Escape from Tibet: A True Story

Gr 5–8—Documentary filmmaker Gray and writer Scandiffio have collaborated on this account of two brothers who fled from their native Tibet to India. The story begins in the middle of the night, when 10-year-old Tenzin's older brother Pasang returned to his impoverished family home in occupied Tibet, years after escaping his monastery for greater freedom in India. Pasang convinced their mother to allow him to sneak the younger boy into India, a country with better prospects for Tibetans. But their journey was far from easy. With workmanlike prose, the authors describe the dangerous voyage as the brothers begged for money in unfriendly towns, evaded border police, and crossed the Himalayas on foot with only blankets to keep warm. The book emphasizes Tenzin's perspective on the events, effectively highlighting his bewilderment and distress at every stage of their journey, from the bustling city of Lhasa to the terrifying heights of the icy Death Pass and finally to the vagaries of refugee bureaucracy. But the younger boy's limited comprehension of his family's plight under Chinese rule sometimes renders the urgency of the trip confusing. Tenzin wasn't quite sure why they had to escape, and the brief introduction provides insufficient context for most readers to understand the perils of staying in Tibet and the opportunities to be gained from leaving. Still, the brothers' triumph makes for a heartwarming tale, and their story offers a glimpse at a corner of the world too little explored in works for this audience.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY