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ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS

A powerful, emotional memoir, ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS is an extraordinary portrait of three generations of Tibetan women, whose lives are forever changed when Chairman Mao’s Red Army crushes Tibetan independence, sending a young mother and her six-year-old daughter on a treacherous journey across the snowy Himalayas toward freedom.

Through the eyes of mother, daughter and granddaughter, this passionate and vivid book covers almost 100 years of Tibetan history, from the peaceful time young Kunsang spent as a Buddhist nun living in a remote monastery, eventually marrying a young monk named Tsering and starting a family, to the terrors of the Chinese invasion and the family’s harrowing flight across the snowy Himalayas when her daughter Sonam was only six years old.  

Unbeknownst to her mother, Sonam was nearly lost when she fell into a crevasse while the rest of the party, unaware, kept moving. Unable to call out for help since they had to travel silently to avoid detection by the Chinese, she clawed her way out of the crevasse on her own, and ran to catch up with the others.

After almost a month of travel, the refugees finally reached India, but it was not the promised land they’d hoped for. They were forced to work on road-building crews in the steamy jungle, breaking up rocks to make gravel and living under a tarpaulin shelter at the side of the road.  Many Tibetans grew ill and died under these conditions, including Kunsang’s husband Tsering, and her youngest daughter.

But the future held an extraordinary turn of events that would forever change her life—the arrival of a young Swiss man long fascinated with Tibet.  Martin Brauen will fall instantly in love with Kunsang’s young daughter, Sonam, eventually winning her heart and hand, and taking mother and daughter with him to Switzerland, where Yangzom will be born.  

ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS is a moving, multi-generational family memoir of three determined and strong women, written by the youngest, Yangzom, who, in resurrecting the story of her inspirational grandmother Kunsang, and persistent mother Sonam, has given us a book full of courage, love, and triumph.

 
Thursday, October 6, 2011; 7PM

Advance Praise for
ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS

"This book paints a vivid picture of Tibetan experience over the last eight decades, one of the most difficult periods in our history. Through the personal stories of three women from one Tibetan family, it recalls the imposition of Chinese rule in Tibet and the subsequent efforts of many Tibetans to preserve their identity and treasured values in exile."
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

“A moving reminder that the consequences of the Chinese invasion of Tibet continue down to this day.  A lovely memoir of three generations of Tibetan women.”
--Oliver Stone
 

“The journey of the refugee--Cuban, Vietnamese, Libyan, Darfurian, and in the old days of the Cold War, East German and Hungarian--has special resonance for Americans because this country has provided sanctuary for refugees as far back as its founding. The drama is that of life and death and survival in exile. This stunning memoir is vivid and compelling, a clear-eyed rendering of the experience. A must read.” 

- Diane Wolff, author of Tibet Unconquered: An Epic Struggle for Freedom


"Yangzom Brauen recounts a gripping true story of her family and has kept alive the dreams of her grandmother."

-Kehdroob Thondup, co-author of Dalai Lama, My Son

 “Yangzom Brauen’s Across Many Mountains, a triumphant tale of three generations of Tibetan women as they journey from Tibet to Switzerland, teaches us that there is much to learn from those who persevere in the face of injustice and the unknown. The courage of these women as they cross borders and learn the language of survival gives us insight into a country that remains a mystery to many, as well as enlightens the even vaster landscape of the human heart."

- Kim Sunée, New York Times bestselling author of Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home

“The story of Kunsang and Sonam and Yangzom touches my heart because it brings back memories of life in Old Tibet.  It tells the world exactly what it means to be a Tibetan refugee who loves her homeland deeply but at the same time is capable of adapting to life in the Western World.  The courage and integrity and endurance of Kunsang and Sonam are astounding. I thank Yangzom for telling their story. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know about the real situation in Tibet.”

- Arjia Rinpoche, Director, Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center and author of Surviving the Dragon

“A multi-generational saga stitched together from memories passed down from her grandmother, Yangzom Brauen's Across Many Mountains has the tragic, epic quality of Kenji Mizoguchi's cinematic masterpiece, The Life of Oharu. With unadorned prose that is both searing and laced with verisimilitude, Brauen has written a book centered on the extraordinary journey of her grandmother that is one of both human suffering and perseverance in the face of it. Across Many Mountains is nothing short of a celebration of the human spirit.”

- Rex Pickett, author of Vertical and Sideways
 

Author:

Born in 1980 to a Swiss father and Tibetan mother, Yangzom Brauen is an actress and political activist. She lives in both Los Angeles and Berlin and has appeared in a number of German and American films. She is also very active in the Free Tibet movement, making regular radio broadcasts about Tibet and organising public demonstrations against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Visit her Web site at www.yangzombrauen.com.

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