Tibetan Memoies

Tibetan Memories presents the stories and portraits of ordinary Tibetan women and men in exile, in their own words, along with photographs of the lands they embraced in Ladakh.

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This is the first book to present the stories and portraits of ordinary Tibetan women and men in exile, in their own words. It includes gorgeous photographs of the lands they embraced in Ladakh, where they fled after the Chinese annexed Tibet in 1959.

To meet the people and make these photographs, the Johnsons traveled throughout Ladakh, visiting many villages, and interviewing dozens of people. Most of them had to leave everything behind when they fled: family, friends, and their most precious possessions: their animals, with whom they had a unique and symbiotic relationship.

Yet, as Dr. Johnson reveals in his photographs and stories, these refugees are resilient, wise, and hopeful. They have made their tragedy a source of strength, along with their unwavering devotion to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and to their Buddhist practice, which continues to sustain them.

In a world full of exiles, more than 150,000 of which are Tibetan, this book is not only of historical significance, it is timely. It puts a human face on the increasingly complex problem of people being forcibly displaced from their homelands. These remarkable individuals show us the meaning of never giving up, and that everyone deserves compassion, for without it, the future of humanity stands in peril.