Yangzom
Brauen, Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family’s Epic Journey from
Oppression to Freedom (St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2011, 306 pages).
Also
available for Nook and Kindle and as an audiobook.
(MEMOIR)
Reviewed
by Sue Dayton
Across Many Mountains is a memoir that
spans the lives of three Tibetan women.
The book is written by Yangzom Brauen and tells the story of her
grandmother, her mother and herself.
Yangzom’s grandmother, Kunsang Wangmo, grew up in Tibet and was a
Buddhist nun; she was married to a monk.
In the early 1950’s, because of the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Kunsang,
her husband and their two young children began a treacherous hike across the
Himalayas into India. During this long
and cold journey her husband and their young son died.
Kunsang and her daughter Sonam
lived in several Indian refugee camps over the years and faced much
adversity. Much later a young Swiss
man, Martin Brauen, befriended them.
Sonam married Martin and along with Kunsang they relocated to
Switzerland where the book’s author, Yangzom Brauen, was born. The book then follows Yangzom’s life and how
she came to tell this story about her mother and grandmother.
This is a powerful story of courage,
family, love, and fortitude in the face of unbelievable obstacles. It is also a story that helps the reader
learn and gain understanding of Tibetan culture and customs. My daughter Kathy read this book and
recommended it to me and I’m so glad she did!
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