Our Journey from Tibet

by Laurie Dolphin

Nine-year-old Sonam and her sisters leave their village forever to make the dangerous journey from Tibet to India, where they attend a special school for young Tibetans in exile, in a moving story... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525455779
• ISBN13: 9780525455776
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.8" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A young girl has to leave Tibet to get an education

Under the occupation of the People's Republic of China, school in Tibet is too expensive for most families to allow their children to attend (Tibetans normally have large families while the Chinese are allowed to have only one child per family). Of course, for those who can afford to attend, the traditional Tibetan teachings are banned. Consequently, the Tibetan Children's Village was established in the city of Dharamsala in India with the motto "Others Before Self." "Our Journey from Tibet" is based by Laurie Dolphin on the dangerous journey taken by a young girl named Sonam to travel from her home in Tibet, through the mountains of the Himalaya in Nepal, to India. There, with other children who had taken a similar journey, Sonam learns about the language, religion, and history of her homeland. Dolphin, who has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism for several years, was inspired by the plight of these children to write this book as a means of helping to preserve Tibetan culture. "Our Journey from Tibet" is illustrated with photographs by Nancy Jo Johnson, who has produced several stories for "Life" and "National Geographic." The book also includes a message from Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and an afterword by Rinchen K. Choegyal, Minister-in-Charge for Education for the Tibetan government in exile. As much as the story of a young girl having to take a perilous journey, the efforts of the people of Tibet to keep alive their Buddhist religious traditions, to reestablish in exile the monastic institutions destroyed in Tibet under the Chinese, and to teach their children their culture as part of a modern education is equally inspirational. Young students researching the land of Tibet for school would be well served by looking at "Our Journey From Tibet" as well to really get an idea of what live is like for children only slightly younger than themselves living on the other side of the world.

Excellent book for all ages

Although the book was written for children, as an adult I found it very interesting. The color pictures on every page bring the story to life. I liked the book so much I ordered another one for my niece. She is 9 years old, and is anxious to bring the book to school on a "show and tell" day.

Heart Warming and Courageous

I am 33 years old. I read this book for the first time today. These child's courage and bravery in this journey outshines all else. From the beginning to end this small child went through more hardship than most people I know of. What brings this book to light with most people is the quality of the pictures and the words. To be able to put the images that come to mind with pictures of such a dangerous journey is VERY Commendable. It also brings home the environment of what Tibets' children are facing each day. Makes me want to reach out to this child and hug her and tell her that it's over and it wont happen again.