Blue Sky Kingdom: An Epic Family Journey to the Heart of the Himalaya

by Bruce Kirkby

A warm and unforgettable portrait of a family letting go of the known world to encounter an unfamiliar one filled with rich possibilities and new understandings. 

Bruce Kirkby had fallen into a pattern of looking mindlessly at his phone for hours, flipping between emails and social media, ignoring his children and wife and everything alive in his world, when a thought struck him. This wasn't living; this wasn't him. This moment of clarity started a chain reaction which ended with a grand plan: he was going to take his wife and two young sons, jump on a freighter and head for the Himalaya.  

In Blue Sky Kingdom, we follow Bruce and his family's remarkable three months journey, where they would end up living amongst the Lamas of Zanskar Valley, a forgotten appendage of the ancient Tibetan empire, and one of the last places on earth where Himalayan Buddhism is still practiced freely in its original setting.

Richly evocative, Blue Sky Kingdom explores the themes of modern distraction and the loss of ancient wisdom coupled with Bruce coming to terms with his elder son's diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum. Despite the natural wonders all around them at times, Bruce's experience will strike a chord with any parent—from rushing to catch a train with the whole family to the wonderment and beauty that comes with experience the world anew with your children. 

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Buddhism, Adventure, Asia, Book Club

352 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

Bruce Kirkby is a writer, photographer and adventurer whose journeys span 80 countries, and include crossing Arabia by camel, Mongolia by horse, and Iceland on foot. He’s been shot at in Borneo, taken hostage in Ethiopia, and captured by Myanmar’s army while on assignment. A travel columnist for the Globe & Mail, and former contributing editor for Explore Magazine, Bruce’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Outside.EnRoute and Canadian Geographic. The host of CBC's No Opportunity Wasted, and producer of Travel Channel’s Big Crazy Family Adventure, Bruce and his young family recently traveled overland from Canada to the Himalaya, where they lived in a remote Buddhist monastery, a journey detailed in an upcoming book, Kingdom of the Sky (2020).

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Bruce Kirkby book I have read. Back in 2018 I read his book The Dolphin's Tooth. For me this was a book I considered a gem - a rare find where I enjoyed the authors writing style, outlook and ambition to find his own path in life. It was a 5 star book from the end of the first chapter.

I was recently offered a media copy of Kirkby's new book Blue Sky Kingdom in exchange for a review. This is, as you will see, a review which endorses this as a great book. That is purely because it is, not because of any perceived obligation.

Since his last book, Bruce has done some adulting. With a wife and two boys, he finds himself grappling with a life of consumerism and a (fairly typical) digital addiction which makes his cellphone more riveting than engaging with family or friends. On whim he decides a Buddhist Monastery somewhere in the Himalaya for three months with his family would help him refocus his life!

“The lesson I want to impart to my kids is that it’s not about the stuff.
It’s more about being solid within yourself.” p83

Some research let to ruling out options such as Tibet (Chinese control made this impossible) and Bhutan was problematic in the season they planned to go. They also considered India’s hill stations of Sikkim and Darjeeling, then Nepal’s ancient enclaves of Mustang and Dolpo, but
nothing seemed quite right. Through a recommendation, they looked at at Ladakh, in India near the disputed borders of Pakistan and Tibet (China) and after some further investigation it was arranged.

But that was only part of it. They planned to spend a similar time period (3 months) travelling to Ladakh, and then there was the film crew! The journey was to be filmed for the Travel Channel, which meant even more stress for the family. And not just a guy with a camera - a sixteen person crew would accompany them! However this payed the bills, so it was a call they needed to make!

"Despite the challenges of being constantly filmed, I was also aware the crew afforded our family experiences we would have never contemplated (or afforded) alone." P53

There are a few obvious things the reader will realise about this author. He is very honest with his thoughts, including sharing some of his though process to work out problems. It is a brave author to share this much, and it extends beyond his own thoughts. His eldest son, seven year old Bodi, is on the spectrum (having Asperger's is how it would usually be described), and Kirkby and wife Christine had not only not made this public, but hadn't broached the subject with Bodi himself until on this trip. Younger son Taj posed his own challenges on the trip, as a three year old, but all were duly worked out as the journey progressed.

Kirkby also shares his thoughts about some of the places they visit - for example his thoughts on Chinese treatment of Tibet, as compared to Canadian treatment of indigenous peoples. He is normally pretty calm and collected, but doesn't hide when he is ruffled, and regularly admits when there are better ways he could have handled a situation.

Kirkby also explains historical world events or beliefs to his kids, able to summarise them in a paragraph or two very succinctly and simply, and he shares these with the reader. This forms a simple background to the places he passes through - eg the Chinese invasion of Tibet, an explanation of Buddhism / history of Siddhartha Gautama, etc

And so, to the journey. By cargo ship from Vancouver to South Korea, then ferry to China, train to Tibet, then on to Nepal and eventually India. After making their way from Varanasi to Delhi then north to Manali before undertaking their 10 day trek to Karsha Gompa, a thousand-year-old Buddhist monastery in the Zanskar valley. And so, a 100 day journey from leaving home to arriving at the monastery - which purposely entailed no flights.

And arriving at the monastery also means the departure of the film crew, which allows the family to make a complete change of pace. I have written a lot in this review, and all it does is set the scene. The three months in the Monastery are the real focus of this book, and I won't look to outline this, other than to say the family are adopted by an elderly monk in whose house they live, and who shapes their stay. The reader is taken on this journey with the family and shares the rare experiences with them. Lama Wangyal is his name, and in the second to last quote I will share, he is being given an English lesson by Bruce.

I wrote out lists of farm animals, office supplies, family members, geographical landmarks, common foods and, finally, kitchen implements: cup, plate, knife, fork . . .
“Fork,” I read aloud.
“Fuck,” he tried to copy.
“Fork,” I said again, gently trying to steer him away from the profane.
“Fuck!” the tall monk said decisively, finally closing his notebook.
He repeated the word as he shuffled toward the altar room and began lighting yak-butter candles.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
P114

And finally, some Sherpa wisdom.

At home in North America, no amount of debate had ever been able to sway my skeptical views on reincarnation, but here, in the shadows of the ancient, I found myself reminded of a Sherpa saying: “Maybe true. Maybe not. Better you believe.” p144

I enjoyed this book a lot. Being able to see how the author has moved on from his earlier book, and sharing the journey with his family was endearing. It is written in an easily read style. Kirkby shares willingly his views and opinions in an non-judgemental way, but is not afraid to share his frustrations and failures.

For me, this is a 5 star read, although I have probably carried a stronger connection with the author from his previous book.

5*****

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fermented, rotting yak meat with some hair still on it. Num num.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have often wondered what it would be like to pack up my family and head off on an epic adventure. So many memories to be made!

This book was fascinating! I think my favorite part was learning about the different culture. There was so much I didn't know. Very eye opening!

Thanks so much to ZGstories and Douglas & McIntyre for my gifted copy.

[Luanne Ollivier]

I've been an armchair traveller for many years, even more so in these uncertain times. I'm in awe of those who make it a life goal to see the world. Bruce Kirkby - and his family - most definitely fall into that adventurous category.

In 2014, Bruce, his wife Christine and their sons Bodi (7) and Taj (3) set off on an amazing six month journey with living in a remote Buddhist monastery high in the Himalayas as a goal and destination. Why, you ask? "One morning at breakfast, while gawking at his phone and feeling increasingly disconnected from family and everything else of importance in his world, it strikes writer Bruce Kirkby: this isn't how he wants to live."

That revelation and subsequent journey are chronicled in the newly released Blue Sky Kingdom: An Epic Family Journey to the Heart of the Himalaya.

I know I myself have questioned the time and attention I've given to being online. And I can say from personal experience, it is very freeing to turn things off and just see what is around you, and find the simple pleasures in life again. I was quite eager to read the Kirkby family's experience.

Bruce and Christine chose to slow travel, eschewing airplane travel to stick the goal of slowing things down. Instead they travelled by ship, bus, riverboat, train and by foot. This choice allowed the family to meet local people and experience new cultures, food, and more. Juxtaposing that is the camera crew that followed the family on their journey to the Karsha Gompa monastery. The Travel Channel sent along a crew to film the series Big Crazy Family Adventure. Kirkby does include the interactions with the crew only as it impacts the path forward.

I found the details Kirkby includes about the culture and customs of the countries they cross on the way to Karsha Gompa - South Korea, China, India and Nepal engrossing. What always fascinates me is the people met along the way. The arrival at the monastery ended the film crew presence. For the next three months it was only the four of them. Given a choice to live with a retired Lama or in a guest house, they choose to live authentically. They become part of the everyday life of Karsha Gompa - going to prayer every morning, teaching English to novice monks in the afternoon, letting the boys explore and play and more. But my favourite part of the book was meeting Lama Wangyal and the other monks, novices and village residents. Being allowed into their lives, their faith, their friendship, their hopes and their struggles through Kirkby's rich writing.

I admit to having limited knowledge of Buddhism. Kirkby provides much information in the pages before arrival and more as the family becomes part of the tapestry that is Karsha Gompa. Scattered throughout the book are detailed drawings by seven year old Bodi, a very talented artist.

Before the family left Canada, Bodi was diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. Bruce lets us see how Bodi reacts and interacts throughout this adventure, along with the challenges this brings for Bodi and his parents. Just and Bruce and Christine were looking for simplicity and connection, Bodi too achieves his own successes.

"And as the urgency of modern life faded, time stretched out in a reassuring way. There was a serenity to our days, a whisper of a half-remembered paradise."

What saddened me is that the very things that the Kirkbys were taking a break from are slowly but surely making their way into this valley. Progress in the forms of roads, goods and yes, those infernal devices. The symbiotic relationship between the peoples, their customs, their stewardship of the land and more is being eroded by this progress.

Kirkby is a talented writer - he easily captures his family's journey along with the lives of those met along the way. And it's hard to not want to take away a piece of the blue sky kingdom for yourself. Turn off the computer, go sit in the sun. Blue Sky Kingdom was simply an excellent read. Bruce Kirkby is a talented raconteur.

And the title? "A Blue Sky metaphor is often employed in meditative teachings. When storms descend upon our lives, as they inevitably do, we tend to focus on the clouds - problems conflict, anxiety, distress, depression - forgetting that the blue sky is always there, but hidden from view, somewhere above. Like an airplane breaking through the clouds, meditation is meant as a conduit to that peace, accessible to anyone at any time. One breath in. One breath out."

[Nick Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is complex, yet wonderfully easy to read. It is equal parts inspiring and honest. It tells the story of one family’s journey while simultaneously telling the stories of countless countries, villages and individuals around the world. Kirkby provides fascinating snippets of history that give ample context without launching into a textbook narrative. The story isn’t lost but rather is heightened among these educational interludes. Blue Sky Kingdom is an enlightening study in Asian history, Buddhism, globalization, family dynamics and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The ways in which Kirkby ties all of these strands together with one cohesive, compelling narrative is beyond impressive.

Kirkby’s no-bullshit narration of time spent as a foreign traveler in an ancient world is refreshingly humble. Captivating and dynamic without being overly romantic, this book is a reflection on privilege and progress – and one that thoroughly illustrates the benefits and drawbacks to both.

The dialogue between Kirkby’s kids, Taj and Bodi, is incredible. Hilarious and disarmingly insightful, it is a pleasure to read the unfiltered musings of young children on a journey that would break most of us. Blue Sky Kingdom provides and honest take on modern relationships, distraction, marriage and parenting. It also makes you want to do great things. To see the world – not so you can boast about it, but to try and glimpse the beauty that remains embedded in diverse cultures and ways of life so different from our own.

Perhaps most importantly, after putting this book down I wanted nothing more than to focus on being exactly where I was: I put my phone away, enjoyed a beer with my dad, went on a walk with my girlfriend, played frisbee with my brother in the front yard. Said hi to the neighbours. While the book takes place on the other side of the world in a remote Himalayan valley, it does not spark a maddening wanderlust or cultivate discontent with the mundane-ness of day-to-day life. Instead it inspires us to be present and grateful for where we are and what we have. For that reason alone, I believe everyone will benefit immensely from reading this book.

[Gordon Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book by Bruce Kirkby.
I loved this tale of family travel, I’m on the lookout for more of his books.

[Sarah Hamatake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and wholesome, the Kirby’s were the greatest family to follow on their adventure to Zanskar.

[Dlmrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://book-bucket.com/2021/02/28/bl...

Rounded up to 4.5

I love any story, fiction or non fiction, which involves people disconnecting from social media and turning to a simpler lifestyle, so picking this book up was a no-brainer.

It turned out to be a hugely interesting read. Bruce not only packed himself up, but he also packed his wife, Christine, and their two young sons and took them halfway around the world by boat, train and bus, to a remote and completely unplugged monastery in Tibet. Once there they share a small and basic home with the head Lama. The facilities are so basic as to be almost non-existent and I really admired the family for the way that they adapted to fit in and become as much a part of the community as possible. Some of their experiences are funny or heartwarming, and others are very poignant. What shone through was how beautiful the spirit of the Tibetans is, something I've read time and time again.

Another facet to the adventure is how it impacted on their eldest son, Bodi, who is on the autism spectrum. Bruce and his wife were brave to take him out of his routine and honest about their fears over how it would affect him and how he would react. Bodi seemed to flourish in the austere and regimented setting of the monastery and was absorbing small practises, in the natural way that children do, which were good coping mechanisms. I'd love to know how he is doing back in Canada.

I highly recommend this book. It was a fascinating and satisfying read.

[Isabella Fray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been on a sort of Himalaya kick recently, but what interested me in this book in particular was the family lens. I’m interested in doing similar things in the future so it was heartening to see how children can adapt. I also appreciated that Bruce didn’t glorify the monks and also pointed out the flaws of having young boys grow up in that isolated, emotionally sterile environment.

I think there’s a lot to be said for simplicity and slow-living, but I also can appreciate my privileged position to be able to make that choice. There are many forms of escapism and I don’t want to judge people who rely on that faster-paced life. Instead, the ideal would be to phase-out the values of ladder climbing and cut-throat social circles as a whole over the coming generations. I don’t have a solution to that, but I’d be interested in reading perspectives from critics of globalization that Bruce mentioned near the end of the book.

Overall, I really liked the descriptions and it was a nice book for armchair traveling. Similarly, Bodi is a talented artist and I was frequently impressed with his sketches that are sprinkled throughout the book.

[Robin Hibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story, but felt conflicted about the author's idolizing of the simple life of the monastery. The author did talk honestly about poverty and sexism but not enough for me to balance the idolizing.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book group title for Jan 2023. I think we'll have some interesting conversations about tourism and modernity and how this journey played out.
I enjoyed this, especially the parts after the film crew left and the family settled into the monastery. Sometimes the jumping back and forth in time got a little annoying or confusing but for the most part I thought it was quite well written and I enjoyed the addition of photos to help visualize these unimaginable landscapes. I am watching the Travel Channel TV show that was made about the trip to India now that I've finished the book. I wanted to be able to see what these places looked like.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, brave family adventure story. Brought back a million memories of my travels to Nepal and India and the amazing people, food and cultures. Thank you for this return trip via text when we are stuck in one place under COVID rules.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family with two young sons goes on a great adventure in the Himalayas for several months.

[Roxana Chiorean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! An honest and freedom-inspiring story of this family's jouney through the Himalaya's and their stay at a Tibetan monastery.

[Philip Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book. I was skeptical at first, it had gotten lots of really good reviews and a rating here over over 4, but it proved me wrong. Kirkby not only does a great job on describing his and his family's journey to the roof of the world, but, he has a lot of insights to say about the modern world and how we live. I'm not going to write ten thousand words and tell you what those all are, you'll have to READ THE BOOK. He's got some really good insights on the traditional farm life vs. the modern world, spirituality, leaving things behind, materialism, Buddhism, as well as dealing with and loving someone with autism. But I'll give you one.

Before reading this book, I have thought about how disconnected we all are to each other: We all have the greatest communication system the world has ever know--cell phones--but we're still so distant. No body calls, no body texts, no one asks "how you're doing", at least in my family. You have to send someone a text in order to get one, then, that person stops as soon as they have answered your query. They don't continue on "So, what do you think of the weather this summer?" NO, it's question A, answer A, done. Reading this book, I realize it's not just me. Kirkby comments at the end of the book, when he gets back to Canada, on how short his emails from colleagues are, just a sentence or two. And how most of the thousands of messages stored since he left were spam and advertisements.

Mr. Kirkby also has a lot to say about autism, since he reveals that his eldest son is on the spectrum. A lot of really good things. He makes you think about how much "on the spectrum" YOU and I are on it too!

Phil Kuhn
Edgewood KY

[Dave Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enchanting, heart-warming story, at times funny, at times deeply thoughtful and soul-searching. For those who watched the TV series 'Big Crazy Family Adventure,' this is the untold story of the three months that author Bruce Kirkby, his wife Christine, and their sons Bodi and Taj spent at the Karsha Gompa monastery in the Zanskar Valley in the Himalayas. This, after traveling from their home in Kimberley, BC by way of container ship, bus, train, horse, and river boat.

It's a story not only of their family adventure, but it's a look at a lifestyle that is vanishing, but one that is a critical counterpoint to the increasing role that technology and "busy-ness" plays in our daily lives.

This is a wonderful story, well-told. It will make you smile, and make you think.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently had the chance to read Blue Sky Kingdom by Bruce Kirkby, and was completely blown away while reading about the trip he and his family took. The book is written diary style, and begins in Himachal Pradesh in Northern India, very close to where I spent several months a few years ago.

Through Bruce's vividly descriptive prose, I felt like I was transported back there joining his family for the trip. Kirkby's adventure was exactly what I needed to read about, at a time where I find myself both craving a trip to somewhere exotic, and also wanting to cleanse myself of social media and the constant cell phone checking that pulls me away from friends and family.

Like Kirkby before his "cheerios epiphany," I feel out of touch with the present moment.

"The last thing I did before locking up was turn off my iPhone and toss it in the drawer. Anyone sending an email in the coming six months would receive an auto-response: Back in November. Sorry for the inconvenience."

When Bruce made the decision to proceed with the trip, it might have seemed like he was closing himself off to the world, when in fact, he was just reconnecting with it. Really reconnecting with it. I loved reading about the entire journey, and especially enjoyed hearing about Bruce's wife Christine, with whom I have quite a bit in common with. She's a long-time practitioner of meditation and yoga and is "an innately spiritual woman, with interests that spilled into psychics, seers, shamans, auras, and the deleterious effects of Mercury in retrograde," Bruce says when describing her.

My favourite part of this book was reading about all the people they met along the way. I felt it gave me some sense of insight into the lives and cultures of those that they connected with. It felt deeply intimate at times. Despite all the roadblocks that could have put an end to the trip, Bruce and his family persevered, which made this story all the more inspirational. I also really appreciated the rawness and vulnerability that Bruce displayed while telling his story.

All in all, this was a deeply moving and thought provoking family memoir told through the eyes of Bruce, as he worked to reconnect with the other members of his family through the magic of nature and travel. Bruce's prose is adventurous and vivid, and he successfully took me to all sorts of places in my mind.

I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of travel, or if you're trying to reconnect with your family or loved ones in a society so severely impacted by social media. The story is told in a realistic and down to earth manner, so I felt, although I'm not a father, that I could still relate entirely to it. Blue Sky Kingdom left me with a hole in my heart for India, and with so much inspiration for my next adventure.

Avocado Diaries

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruce Kirkby, alone, and later with his wife, has traveled the world, the far reaches of the world. In this book, he describes a family trip to a remote corner of India, where the family lived in a monastery for three months. Kirkby and his wife have two sons, both very young, and one of them is autistic, or in common parlance is on the “Autism Spectrum” or “Asperger’s Spectrum”. This condition is not well-defined and can only be diagnosed by the behavior of the child. Kirkby describes his need to find a better way of living: enjoying each moment, separating himself from electronic stimulation 24x7, and, in general, finding joy in simple pleasures, like watching a sunset. He wonders how this change from modern life will affect himself and his sons, as well as his wife. The book is the story of that journey. He describes his journey, but also describes the life of the monks in the remote monastery. They are but a remnant of Tibetan Buddhism in the monastery and the training they provide for the young monks is mostly pointless and irrelevant, according to the point of view of most of the world. The Chinese ruthlessly destroyed the Tibetan culture in the 20th century and now the monks are romanticized by modern Buddhists, most of whom would never choose to live as these monks do. So, reality gradually dawns on Kirkby that changing your location does not mean changing your life, your expectations of success, or your need to make a living in the modern world. Kirkby is open and honest about his struggles in this book and his gradual understanding of the problem that he really faces.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did the book make me feel/think?

I fear for humanity. What are we racing toward?

In “Blue Sky Kingdom,” Bruce Kirkby + his family take us on a breathtaking visceral ride into an accelerating world that is wiping out centuries of love + caring and perhaps, a better way of living.

Poverty isn’t a thing if everyone is living the same impermanent life. A blistering reality of ‘ways of life’ being erased by progress.

But you can’t stop progress—nobody wants to—there is no rewind button on the human race—it is an opaque fantasy few of us are blessed with the opportunity to experience what was, and could be, for a better world.

Thankfully, Bruce + Christine (Bodi + Taj) gave us a glimpse into a disappearing world—an unsustainable olden-world.

Kirkby’s family’s journey is unfathomable for most, fascinating—and hopefully, it doesn’t prompt other adventures to duplicate it.

Perhaps, we need to allow these centuries-old civilizations to live out their remaining time in the calmness and the impermanence the Kirkby family were fortunate to see firsthand.

The best thing the rest of the world could do for the Himalayas and Buddhism is just let it be.

On a personal note, the past week has been horrific. On December 12, as I was fighting back the emotions of the anniversary of my mum (Rebekah) dying, my last living sister (Sadie) died—"Blue Sky Kingdom" allowed me to escape my emotional turmoil for a much-needed break from my tears.

That’s how the book made me feel.

WRITTEN: December 17, 2021

[Karen K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of the year. Bruce Kirkby, his wife Christine, and their sons aged 7 and 3, leave their real lives behind and commit to a six-month journey from Canada to Ladakh. They live as guests in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery entirely off the grid. The journey is complicated by the fact that the children are so young, and Bodi, 7, is on the autism spectrum with unpredictable behavior. The first section of the journey is also being filmed by the Travel Channel, and this causes some humorous mishaps and situational irony. Fortunately, the couple has years of extreme adventure experience, so they're resilient with forces of weather, culture, circumstance, and self-reckoning that arise during their journey. Descriptive passages pulled me in, emotionally, for the journey, every hard-fought step of the way. At heart, this book explores what remains of traditional Tibetan Buddhist lifestyles now threatened by forces of globalization. A tender and powerful portrait of a culture that has endured for thousands of years, juxtaposed by a family figuring out what matters in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
This review is based on an ARC from the publisher and Edleweiss.

[T Wilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few months ago, I read the much lauded Eat Pray Love, still iconic 20 years after publication. I thought that perhaps there must be something to be said for that which has been so celebrated.
Memoir writing, particularly of a travel genre, is tricky I guess. It needs to be personal without being self-obsessed. It needs to celebrate what can be experienced of other places and circumstances without being self-indulgent. It needs to romanticize to amuse a wide swash of readership.
It must be hard to get it right. I suppose a lot of the devotees of EPL have thought it did.
But now I have read another.
Blue Sky Kingdom goes far beyond getting it right. It is deeply moving in authenticity. It is warped through and through with profound respect. It finds beauty within the barren as well as in the majesty of high mountains. It is fully, unabashedly, humble and gentle. It celebrates Buddhist life, not as religion but as a profoundly spiritual way to live. It doesn’t shy away from the difficult, it allows the difficult to transform. It not only acknowledges that life is hard, it participates in the hard.
A Canadian family, mom and dad and two young children, make for a Buddhist monastery in the Indian Himalayas. No, they don’t stay at an Ashram with a set program of spiritual discipline for westerners as did the author of EPL, they live for three months with an elderly Lama in his humble home and participate in the life of the community—life as it has been lived for hundreds (or maybe thousands) of years in a remote mountain valley. They trek in over high mountain passes, often with the father carrying his six-year-old son on his back. They stay long enough to be deeply transformed by the simplicity and hard work of survival as practiced by an ancient and functional people.
In the process the family grapples with the unique characteristics of a son diagnosed on the autistic spectrum. He flourishes under the more natural, less stimulating context. The bonds of relationship within the family deepen.
Throughout the narrative of EPL the author struggled with the emotional baggage she brought with her. I sort of remember there was finally some resolution of that—sort of, there was, wasn’t there? The experience of this Canadian family in the high Himalayan valley couldn’t be burdened by western emotional and cultural baggage, there was enough to carry for basic survival on their trek. No room for a relationship hangover while living with real people, managing real survival in the functional ways of sustainable agriculture and community.
Please don’t read Blue Sky Kingdom if you need to be entertained. There are other books, popular ones, that will provide that for you. Read Blue Sky Kingdom if you seek something that is real and transformative. You won’t be disappointed.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

a memoir about a family from Kimberley BC who embarked on a transcontinental journey to spend 3 months in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Northern India in the Himalaya. It was a remarkable account of resilience, adventure, endurance, patience and an iron stomach!!! One of the reasons I like these kind of books is because they are usualy about something I would never do in a million years. It also taught a lot about this very remote area of the world, as well as tales of Buddhist history. Bruce and Christine travelled with their children 7yr old Bodi, 3 yrs old Taj and met many beautiful humans along the way. Bruce wrote with honesty, humour and vulnerability. He also included some beautiful photographs, and some intricate drawings by his son Bodi. Bodi has Autism Spectrum Disorder and his story was told with respect and kindness.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
A quote from 14th Dalai Lama: "Do not try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a better Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are."

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Kirkby and Christine Pitkanen realized they needed a change of pace. Like we all have, they'd been sucked into phones and modern technology to the detriment of their family's unity, peace and contentment. Unlike the rest of us, they decided to take a dream trip. They had always traveled with their two children (3 and 7), but this would be a longer trip. They left Canada for a weeks long trip to the Himalayas, traveling by canoe, container ship and train. Then they spent three months in the Himalayas at Karsha monastery. My favorite parts of this book were reading about Bruce and Christine navigating parenting, what life was like at the monastery--nothing like I would have imagined--(disappointingly young boys live there with very little education, unlike previous decades where living at the monastery meant a very good education), and seeing how they pulled together as a couple to make it through the times when they were ready to give it all in.

[Catherine Mccormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so good to find such quality writing in an almost "local" author. He lives in Kimberley, BC which is only about 200 km from me as the crow flies. Bruce is an adventurer and outdoor guy who knows how to write. In 2014, he and his wife and their 2 children, aged 3 and 7 set off on a trip to a remote Buddhist monastery in northern India. They decided to get there without taking a plane so they left Kimberley by canoe to Golden where they hopped on a train to Vancouver. Then they took a container ship (there are a few berths on board) to Korea, took trains across China and Tibet, travelled by bus and van to the last place they could reach and then hiked for a week to reach the monastery. There, they taught the "novice" monks English and Math for 3 months and helped with harvests, administered medicines and learned an awful lot about themselves and their family. If you enjoy travel stories read about this unique adventure!

[Elaine Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have raved about this book to all my friends and everyone has asked "Where did you find this book?" "What inspired you to read this book?" I can only answer, "It just appeared." As books sometimes do, they appear when we need them the most, when we are ready for them. In this year of no travel and sagging spirits Blue Sky Kingdom is the perfect antidote.

Kirkby writes with great clarity and kindness about his family's journey to the Himalayas and toward one another. The hardships of their harrowing journey are countered with moments of serenity overlooking mountain views, chanting, meditating and pondering the blessings of remote living.

Their high-energy young sons meet their matches in the novice monks, who are able to meditate and chant for hours but squirm in the classroom where the Kirbys are trying to teach.

Five years in the writing, this finely honed tale is entertaining, insightful and thought provoking.

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man šķita, ka kopumā mēs esam samērā outdorsy, bet... aizbraukt (nevis aizlidot, bet aizbraukt pa sauszemi un jūru) ar diviem bērniem (7 un 3 gadi) no Kanādas uz dziļu Indiju... wow...

Grāmatā ir skartas tik daudzas tēmas, sākot no citas valsts iepazīšanas, izrādot cieņu tās iedzīvotājiem, “atslēgšanās” no visiem mūsdienu laika zagļiem, beidzot ar ikdienu ar bērnu ar autiskā spektra traucējumiem.

Ļoti uzrunāja autora aprakstītā sajūta, ka ikdiena ir uzņēmusi neiedomājamu ātrumu, kurā nav pat laika piebremzēt, kur nu apstāties pavisam. Es nezinu, vai kādreiz paņemšu pus gadu brīvu, lai pusi no tā nodzīvotu klosterī kalnos, bet mērķis būtu kaut uz brīdi apstāties ikdienā.

“But recently [..] I had begun to wonder if we were not simultaneously growing poorer, in ways that bank accounts and standard-of-living indexes couldn’t measure - time, connection and community.”

[Pitrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Bruce's book seems to weave three stories in one: a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the making of a TV series; the discoveries and relationships formed during his time living with the Lamas in Zanskar Valley; and the deeply personal story of a family learning and growing together, far away from their home in British Columbia.

I've read some of Bruce's work in the past, but this is the first of his full-length books I've had the chance to read. I devoured it from cover to cover, and when I was finished, did lots of reading about Zanskar and its history to learn more since I'd been so drawn into the picture he painted of this part of the world. Looking forward to tracking down his other books to read as well.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gobbled up this book in a couple of days all the while being magically transported to the Himalayas in the company of this wonderful family. Bruce Kirkby melds a fascinating story about a family journey to live in an ancient Buddhist monastery for several months with a 3 and 7 year old in tow with vivid descriptions of the rarefied mountain landscape and the people who call it home. The story is enhanced with a generous number of stunning photos - among his many talents Kirkby is also an accomplished photographer - and detailed sketches by 7 year old Bodi that add to the narrative. Be prepared to fall in love with the rugged landscape, the people who call it home and this intrepid family.

[Jrwest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book. I was initially sceptical whether I was going to enjoy the book. It won a prize for the best book at the Banff International Film Festival so I thought it was worth a shot. The book is written by Bruce Kirby a journalist/professional adventurer from Kimberly BC. He writes the story of how he and his family travel from Canada to Northern India to live for 3 months in a remote Budhist monastery. He and his wife teach the Budhist novices English and math. They travel with their two young children one of which is on the spectrum for autism. The book provided me insight into autism Budhism and India. Bruce writes very well such that he really captures the essence of his experience. In these Covid times reading this book was almost the next best thing to being there.