From the Publisher
Beautifully observed, with full-bodied, engaging characters who are never lost in the shadow of Chinese politics. Amy Yee has done a wonderful job of capturing the details, dramas, and dignities of Tibetan life in exile."—Peter Hessler, author of River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze and Oracle Bones: A Journey through Time in China, finalist for the National Book Award
In too many narratives, Tibetans are merely faceless victims. But in this perceptive and empathic work, Amy Yee shows we are people full of life, dreams, nuances, and resilience."—Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet
This extraordinary, compassionate work takes us into both physical and spiritual worlds. When we finish the book, we are left changed. We can see who we were when we began it and who we are now."—Akhil Sharma, author of Family Life, winner of the International Dublin Literary Award
Through a kaleidoscopic portrait, Amy Yee describes displaced Tibetans intimately and truthfully: people who are warm, open, large-hearted, peaceful. Their displacement cannot crush their humanity. Instead, their losses have strengthened them."—Ha Jin, author of Waiting, winner of the National Book Award
A marvelous book. Herself a Chinese American, Yee brings her sensitivity to matters of cultural identity to bear on the lives of Tibetan refugees in India and beyond."—Paul A. Cohen, Harvard University
A wonderful and moving portrait of a people whose predicament needs to be brought into the sunlight. This is a work of passion and insight that deserves to be widely read."—Edward Luce, author of In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India and former Financial Times South Asia bureau chief
In centering the daily lives of ordinary Tibetans, Amy Yee's work achieves what narratives on Tibetans often fall shy of doing: seeing Tibetans as contemporary people."—Tsering Wangmo-Dhompa, author of Coming Home to Tibet and Revolute
While Amy Yee's book is about the lives and political struggle of Tibetans in exile, it also reflects and speaks to the personal challenges and triumphs of 100 million refugees and diasporas around the world."—Lobsang Sangay, former prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile
Captivating. In richly poetic prose, Amy Yee champions the perseverance of Tibetan people with refreshing candor in this timely and transcendent work that will make you smile, laugh, and hold your heart at every turn."—Shayla Lawson, author of This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope, National Book Critics Circle finalist
In an era of vitriol and division, Yee's compelling work offers truth, hope, and a vital and humane perspective on refugee resettlement."—Kimberly Meyer, author of The Book of Wanderings and Accidental Sisters
13