

For several centuries Westerners have gotten Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism wrong. Fueled part by fantasy and part by misinterpretation, the myths have endured. Prisoners of Shangri-La explores the mythology that has developed around Tibet. Here are seven common misconceptions about Tibet. For the rest of the story, and for Lopez's consideration of the implications for Tibet if these myths persist, read on in Prisoners of Shangri-La.    "As Donald S. Lopez Jr. . . . shows in his brilliant and timely new study, Prisoners of Shangri-La, Western enthusiasts have always tried to imprison Tibet in fantasies of their own creation."Kenneth L. Woodward, Newsweek    If you'd like to read more about the issues raised in Prisoners of Shangri-La and some of the critical reaction to the book, we recommend these sites:

A review by Jonathan Spence in the Lingua Franca Book Review.

"The Politics of Shangri-La" by John Keating Kearney in FEED magazine.    copyright



