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Escape from Tibet
Two brothers face cruelty, hardship, and hope, on the ultimate journey in search of freedom.Eleven-year-old Tenzin hasn't seen his older brother, Pasang, in five years, so he is thrilled when Pasang unexpectedly returns to their Tibetan village late one night. Now eighteen, Pasang is an educated monk whose return from India provokes the suspicious and ever-watchful eyes of the Chinese authorities. Unbeknownst to Tenzin, Pasang has conspired with their mother to leave again -- taking his younger brother with him, this time, in search of a better life. At first Tenzin is thrilled to embark on such an adventure with Pasang. But crushing homesickness soon sets in as the brothers eke out a meager existence begging in the unfamiliar streets of Lhasa, often narrowly dodging the police. They finally scrape together enough money to begin the most harrowing part of their the physically excruciating, dangerous, and illegal trek to a new country on the other side of the Himalayan mountains, where they can be granted refugee status and begin to rebuild their lives. Along the way they suffer abuse at the hands of border police, meet fellow Tibetans from whom they draw strength, and have a chance encounter with a film crew that will change their lives.Based on the true story of the brothers' journey in the mid-1990s first made into an acclaimed documentary by Nick Gray, "Escape from Tibet" is a riveting tale of courage, adventure, and triumph. The outpouring of support for the boys that resulted after the documentary aired in the U.K. led to the brothers moving to Britain, where they live today. Only now do they feel that the full story of their daring escape can be told.A foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and an introduction provide historical context. Black and white photographs of Nick Gray's travels through Tibet vividly evoke the boys' homeland, and a timeline, glossary, and maps further contextualize the Tibetans' controversial and ongoing struggle with China.
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First published July 18, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 23, 2017
The authors tell here the true story of two brothers who escape from Tibet and make their way through Nepal to India to join a monastery there. Most of this journey is on foot, incredibly over a 19,000-foot pass within sight of Mount Everest, wearing canvas shoes and inadequate clothing and carrying very little to eat. Tenzin, the younger boy, was only 10 years old at the time. What amazing courage and stamina! We here in this country are so used to freedom that we can't imagine the lengths to which some people who have no freedom will go to get it. Tis book offers a vivid account of how refugees suffer to enjoy the freedoms we take for granted. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2023
Interesting story. I got bored with the writing. Just a list of everywhere that they went. Some pretty traumatic things happened to these boys and the author did elaborate on their feelings much.
November 27, 2014
This is supposedly a biography of two brothers who escape oppression in Tibet but it is written as a novel with invented dialogue, interactions, and other trappings of fiction.
September 15, 2020
Wonderful nonfiction book for our middle schoolers!!! (Dewey: 951.5) Teachers: have your Vaad haChinuch pre-check the torture scene on pp. 58-59. I have a mesorah that these things are MORE acceptable as non-fiction than they would be as fiction. But check with your school.
January 25, 2017
I'm always looking for concrete, fast, fluid reads for reluctant boy readers. Escape from Tibet fits that niche perfectly. First, it's about a place and culture with which many middle schoolers are either unfamiliar or so familiar as to yearn to see more on the subject. I cannot write a better book promotion hook than the prologue letter from the Dali Lama.
The language is fairly easy, considering the many foreign words and landmarks listed. Short, crisp sentences are nonetheless rife with suspense, as Tenzin is whisked away from his family village by his older brother, Pasang. Readers trek through Tibet with them, fearful of discovery by Chinese authorities. As they beg for money and sleep in a different alley way each night, Tenzin is exposed to more of his usurped culture and learns some of the tragic history associated with the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Much is left out.
There are botched plans, capture and yes, torture (one scene in particular might be too upsetting for some tweens), as well as an incredible hike over over the 19,000-foot-high Himalayan "Death Pass". Oh, and then there's the trick of being permitted refugee status in India, or getting sent back to China.
I think middle school teens will find it exciting and informative. I do wish the author's had explained Tenzin's motivation for leaving better. Or if he was only motivated to leave to please his mother, how did he come to embrace his new opportunity? At times in the book it seems he journeying against his will or at the least without his consent.
All in all though, a good choice.
The language is fairly easy, considering the many foreign words and landmarks listed. Short, crisp sentences are nonetheless rife with suspense, as Tenzin is whisked away from his family village by his older brother, Pasang. Readers trek through Tibet with them, fearful of discovery by Chinese authorities. As they beg for money and sleep in a different alley way each night, Tenzin is exposed to more of his usurped culture and learns some of the tragic history associated with the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Much is left out.
There are botched plans, capture and yes, torture (one scene in particular might be too upsetting for some tweens), as well as an incredible hike over over the 19,000-foot-high Himalayan "Death Pass". Oh, and then there's the trick of being permitted refugee status in India, or getting sent back to China.
I think middle school teens will find it exciting and informative. I do wish the author's had explained Tenzin's motivation for leaving better. Or if he was only motivated to leave to please his mother, how did he come to embrace his new opportunity? At times in the book it seems he journeying against his will or at the least without his consent.
All in all though, a good choice.
November 17, 2014
When his older brother Pasang returns to their Tibetan village, eleven-year-old Tenzin has no idea that when he leaves, Tenzin will be accompanying him. Desperate to escape from the oppression and poverty that exist in their country, Pasang decides to flee over the Himalayas to India where they will be able to be free. Readers will be caught up by the boys' journey and determination and keep their fingers crossed that they will survive as they endure brutality from border guards and face extreme conditions on the mountain as well as a guide that deserts them near the end. They also meet others who are just as determined as they are to reach safety. Their story was originally told in a documentary made through a chance encounter, and now retold in this book. I certainly admire the brothers for their actions, and I doubt that I could have survived the trek. The author has tried to describe their feelings and the challenges they faced, but I wonder if the book would have been more effective if one of them had written it.
January 6, 2015
This book is an outstanding book that readers must remind themselves is a true story. It is as exciting as any fiction read! Tenzio's escape from Tibet with his elder brother, Pasang seems an unbelievable story of horror and heroism. The family living in Tibet under conditions only a few could imagine, have no voice. Families work on farms and the Chinese take most of what the families produce. Children are allowed to attend school but are badly beaten while there and then go home to work in the fields. Pasang has been in India at the monk school but has come home to help the family. The soldiers are just waiting for a chance to arrest and kill him. Pasang and one of the younger brothers, Tenzin, escape the village and journey through Tibet toward India to hopefully find jobs and get money back home to their mother and younger brothers. Their journey is filled with danger, hunger, and much hardships. What happens when they arrive in Kathmandu is straight out of a movie.......
December 20, 2014
Advance copy provided by publisher through Net Gallery.
This book was a touching story that made the conflict between the Chinese and the Tibetans very accessible. I think that my middle school students would enjoy this book and that they would learn a lot about it. It provides more detail about what the Tibetans faced than simply reading a news article or a chapter from a history book. The story of the two brothers is moving and adds a narrative element that helps makes the book a quick and engaging read. In our literature class, we read a book called PEAK by Roland Smith. It is a fiction novel that brings in some element of this conflict. Escape from Tibet would be a great nonfiction companion piece for the reading of our fiction novel.
This book was a touching story that made the conflict between the Chinese and the Tibetans very accessible. I think that my middle school students would enjoy this book and that they would learn a lot about it. It provides more detail about what the Tibetans faced than simply reading a news article or a chapter from a history book. The story of the two brothers is moving and adds a narrative element that helps makes the book a quick and engaging read. In our literature class, we read a book called PEAK by Roland Smith. It is a fiction novel that brings in some element of this conflict. Escape from Tibet would be a great nonfiction companion piece for the reading of our fiction novel.
March 9, 2015
3.5 stars
Tibet is slowly losing it's culture identity and population as the Chinese Communist authorities attempt to force the people there to adopt Chinese beliefs and lifestyles (since the 1950's). In an attempt to avoid this forced assimilation, as well as the harsh treatment and lack of food caused by these policies, many people have fled across the Himalayan mountains to India. This is the true story of Tenzin and his older brother Pasang and their dangerous trek to religious freedom. The brothers faced hunger, extreme cold, and the constant danger of discovery on their journey.
It seems few people are aware of the plight of Tibetans; this is a great way to increase awareness.
Tibet is slowly losing it's culture identity and population as the Chinese Communist authorities attempt to force the people there to adopt Chinese beliefs and lifestyles (since the 1950's). In an attempt to avoid this forced assimilation, as well as the harsh treatment and lack of food caused by these policies, many people have fled across the Himalayan mountains to India. This is the true story of Tenzin and his older brother Pasang and their dangerous trek to religious freedom. The brothers faced hunger, extreme cold, and the constant danger of discovery on their journey.
It seems few people are aware of the plight of Tibetans; this is a great way to increase awareness.
April 10, 2015
Nick Gray first encountered Pasang and Tenzin as their group crossed the Snow Mountains in 1994, when Gray was making a documentary, after the success of which he wrote Escape from Tibet. This reviewer wishes the year would have been mentioned in the book, to help the reader place this story in history. Otherwise, the authors do a great job of relating the story in narrative nonfiction format, especially with the constant suspense of the brothers escaping capture and their survival in the Snow Mountains. Students in grades 4-6 may be unfamiliar with the situation in Tibet and will be intrigued by this peek into a different culture through a survival story.
April 12, 2016
Tenzin and Panang, brothers from Tibet, made the courageous decision to escape Tibet and the communist Chinese regime. Their escape meant evading police checkpoints, traversing the "Death Pass" around Mt. Everest with few supplies or warm gear, and making their way on foot across the Tibet-Nepal border without being arrested. This true story was captured by some documentary filmmakers that encountered the group as they crossed the mountains, and one of the filmmakers was so impressed with Tenzin and Panang that he stayed in contact with them and was a co-author of this story.
April 30, 2015
WOW! My life is gravy compared to the people of Tibet and mom's heartaches/worries greater than I could every imagine. This beautiful story of commitment, bravery and sacrificial love spoke to me like no other book I've read. The Dali Lama wrote the forward.
February 10, 2016
Great educational story about the mistreatment Tibetans face, and their desperate trip across the snow mountains that so many take every year for a chance at freedom, our God given right.I learned so much from this book. Thankful for this story.
February 18, 2015
Mild story conveying the brutality of the Chinese in Tibet. Knowing it was for young kids, I thought they got the point across without traumatizing the young readers.
June 23, 2015
Lovely book-- really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews