Tetsu Saiwai

I liked the format, and I definitely learned about the Dalai Lama's history. The mixed format, with the main story told with art and brief interludes of photographs, was also great because it mixed a concrete historical reference (the photos) with an artist/author's rendering of the biography. My only issue is that for a graphic novel I think there could have been more showing and less telling. It's difficult for me to articulate, but there were moments when the text would say something about an event or an atmosphere, but the accompanying art wouldn't really emphasize the text. I think it might have been a stronger book if the graphics were used for description more than words, if that makes any sense.… (mehr)

Another book I checked out for the readathon but ended up reading before it started. The cover was so charming, and the Dalai Lama and Tibet are topics I've long felt that I should know more about, to it was hard to resist.

It is, by its nature, a brief introduction to the subject -- focusing on the period between when the two-year-old Tenzin Gyatso was identified as a possible reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and his eventual exile from Tibet. It is a book that will absolutely leave you with more questions than you started with -- about the religious practices of Tibetan buddhists, about the forces acting on the Chinese as they invaded Tibet, etc. But for me, having new questions is the mark of an engaging book. (At least in non-fiction.)

An easy (if sad and frustrating) read that is a good introduction to the topic.… (mehr)