[rating:5/5]

Seldom do real-life adventures touch the human soul as deeply as this masterful account of an adventure into a wonderful land. Heinrich Harrer describes his escapes from a British internment camp in India and subsequent quest to the Forbidden City of Lhasa. Written in the first person, Harrer paints a surprisingly human account of his journey, as well as those he met along the way – including, of course, his eventual connection with the Dalai Lama. This book is completely unpretentious and pays considerable respect to the Tibetan culture.

Note: This book bares almost no resemblance to the movie by the same title – it is FAR better than the movie. It’s a real shame that the movie deviated so greatly from this great adventure. While one must despise the evil that China has, and continues to, perpetrate upon “modern” Tibet, Harrer’s account may provide the best account of what that country was before the communist destruction of a culture that had so much to offer the world.