Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom

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Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom

by Yangzom Brauen (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 418 ratings · 124 reviews

A powerful, emotional memoir and an extraordinary portrait of three generations of Tibetan women whose lives are forever changed when Chairman Mao’s Red Army crushes Tibetan independence, sending a young mother and her six-year-old daughter on a treacherous journey across the snowy Himalayas toward freedom.

Kunsang thought she would never leave Tibet. One of the country's y...more A powerful, emotional memoir and an extraordinary portrait of three generations of Tibetan women whose lives are forever changed when Chairman Mao’s Red Army crushes Tibetan independence, sending a young mother and her six-year-old daughter on a treacherous journey across the snowy Himalayas toward freedom.

Kunsang thought she would never leave Tibet. One of the country's youngest Buddhist nuns, she grew up in a remote mountain village where, as a teenager, she entered the local nunnery. Though simple, Kunsang's life gave her all she needed: a oneness with nature and a sense of the spiritual in all things. She married a monk, had two children, and lived in peace and prayer. But not for long. There was a saying in Tibet: "When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth." The Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 changed everything. When soldiers arrived at her mountain monastery, destroying everything in their path, Kunsang and her family fled across the Himalayas only to spend years in Indian refugee camps. She lost both her husband and her youngest child on that journey, but the future held an extraordinary turn of events that would forever change her life--the arrival in the refugee camps of a cultured young Swiss man long fascinated with Tibet. Martin Brauen will fall instantly in love with Kunsang's young daughter, Sonam, eventually winning her heart and hand, and taking mother and daughter with him to Switzerland, where Yangzom will be born.

Many stories lie hidden until the right person arrives to tell them. In rescuing the story of her now 90-year-old inspirational grandmother and her mother, Yangzom Brauen has given us a book full of love, courage, and triumph,as well as allowing us a rare and vivid glimpse of life in rural Tibet before the arrival of the Chinese. Most importantly, though, ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS is a testament to three strong, determined women who are linked by an unbreakable family bond. (less)

Hardcover, 295 pages

Published September 27th 2011 by St. Martin's Press (first published September 7th 2009)

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Apr 06, 2013 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-biography

"When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth."-old saying in Tibet

Compared to some memoirs, this story has a strong ring of truth and authenticity. Through the eyes of the author's grandmother, a devout Buddhist nun, the reader gains an inside view of her religion as well as the challenges she faced when the Chinese destroyed much of what she considered sacred. Driven from their homeland by the 1950 Chinese invasi...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

"When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth."

This book outlines the impact of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950. When Chinese soldiers arrived at Kunsangs monastery, destroying everything as they went, Kunsang and her family escaped across the Himalayas, sadly spending years in Indian refugee camps. Kunsangs husband and her youngest child both died under the conditions of the camps, but the future held an ex...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kunsang grew up in extreme poverty (the norm) in a remote village in Tibet. She led a contemplative life and became a Buddhist nun at a very young age. While living in a stick hut at 13,000', she met a young Buddhist monk. They recieved permission to marry, (yes, their sect allows that, which is brilliant) and continued to live a very spiritual life at very high altitude.

Then the Chinese invaded, and every Buddhist monastery was threatened. After several scary encounters with Chinese soldiers, K...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Lorraine rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Across Many Mountains” is a memoir that covers three generations of women over a period of 80 years. Yangzom Brauen, a Los Angeles actress, model, writer and activist, tells the story of her grandmother, a Buddhist nun who leaves her rural village in the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet in 1959, with her husband and two children and crosses into India and becomes a refugee. As she describes in the book, the Chinese claimed to have liberated the Tibetans from a caste system under clerics and aristoc...more “Across Many Mountains” is a memoir that covers three generations of women over a period of 80 years. Yangzom Brauen, a Los Angeles actress, model, writer and activist, tells the story of her grandmother, a Buddhist nun who leaves her rural village in the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet in 1959, with her husband and two children and crosses into India and becomes a refugee. As she describes in the book, the Chinese claimed to have liberated the Tibetans from a caste system under clerics and aristocrats; however, the people did not feel subjugated or backward. They accepted their fate.

“People accepted their fate as karma, the result of their actions in past lives. The poor hoped to change their karma in the next life through virtuous deeds, contact with the gods and spirits, and having the right rituals performed at their death. The great ideological structure that shaped the lives of the common population of Tibet was less the scholarly Buddhism of the monks, nuns, and rinpoches than a form of folk religion, a mixture of Buddhism and animistic and shamanistic practices. Just as the Tibetans revered their rinpoches, gurus, buddhas, and bodhisattvas, so they also paid homage to thousands of ever-present local deities and spirits that lived in every rock, every mountain, and in every river or woodland. Anyone who crossed a pass piled a few stones at the higher point in homage to the local mountain god. The Tibetans feared the wandering souls of the dead, worried that their “shadow soul” might be stolen by a dongdre, the lost soul of a dead person. Their world was inhabited by countless beings that were to be avoided or revered, appeased or warded off. This densely populated spirit world explained everything that happened around them (pp. 89-90).

When her grandmother, Kunsang, lived in Tibet, it was like living in medieval times. No planes, no roads, no communication with the outside world—a society completely cut off from the world. It wasn’t a paradise, but it was a life of rituals including chants and prayers, a oneness with nature and a deep spirituality; she was living in peace and prayer in a monastic lifestyle. After living at the hermitage for 13 years, she unexpectedly fell in love with her husband, a Buddhist monk, and they were married and had two daughters. In their sect of Buddhism they were allowed to marry, although they had to have the Lama’s permission and to ask for prayers to overcome bad karma.

Because the Chinese were destroying monasteries and outlawed religion, the family’s life was in danger, and her grandparents felt they had no other option than to exile to India. They knew no one there, but they felt if the Dalai Lama found refuge there, they could also. The perilous journey took about a month and once the author’s mother almost died when she fell into a crevasse and the rest of the group did not notice she was gone. She couldn’t call for help because of the danger, and she miraculously climbed out and caught up with the travelers.

Kunsang loses her husband and one child on the journey, and lives in exile in India under horrible conditions for 12 years with her daughter Sonam, who eventually marries a Swiss academic and their lives change dramatically. In her later life Sonam (the author’s mother) becomes an artist. She has had exhibits in various galleries in New York. And Yangzom is a thoroughly modern Western woman with a grandmother who at 90 years old, lives in Switzerland, and prays and follows Tibetan and Buddhist folk customs and rituals. The story of this family begins in Tibet, and then takes us to India, Switzerland, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York.

Though not a literary masterpiece, a good story is a good story and the author is a natural storyteller. Once I started reading, the story unraveled clearly and simply and it was difficult to pull away from it.

Its appeal to me was the huge chasm between the life her grandmother is living today and the one in which she grew up. From 1920 to 2011, so much of Tibetan culture has disappeared. I became much more aware of the struggle of the Tibetans for independence, the complexities of the Tibet-China relationship and the ideology of Tibetan Buddhism. I had this new awakening of what Tibetan life is really like. Too often we as Westerners only see it through the perspective of the Dalai Lama and the clerical perspective. In fact, there is another culture that includes the very ordinary and simple people who practice folk Buddhism. In an interview the author gave in October 20011, she said “… technology and development doesn’t necessarily have to kill the culture. The two can be reconciled. What is destroying the culture is the Chinese saying we’re not allowed to practice our religion and our spirituality.”

In speaking about the uprising of the monks near Lhasa in 2008, Yangzom said: “I had to acknowledge that the Tibetan freedom fighters were heroes, perfectly aware of the consequences of their actions. Were they acting out of total desperation because they could see no other future? It was the first time since the Tibetan uprising in the late 1980s that the world had seen pictures of the Chinese occupiers’ oppression. …My country has been occupied for more than sixty years, but the world’s politicians have taken no action. They know about the arrests for no reason, the reeducation camps, the violence and the torture, but they close their eyes to it” (p. 275).

Obviously because of our strong economic ties with China, the U.S. will probably remain as silent as ever about Tibet and its people.
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Nov 08, 2011 Dimity rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, asia, first-reads, memoirs-biographies, read-women-nonfiction, reading-women-2011, reviewed, swapped-away, woc, immigration-migration-refugees

I won this memoir from the First Reads program. I was excited to receive a copy because I love memoirs and this particular one piqued my interest. Going in, I knew very little about Tibet other than some scattered impressions gathered from the periodic popularity surges of the “Free Tibet” movement here in the United States. I enjoyed this easy read. Its structure as a multigenerational memoir was interesting and well done. I appreciated that Brauen isn’t an apologist for the unattractive aspect...more I won this memoir from the First Reads program. I was excited to receive a copy because I love memoirs and this particular one piqued my interest. Going in, I knew very little about Tibet other than some scattered impressions gathered from the periodic popularity surges of the “Free Tibet” movement here in the United States. I enjoyed this easy read. Its structure as a multigenerational memoir was interesting and well done. I appreciated that Brauen isn’t an apologist for the unattractive aspects of Tibetan culture as it is probably easy for exiles (especially those a generation removed) to look back with nostalgia’s distorting lens.

Yangzom Brauen has a Tibetan mother and Swiss father and although she’s spent most of her life in the West, her mother and maternal grandmother wee born in Tibet before the Chinese occupation. The three women’s experiences and attitudes fit on different places in the East-West spectrum. Her grandmother, Kunsang, spent her time in Tibet serving as a devout Buddhist nun who rather unconventionally fell in love with a Buddhist monk. Even in the several countries Kunsang has lived in since her flight over the Himalayas, she has retained her devotion to Buddhism and incorporates many of the Tibetan traditions she grew up with into her daily life thousands of miles away. Yangzom’s mother, Sonam was born in Tibet but has spent most of her life in India and Europe. Sonam is not particularly Buddhist, but retains her cultural roots. Yangzom has secular Western attitudes but her Tibetan heritage is a source of great pride and she is active in the Tibetan exile community abroad.

Across Many Mountains covers almost an hundred years of Tibetan history as told through Yangzom’s family’s experiences. This memoir is rich in details about Tibetan life before and after Chinese occupation and the author writes about her great grandmother’s traditional sky burial with the same finesse as she describes the daily drudgery facing her mother and grandmother as Tibetan exiles in India. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that Kunsang and her family appear to be typical Tibetans. Many of the memoirs I have read written by exiles from various strife filled countries represent the country’s more privileged classes with the money and wherewithal to leave the country relatively comfortably and safely. Kunsang and her husband hiked over the Himalayans with two young children with very little provisions or a plan for their arrival in India; they didn’t board the last plane out or use student visas to escape their war torn country. Every refugee’s story deserves to be heard, but there is something thrilling and inspiring about Kunsang’s poor families setting out in one of the harshest climates of the world to an uncertain fate.

I think what surprised me most about this book is the revelation that Tibetan culture really sucked in a lot of ways. Before I read this book, my knowledge of Tibetan culture began at the Dali Lama and ended at prayer flags (throw in yaks and snow and you’ve got all my synapses dedicated to Tibet). Both the Dali Lama and prayer flags are bright, joyous, friendly things that beloved by friendly hippies in American college towns, leaving me with the superficial impression that Tibetan life was sunshine and butterflies. To learn that the unifying feature of Tibetan life for the last millennia seems to be the acceptance of unending drudgery capped by a probably early death was a bit of a shocker for me. What was even more shocking was the information that it particularly sucked to be a Tibetan woman. I thought that Buddhism was a fairly egalitarian religion as religions go so I raised my eyebrows when I read about Kunsang’s experiences as a Tibetan woman and Buddhist nun.

Tibet’s harsh living conditions also imbibe its citizens with a quiet sense of self-sufficiency and although they may resign themselves to the life fate has given them, their acceptance that life is hard also gives them great resilience. I recently ventured out with my daughter for a three mile walk on sidewalks in forty degree weather and that felt like quite the trek with a stroller and the two of us warmly bundled up. My high fructose corn syrup fueled ass couldn’t make it several hundred feet hiking through the Tibetan mountains with the supplies Kunsang and her husband carried with children in tow. I find Kunsang’s resignation to her hard life as a Tibetan woman contrasted with her unbelievable resilience fascinating.

Across Many Mountains dragged on in several spots and like many translated works, some passages made me scratch my head a bit. But I can see this family’s saga engaging many readers, both those with a compelling interest in Tibet and memoir lovers like myself. Another good read for people who enjoyed this book is Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World, a memoir written by a member of a different minority group living under modern China’s rule.

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Sep 08, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of three generations of Tibetan women. The story begins with the grandmother of the author. She is a nun in Tibet, who also happened to marry and have a daughter. She and her family escape to India when Chinese persecution of Buddhist nuns and monks becomes unbearable. Life in India is also difficult, and eventually she and her daughter immigrate to Switzerland. The story is interesting just for the fact that not many stories of Tibetan refugees are available. The descriptions...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Across Many Mountains is a true account of a people and a country that are not widely known in the West, or at least not known by this reader. In 1950 China invaded Tibet (this was not the first time). A Buddhist monk and his wife, a Buddhist nun (it's OK in their branch of Buddhism), and their two young daughters began a tortuous journey on foot through the Himalayas to the safety of India. The younger daughter died, the monk's health was ruined, but the mother and older daughter survived. This...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Sailor Figment rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book may only tell the story of 3 generations of women, but you get the feeling of traversing many centuries. The story begins high in the Tibetan Himalayas in a small village lacking any modern conveniences. Modern, for 1910, that is. But it could have been 1810 or 1710. Life was hard but simple, and the author's grandmother was content. Her contentment and detachment from worldly life is felt in the narrative. Then in 1959 the Chinese took over and imposed Communism on the country. They s...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Jaylia3 rated it 5 of 5 stars

This moving personal family history covering three generations of Tibetan women conveys the tragedy of the Chinese occupation of Tibet with more power than news reports or statistics. The details are different, but in a way it is a universal story not just of Tibet, but of every culture that has been purposely suppressed by another. Author Yangzom Brauen chronicles the lives of her grandmother, who has maintained the life of a Tibetan nun in all the years she’s had to live abroad, her mother, wh...more

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Aug 20, 2011 LeAndra rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had the good fortune to receive this book courtesy of Goodreads First Reads. Unfortunately, my high expectations fell flat. For such an emotional story, being uprooted from one's homeland and then being forced to live as a refugee, I just didn't feel any sort of emotional connection to the grandmother and mother who lived through this experience. I was able to connect a bit better when the author, who is closer to my age, began to write about her experiences. It will be interesting to see if o...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received an Advance Readers' Copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

"Across Many Mountains" is a memoir of three generations of women from a family. Kunsang was born and raised in Tibet, prior to the Chinese invasion of Tibet. As an adult, she chose to be a Buddhist nun. With her family she flees across the Himalayas during the Chinese occoupation of Tibet. Her daughter, Sonam, is born in Tibet, becomes a refugee in India as a child, eventually moving to Switzerland where she r...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Codymarie Greene` rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful memoir of three generations of Tibetan women. These women have gave us the gift of understanding what Tibet was before the Chinese occupation, the beauty of a land that no longer exists as a peaceful paradise, the Buddahist beliefs that have changed, and the fight to keep their familial and cultural traditions alive.
While I understand that the main focus of this memoir is to place Tibet in the forefront of our hearts and minds (and it has done that for me), the relationships...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-and-early-reviews

ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS: A TIBETAN FAMILY'S EPIC JOURNEY FROM OPPRESSION TO FREEDOM by Yangzom Brauen is made up of descriptions of one Tibetan family’s progression through different cultures, beginning in Tibet before the Chinese invasion and ending in Switzerland until they do a complete circle and return to Tibet many years later after the Chinese allow them back in. Each culture the family moves to is more technologically advanced than the last. This book is about their ability to cope in each...more ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS: A TIBETAN FAMILY'S EPIC JOURNEY FROM OPPRESSION TO FREEDOM by Yangzom Brauen is made up of descriptions of one Tibetan family’s progression through different cultures, beginning in Tibet before the Chinese invasion and ending in Switzerland until they do a complete circle and return to Tibet many years later after the Chinese allow them back in. Each culture the family moves to is more technologically advanced than the last. This book is about their ability to cope in each new culture and how they view Tibet on their return. At least, that’s what I thought Brauen intended.

Actually, only two members of the family, the mother and daughter, make it all the way. The daughter’s daughter, Brauen, did not make the journey as the title and cover picture imply. She was born and raised in Switzerland but likes to call both Switzerland and Tibet her countries. Although she did go to Tibet with her mother, brother, grandmother, and Swiss father many years later, their return wasn’t permanent.

But the book doesn’t end there. Maybe it ought to. Instead, it continues. Notice, I say the book continues, not the story. That is because my impression was that the continuation was another story, that of Brauen’s protests against oppression of Tibet and her hope that Tibet not be forgotten.

I have a problem with books that have no dialog, with unemotional, impersonal descriptions of people and things. That’s how this book is, especially in its first half. It contains so many details it drags. Details should enhance a story. But here they mostly don’t because the author tries to cover too much.

This is the risk I find in most nonfiction. Although I prefer nonfiction over fiction, most nonfiction fails for me because most authors don’t know how to write it other than to state the facts.

Although the second half of this book is better than the first, it, too, is made up of many impersonal descriptions. I was never made angry, sad, touched, or happy for anyone.

This book has received many favorable reviews on amazon.com and goodreads.com. Maybe you should believe them and not me. Maybe you will be able to manage to keep your mind from wandering. But I think that will be a trick.

I won a finished, hard cover copy of this book through luxuryreading.com. So I actually feel guilty for disagreeing with their two reviews of ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS. But there it is.(less)

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Oct 26, 2011 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom by Yangzom Brauen is a non-fiction book which follows three generations of Tibetan women. The book is an insight into Tibetan’s society.

The book is the story of the author’s grandmother, mother and herself. Starting in 1959, the story follows Ms. Brauen’s grandmother, Kunsang, as she escapes Tibet after the Chinese invasion. Kunsang was studyng to be a Buddhist nun but when she gets pregnant Ku...more Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom by Yangzom Brauen is a non-fiction book which follows three generations of Tibetan women. The book is an insight into Tibetan’s society.

The book is the story of the author’s grandmother, mother and herself. Starting in 1959, the story follows Ms. Brauen’s grandmother, Kunsang, as she escapes Tibet after the Chinese invasion. Kunsang was studyng to be a Buddhist nun but when she gets pregnant Kunsang gets married and gives birth to the author’s mother, Sonam.

Mother and daughter escape to India where Sonam meets a Swiss man, falls in love and brings her family to Switzerland. The last part of the book follows Ms. Brauen’s political activism to free Tibet.

Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom by Yangzom Brauen is sort of a cross between a memoir and a family history of the author. The book starts with the invasion of Tibet by China and Ms. Brauen’s grandmother’s escape.

Besides the exciting story, the book offers many insights into Tibetan society, culture, beliefs and class structure which I found very interesting. I don’t know much about the Chinese invasion or Tibetan culture and I’m glad to say I learned many things from reading this book.

Even though the book tackles some complex subjects, the writing is simple, eloquent and the story is readable. Even though the Chinese propaganda makes them seem as the liberators of Tibet, most people, including many Chinese nationals I can assume, know this is simply that – propaganda.

The author, an activist to free Tibet, tackles not only the issues which her grandmother had to tackle, but she also tackles them from today's standpoint. After all, there is a whole new generation of Chinese which considers Tibet part of China.

This is an important book and I think Ms. Brauen did a great favor to the Tibetan community in Diaspora and in general with this publication. I have never read any memoir of Tibetan refugees and what they went through. Not only a refugee, but a mother of a refugee who must survive hunger, disease, hostile locals and, what we would consider, slave labor.

For more reviews and bookish thoughts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com (less)

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Jan 09, 2012 Ruth Hyland rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was interesting. I didn't know much about Tibet or its issues. This is the story of Monk and Nun of the Buddhist religion fleeing Tibet with their 2 young daughters into India. The story is told by their granddaughter Yangzom. I also didn't know much about the Buddhist religion. One of the things that has stuck with me from the book is that giving refugees isn't helpful unless it is the same type of food they are used to. otherwise you have to teach them how to cook it. fascinating. the gra...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Dianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This book covers three generations. The author, Yangzom Brauen, is the child of a Tibetan refugee and her Swiss husband; her grandmother was a Tibetan nun who was forced to flee the country with her six-year-old daughter when the Chinese occupation of Tibet became violent, especially toward those leading religious lives.

I learned a fair amount about Tibet while reading this book, which is why I wanted to read it. I hear it mentioned occasionally, but I never knew much about the situation, and no...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Efox rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book through the First Reads giveaway program.

I enjoyed Yangzom Brauen's account of her grandmother and mother's lives as Tibetan refugees. She does a beautiful job of explaining her grandmother's life as a Buddhist nun and her life growing up in Tibet pre-Chinese occupation. She discusses her grandmother's acceptance of Tibet's rigid caste system and how that affected her life both in Tibet and once she left. She also talked about her mother's childhood, spending her first 6 yea...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom describes the lives of three generations of Tibetan women. The book begins by describing Kunsang's life as a Buddhist nun in Tibet, as well as the birth of her daughter Sonam. During the 1950's, China begins "re-educating" Tibetans, looting and destroying monasteries, and allowing Chinese immigrants to colonize. Kunsang and Sonam escape over the Himalayas to India. As refugees, Sonam and Kunsang survive by breaking...more Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom describes the lives of three generations of Tibetan women. The book begins by describing Kunsang's life as a Buddhist nun in Tibet, as well as the birth of her daughter Sonam. During the 1950's, China begins "re-educating" Tibetans, looting and destroying monasteries, and allowing Chinese immigrants to colonize. Kunsang and Sonam escape over the Himalayas to India. As refugees, Sonam and Kunsang survive by breaking rocks into gravel, knitting sweaters and working in an orphanage. When Sonam grows into a young woman she is courted by a Swiss graduate student, who ultimately marries her. Kunsang and Sonam move to Switzerland, where Yangzom Brauen is born. Yangzom grows up to become a prominent protester of China's occupation of Tibet, as well as an actress, model and author.

I enjoyed this book! The beginning was a little slower, as it dwelt primarily on Buddhist meditation practices and beliefs. It was all interesting, but not really edge-of-your-seat material. Kunsang's and Sonam's efforts to survive and even flourish as refugees, however, are amazing. Only a few years after arriving in India with almost nothing, Kunsang had secured a good job for herself, as well as a place for Sonam at a boarding school. Although the boarding school was not a particularly nurturing environment, it is simply amazing that Kunsang was able to transform their life in such a manner. A few years before, they had been breaking rocks into gravel with their bare hands. I also enjoyed reading about Sonam and Kunsang's adjustment to life in Switzerland, as well as how the entire family ultimately became nonviolent protesters for Tibet.

This was a particularly important book for me to read because I've spent some time in China, and frankly, I love the people and the culture. I haven't, however, spent much time at all thinking about Tibet's occupation and how it should be resolved. This isn't an issue that should be lost from American minds, despite our economic dependency on China.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the book, learned a great deal, and will continue researching the political turmoil that is China and Tibet.

I received an Advance Readers Copy of this book through Goodreads Firstreads. My thoughts are my own. (less)

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Sep 17, 2011 Shoshanah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've clearly heard of the "Free Tibet" movement, and growing up I remember seeing the Buddhist monks walking around Long Beach (coincidentally for me the Long Beach Buddhist temple is even visited in the book), but honestly I know very little about Tibet and its history. This is technically a memoir, but reading it you can't help but learn for more than you'd expect to, especially considering its genre.

The author, Yangzom Brauen, starts off telling us her grandmother's story of life as a nun in...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Debbie Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thank you Goodreads for choosing me as a First Reads winner of this amazing book. I have long had a facination with Tibet and the Dali Lama but have never found the story of this country's fate told as movingly as it was in "Across Many Mountains". Although a true story it read like a novel with engaging characters and enough adventure and suspense to keep me reading with gread anticipation of what would happen next. I was also moved by the Grandmother's total devotion to her Buddhist faith not...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-edition, different_cultures, personal_memoir_biography, religion-spirituality, social-issues-or-commentary

(3.5 out of 5 stars)
The life of a Tibetan, especially a Tibetan woman, is hard enough at the best of times. And when you are a female Tibetan Buddhist nun at a time when the People's Republic of China is trying to wipe out not only all religion but also Tibet, chances of a good life are bleak indeed. Unless you are a female Tibetan Buddhist nun who is can find peace where others see only darkness. Who is at peace even knowing that as a woman, she is less valued than a man. And who believes in th...more (3.5 out of 5 stars)
The life of a Tibetan, especially a Tibetan woman, is hard enough at the best of times. And when you are a female Tibetan Buddhist nun at a time when the People's Republic of China is trying to wipe out not only all religion but also Tibet, chances of a good life are bleak indeed. Unless you are a female Tibetan Buddhist nun who is can find peace where others see only darkness. Who is at peace even knowing that as a woman, she is less valued than a man. And who believes in things that to someone outside the Buddhist faith seem like superstitions and fables, but then, Buddhism is not alone in that respect.

This memoir is about three generations, especially about the women of those generations: the grandmother who wanted to be a nun since she was a small child, her daughter who was caught between the Tibetan world and more modern cultures, and the contemporary granddaughter, author of the book.

Think of today's typical American child, protected to the point where old playground equipment is considered too dangerous. Now think of a 6-year old Tibetan child crossing the Himalayas in thin, slick-soled shoes stuffed with hay, falling into a crevasse, unnoticed by her family but afraid to call out because Chinese soldiers might hear.

They story is both inspirational and heartbreaking, and yes, I do know that is a cliché, but it fits. I never cease to be amazed by what cruelties humans can do to one another and how some can rise above that. Still, I was disturbed when one of the relatives, presumably a Buddhist like the rest of the family, seemed callous about slaughtering an animal, especially the way it was done, when Buddhists are taught to respect all life.

Initially, it was hard for me to sort out which person the author was speaking of, because there were too many “her mother,” her daughter,” references along with “my mother” and “my grandmother” and their names. A little more consistency and less variation would have helped me sort out who's who early in the book. There was a little too much repetition for me, re-explaining things that had been explained earlier. For the most part, though, the writing was straightforward and told the story well, if not always eloquently. The timeline at the end of the book is very helpful

Tibetans and supporters are still fighting for their freedom. Some want complete independence and some will be content with Tibetan autonomy in action rather than just words. Neither will come easily if at all. The next time I see one of the Free Tibet bumper stickers, I will think of these remarkable women who are giving individual (and very beautiful) faces to a political and human rights issue.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an advance reader's edition of this book.(less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Carol J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yangzom Brauen tells the gripping story of three generations of women in her own family whose traditional Tibetan life is shattered with the takeover of Tibet by the Chinese. At the time of the takeover Yangzom's grandmother and her mother flee Tibet and make the harrowing journey seeking safety in the refugee camps of India. Eventually these two women find their way to the west and come to live in Switzerland.

The story is inspirational as a deeply personal memoir and informative as a historica...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-reads-first-reads, own, 2011

I am grateful to Yangzom Brauen for writing this memoir and for bringing the story of her grandmother, her mother, and herself to life. These three brave women have so much to teach us about Tibet and what it means to be a refugee. I learned much about Tibetian Buddhism, Tibetian culture, the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and the state of the refugees. What shocked me most is that I didn't know most of this prior to reading this book! I've heard plenty of "Free Tibet" slogans, but I now have a be...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Scot Mcatee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book as part of a First Reads contest, but don't let that bias you. I really enjoyed this book and I'm sure that anyone who reads the blurb and thinks, "Yeah, that sounds good," will like it too.

My guess is that many readers will pick this up thinking that this book, based upon its title, is more political than it really is. Our heroines live an idyllic life in a hard scrabble but picturesque setting high up in the Tibetan mountains. Life is great until the Chinese juggernaut sho...more I received this book as part of a First Reads contest, but don't let that bias you. I really enjoyed this book and I'm sure that anyone who reads the blurb and thinks, "Yeah, that sounds good," will like it too.

My guess is that many readers will pick this up thinking that this book, based upon its title, is more political than it really is. Our heroines live an idyllic life in a hard scrabble but picturesque setting high up in the Tibetan mountains. Life is great until the Chinese juggernaut shows up. When soldiers eventually encroach upon the family's peace and quiet, they make a break for India and safety.

The first chapter was enthralling. I had a sinking feeling though that they were going to pull back to the beginning for the second chapter, which they did. I love it when books start in the middle and go back to the beginning, but it kills me too. Sometimes a linear story is just as effective, but Brauen's telling of the story is so enticing for me that I couldn't wait to get back to it. I think I tortured myself more than usual with this book. I would read one or two chapters and put it down for a day, mulling over what I'd read until the next day, anticipating the next episode. I only do that with books that I find gripping.

I won't spoil this read for anyone, but if I could find fault with any part of this book, I suppose it would be the ending. Like a Stephen King book building tension until the end, this book had me going. But when I reached the end, I was left with a typical "slice of life" ending, which always disappoints me. You'll have to read it to see what I mean. It was still a good ending, but after such a strong beginning and middle, it was going to be hard to satisfy me with any sort of ending.

There were a few editing errors in the book that surprised me. I'm used to a certain quality from St. Martin's Press. I rarely find mistakes in their books that should have been caught by even a beginning editor. I can only hope that since I'm reading this before the book is officially released, that SMP catches them and fixes them. I would really hate to see such an intriguing story be dismissed as a rookie attempt due to someone not reading as closely as they should have.

Bravo to Ms. Brauen. This is one of those stories that the world is better for knowing.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

One of the first chapters talks about the Chinese coming into Tibet in the late 1950's early 1960's. The Communists dragged the aristocrats through the streets by their hair, tortured them and took all their lands and holdings to distribute to Chinese peasants. Class envy isn't new. Every account I've read of communism getting started begins the same way.

The book gives a good insight into the Chinese occupation of Tibet which still continues (and will probably never cease) and the hardships of b...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Barb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom, Yangzom Brauen
A memoir recounting the lives of three generations of Tibetan women, starting with the grandmother who must flee Tibet with her young daughter when the Chinese take over Tibet. Her child grows up in poverty in India but eventually marries a Swiss man, and the granddaughter is raised as a privileged Swiss citizen. I found the story of the grandmother's early life in Tibet and the travails of the refugee camps mesmerizing. A...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Sheri J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-sometime-read-book

I did enjoy this book and was glad I read it. For me it took a bit to take off. I was definitely past page 90 before I was sure I wanted to finish it. With that being said, I am very glad I did. I thought it gave a good insight to her mother's and grandmother's journey.

To be fair the long introduction may have just bored me a bit as I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to Tibet. Probably the story needed to be set up, but I did it went to in depth into the Buddhist faith. I felt I alre...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

I listened to an interview on NPR with Yangzom the author and felt compelled to read this book. I love memoirs and stories of survival and people overcoming tremendous odds/circumstances. Well this book did not fall short in that category at all. This was my first read about Tibet. I have been aware of the chinese occupation but understanding this from a first hand account is something completely different. I still am awestruck by the fact that this family trekked over and through the Himalaya's...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Kayla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: spirituality

I read a review of this book in a buddhist magazine and I recommend it for folks who are not familiar with the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 and the subsequent systemic wearing down of Tibetian cultural institutions by the Chinese government. It puts a very human face on that political oppression.

I found it to be curiously lacking in passion since it was about displacement, bridging cultures, and love/loss...almost Victorian, at times. Perhaps the author needs that disspassionate voice to ke...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, challenge, moving-and-starting-over, travel

The back cover of this book says that the first printing of this book will be 100,000 copies.

My response is, Really? One hundred thousand copies?

Reading this book reminded me of the time I spent reading Three Cups of Tea. The writing, like that of Three Cups of Tea, is stilted and weak. I struggled to finish the book, hoping the writing would improve. It didn’t. All I can surmise is that, much like Three Cups of Tea, the setting and the basic story sold this book.

I wish I liked this book more....more

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About Yangzom Brauen

Born in 1980 to a Swiss father and Tibetan mother, Yangzom Brauen is an actress, model, and political activist. She lives in both Los Angeles and Berlin and has appeared in a number of German and American films. She is also very active in the Free Tibet movement, making regular radio broadcasts about Tibet and organizing public demonstrations against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. "

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