This time, she went to the Himalayas. In two parts, she has visited China (Xinjiang), Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, and back to China (Tibet and Yunnan). It is a massive book, and it is full of stories that reveal the ups and downs of the peoples that she has met along the way. This is definitely not the banana pancake trail travelogue but rather, a very honest and raw account from the critical eyes of a social anthropologist.
The first thing that I want to mention here is that I learned a lot from reading this book. I learned about menstruation huts, about sky burials, about polyandry, and about living goddesses. I learned about concepts that I never even imagined existed. I caught myself interrupting my reading and looking things up on Wikipedia several times. So yes, this book was definitely very educational and informative.
As with her previous books, she is not afraid to talk about uncomfortable topics. She can ask rather uncomfortable questions to the people she meets, and this every now and then puts her translators and guides into trouble. But at the same time, this tactic just emphasises the hardships that people she visits encounter. For example, the dictatorship in Chinese society is very real, and her writings actually puts the concept of a surveillance society into a very palpable reality. This book is not always an easy read, but it definitely is full of humanity's aches, pains, and joys.
I have to say that reading this book just kindled my desire to visit this part of the world. I don't exactly know when I'd find myself staring at the face of Mount Everest, yet this book definitely whets my appetite for it. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It definitely is a book that is packed with culture and humanity, for better and for worse.
See my other book reviews here.
