing startling political revelations, Talty chronicles the resourceful Tibetan resistance and the Dalai Lamas perilous horseback escape to India through treacherous mountain passes, blizzards, sandstorms, torrential rain, hunger, and illness. Taltys portrait of the young Dalai Lama is nuanced and compelling; his account of the CIAs involvement is thriller ready; and his unique coverage of the news frenzy and shenanigans that ensued as the fleeing Dalai Lama became a cold war hero is fascinating. Talty is also acutely attuned to the tragedy and grace of the Dalai Lamas long exile as the revered leader continues to bring his message of compassion to the world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

9. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     April 15, 2011
     Journalist Talty ("Empire of Blue Water", whose work is consistently compelling and well researched, here relays the epic narrative of the current Dalai Lama's 1959 journey to freedom from Chinese occupation. Guiding more than 300 of his people over the highest peaks of the Himalayas, the Tibetan leader, then 24, had to ensure the safety of his escorts and maintain their deeply held antiviolence beliefs, all while trying to slip past a cordon of Chinese troops intent on stopping them. While parts of the story will be familiar to many listeners, Talty adds to his narrative a broader scope and grander worldview than has previously been offered. Actor Shishir Kurup's narration is at turns evocative, dramatic, and soothing, as needed. For anyone curious about the Dalai Lama's life story and Eastern history. [The Crown hc was recommended "especially for those interested in 20th-century political and religious history or Asian history and society," "LJ"9/15/10.—Ed.]—Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

     Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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The remarkable true story of the miraculous journey that made the Dalai Lama into the man he is today and sparked the fight for Tibetan freedom
 
“A hair-raising tale of daring and escape.”—The Washington Post
 
In the early weeks of 1959, a bloody uprising gripped the streets of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa as ragtag Tibetan rebels faced off against their Communist Chinese occupiers. Realizing that the impending battle would result in a bloodbath and his own capture, the young Dalai Lama began planning an audacious escape to India, a two-week journey that would involve numerous near-death encounters, a dangerous mountain crossing, and evading thousands of Chinese soldiers who were intent on hunting him down. The journey would transform this naïve young man into one of the world’s greatest statesmen . . . and create an enduring beacon of hope for a nation.
 
Emotionally powerful and...

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