Thurman (yes, Uma's father) has been an understudy of the Dalai for over 5 decades and taught the ever-curious Dalai as much about the Western zeitgeist as the Dalai taught him about Tibet and Buddhism. This recent work is a great primer on the history of Tibet and the Sino-Tibetan social and political situation which has recently flared-up and promises to be at the forefront of the foment frothing beneath the Beijing Olympics. It is obvious that Thurman knows and loves the man deeply and there is a personal tone to this work that is not to be found elsewhere, unless it is in Heinrich Harrer's "7 Years in Tibet" (yes, the basis for the Brad Pitt movie). The Dalai matters even more to me after reading this book and I was surprised that that could happen. Why is it that we meddle in other countries' social and political affairs only if they are economically useful to us? And we look the other way when the big bullies (like us) run roughshod over ancient cultures? Tibet is a jewel of a nation and China's loss is our gain. I personally feel blessed to have not one, not two, but three Tibetan Buddhist monastaries within an hour's drive of my home in Southern Indiana. As the Dalai says, "Don't study Buddhism to become a better Buddhist; study Buddhism to become a better whatever-you-already-are."