Tibet (Cultures of the World)

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Summary: A comprehensive look at the culture of Tibet
Review: Tibet is an ancient country that has been a source of wonder and mystery to the rest of the world for centuries, but which has endured more tragic times in recent history as the once independent nation has been an autonomous region of China for several decades. This volume in the Cultures of the World series shows young readers how the Tibetan way of life, static for centuries, is now probably gone forever. Patricia Levy examines the lives of the hardy people of Tibet, their ancient culture, the land's astonishing geography, and its current politcial and economic realities. Levy also examines the religious beliefs that shape the lives of the people of Tibet and their struggle to maintain their traditional way of life.

Chapters are devoted to a dozen key categories: (1) Geography, covering the geographical regions along with the flora and fauna; (2) History, from the rise of the Tibetan empire to the "liberation" by the Chinese; (3) Government, contrasting Chinese versus Tibetan rule; (4) Economy, both before 1959 and today; (5) People, which establishes seven key ethnic groups and looks at traditional dress; (6) Lifestyle, both in the cities and on the Northern Plateau; (7) Religiion, looking at both the Bon religion and Buddhism; (8) Language, from mantras to the modern media; (9) Arts, including wood carving, frescoes, and the amazing thangkas; (10) Leisure, which looks at sports, games, and nightlife in Lhasa; (11) Festivals, from the New Year Festival to Monlam; and (12) Food, including yak products and various Tibetan dishes and tea.

The result is a picture of Tibet as a land that is one of the most inhospitable but also one of the most visually stunning regions of the world. The Cultures of the World Series has about six dozen volumes, looking at nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, which means there are enough books for every student in a class to be assigned a different country to report upon (I was ging to say enough for two classes, but I know how class sizes are exploding across the country). This look at Tibet is illustrated with color photographs and the back of the book has Maps, Quick Notes on key details, a Glossary, Bibliography, and Index. Young readers will find this to be a very informative volume, with each chapter broken down into distinct topics that will make it much easier to them to organizae their materials. They are also informative little sidebars on other interesting aspects of Tibet such as the Yanbajin hot spring and the legend of the Abominable Snowman.