Jonathan Green (7)

This is one of those books whose shortcomings in the literary area is compensated by the weight of the story.

In 2006 something happened in Tibet, something that probably happens many times per year, but for once it was caught on film, film that was later spread outside China.

This book tells the story of those months, of those people, on all sides except the Chinese Army (which I guess were not interested in talking about what they had done) and it's a story that would make everyone sad, that would make almost everyone angry, would make most people disappointed.

The reason you should be angry is that this talks about how China treats Tibet and the Tibetan people. It's a very remote area of the world and little news leave or enter that area that isn't controlled by the Chinese government. That has sadly allowed them to treat the people living there in a terrible way without much proof.

China is a dictatorial one-party state. They torture and kill their own people. They lie, cheat and use subterfuge to prevent information from coming out. And the sad part, everyone in the western world knows this deep inside, but with the increasing power of the Chinese state, and increasing wealth, the greed overcomes the conscience and we ignore it. Sad. Very sad.

But this book is a reminder. A useful reminder. Not a great literary work but very useful to be reminded about these things.… (meer)

bookshelves: tibet, true-grime, winter-20132014, under-500-ratings, recreational-homicide, racism, published-2010, politics, philosophy, ouch, nonfiction, nepal, lifestyles-deathstyles, fraudio, execution, adventure, tbr-busting-2014, buddhism, religion, holocaust-genocide, biography, history
Read from January 03 to 05, 2014

Read by William Hughes

Description: Intrepid journalist Jonathan Green here investigates the clash of cultures at the rooftop of the world. As he gains entrance to a fascinating network of Tibetan guides and safe-houses operating in the name of freedom, investigates the tradition of extreme mountaineering in Chinese-occupied Tibet, and establishes contact with surviving refugees, he offers a rare, affecting portrait of modern Tibet and raises enduring questions about morality and the lengths to which we go to achieve freedom.

This gripping news story illuminates the complicated politics of an exotic place, and is a fascinating read that introduces us to the extreme worlds of western adventurers and Eastern freedom seekers while offering entrance into the dramatic hardships of modern Tibet.

The murder of a young Tibetan nun at the hands of Chinese border guards at the rooftop of the world offers a unique parable for the tale of modern Tibet.

Chinese police are instructed to take any measures necessary to protect the border of Tibet. When a group of climbers witness the murder of a young Tibetan nun who is fleeing to India, two men have a choice: turn a blind eye and preserve their climbing careers or alert the world to the grand scale of human injustice played out daily in Tibet.

Buddhist Nuns

From wiki: Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a fungus that parasitizes larvae of ghost moths and produces a fruiting body valued as an herbal remedy. The fungus germinates in the living larva, kills and mummifies it, and then the stalk-like fruiting body emerges from the corpse. It is known in English colloquially as caterpillar fungus, or by its more prominent foreign names (see below): yartsa gunbu or yatsa gunbu (Tibetan), or Dōng chóng xià cǎo (Chinese: 冬虫夏草; literally "winter worm, summer grass").

Prolonged and lacklustre beginning, written in a dry uninspired language and set out almost point-for-point for how to write a college essay. As Jeanette points out, this should of been green light all the way.

The facts are disconcerting, however there is no-one reading this who hasn't already heard about the revolting PRC tactics at religious cleansing and race annihilation in that area so be prepared to read through splayed fingers.

Tales of rival mountaineering teams give rise to the true meaning of base camp with their ugly behaviour, such as a climb war with fists and pick axes on the slopes that made Trostky's assassination by Ramón Mercader look merciful.

3.5*

Crossposted:
Wordpress
Booklikes
LeafMark
Librarything
aNobii… (meer)

A very important book for anybody interested in Tibet, modern China, human rights, and climbing.

It deals with an incident which became known as Nangpa La shooting/murder. In this incident, a 17 year old nun was attempting to cross the border to Nepal when she was shot at from behind and killed. The incident, in itself not so rare, was for the first time captured on camera and therefore documented, and subsequently made headlines and brought awareness to the plight of Tibet around the world.

There are many issues that are dealt with in the book. The murder itself is symptomatic of human rights abuses by the Chinese occupying Tibet, and the glimpse we get of the ordinary life in the Chinese part of Tibet is quite appalling. Another big part of the story deals with commercialization of climbing and what seems to be loss of ethics and/or lack of sensitivity to the suffering of others in some climbing expeditions and their leaders.

The story follows two people as their fates intertwine very closely over the period of a few weeks, even though they know nothing about each other- a close friend of the shot nun- Dolma Palkyi and an American guide and expedition leader, Luis Benitez. Their lives will be changed forever by what happens on Nagpa La pass.

It is especially interesting in light of another book that I just read, also about Tibet, The Snow Leopard. It’s amazing how much has changed in the last 40 years. Unfortunately, it does not seem to have changed for the better.

Here are the links to the real footage of the killing, and the documentary that was made of it.
The trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFw-GmmuR4s

Murder in the Snow Part 1/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrj9JOOvlos

(follow the links for further parts)… (meer)

Murder in the High Himalaya is one of those rare non-fiction books that elicited a myriad of emotional responses from me. I love mountain climbing and had for years heard rumors of the Tibetan plight. Yet, I had no real idea what exactly their hardships were outside of knowing the Dalai Lama was exiled and the Chinese occupied their otherwise peaceful country.

Jonathan Green compiled an incredible amount of data from the few witnesses willing to come forward and confirm the murder they witnessed on Cho Oyu. He brings the stories of the survivors, the deceased, and the witnesses together in alternating stories, weaving a timeline of events.

From this book, I was able to grasp the extreme hardships these peaceful people go through to leave Tibet, go to India, and meet their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Pilgrims die, they lose limbs, are imprisioned, beaten, tortured, threatened, separated from their families, and murdered. Despite the hardships of little food, water, clothing, shoes, and experience, a few make it through the Himalayas. Sadly, most do not make it.

I listened to the audio version of this book. While listening my emotions varied from sadness to hope, anger to tears.

At the center of the story the main focus bounces from a young nun names Kelsang and her best friend Dolma to American mountain guide, Luis Benitez. Luis and a few other westerners risk their careers and lives to get the story out. Romanian journalist Sergiu Matei had the wisdom to break out the camera and start filming once he heard gunshots. He smuggled the footage out of the country and refuting the Chinese press release on the incident, proved the coverup with irrefutable evidence.

The stories of the Tibetan refugees and pilgrims were heartbreaking but I sincerely appreciate the effort of Jonathan Green, and all of the climbers who came forward as witnesses to such a cold blooded murder of a young nun.… (meer)