Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family’s Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom—Yangzom Brauen (2011 Nonfiction)

This multigenerational biography is developed on stories the author heard from her grandmother, a Buddhist nun, and her mother who, as a young child, fled from the Chinese invasion and occupation of their land in 1950. They escaped over the Himalayan mountains to India, only to spend many hard years there in refugee camps. Later they traveled, this time on an Iron Bird (an airplane) to another mountainous country, Switzerland, where Yangzom was born and grew up with her Swiss father and Tibetan mother. In telling their story, Brauen provides meaningful insight into the Buddhist ethos, the blending of Eastern and Western cultures in families and the strength of personal character. A highly recommended book available in the Castro Valley Library.

Reviewed by Carol Lyke