Description

When Adhe Tapontsang--or Ama (Mother) Adhe, as she is affectionately known--left Tibet in 1987, she was allowed to do so on the condition that she remain silent about her twenty-seven years in Chinese prisons. Yet she made a promise to herself and to the many that did not survive: she would not let the truth about China's occupation go unheard or unchallenged.

The Voice That Remembers is an engrossing firsthand account of Ama Adhe's mission and a record of a crucial time in modern Tibetan history. It will forever change how you think about Tibet, about China, and about our shared capacity for survival.

About the author(s)

Ama Adhe Tapontsang is a native of the Kham region of eastern Tibet, where she spent a happy childhood, and is an activist dedicated to securing the much-needed freedom of her country. Imprisoned for twenty-seven years for her resistance activities following the invasion of her country by the Chinese Communists in the 1950s, she faced inhuman torture and deprivation. Following her release, she left in 1987 for India, where she now lives in Dharamsala. The Voice That Remembers is the story of her life.

Joy Blakeslee, M.A. Ed, J.D., is a writer and teacher who specializes in human rights, history, and literacy. Blakeslee has worked in civil rights law, as a teacher for the New York Department of Education, and as an independent researcher. She has visited India many times, and is profoundly impressed by the strength, determination, and spirituality of the Tibetan people. She is currently co-writing a book with Dr. Gloria Frelix about post-Civil Rights era Mississippi, and corporate, environmental racism. Blakeslee lives in Florida.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and a beacon of inspiration for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. He has persistently reached out across religious and political lines and has engaged in dialogue with scientists in his mission to advance peace and understanding in the world. In doing so, he embodies his motto, “My religion is kindness.”

Reviews

"With so much of Tibetan history recently lost, this book's achievement is to capture the details of Tibet's agony in a remote corner of our land. I was also born in that remote corner, and Ama Adhe brings to life the spirit there that China tried to wipe out."

Lodi Gyari, President, International Campaign for Tibet

"A riveting account of the desecration of a culture, a religion, a family and a landscape."

Mickey Spiegel, Human Rights Watch

"A moving testimony which serves to further international awareness and understanding. This book must be read."

"Ama Adhe's moving account of the Chinese invasion of Tibet and her 27-year imprisonment is both deeply disturbing and inspiring. In striking contrast to her horrific experiences as a prisoner, the tone of her narrative is calm and matter-of-fact. As the title suggests, this book is not only about Adhe but also about remembering those who did not survive... Her story is also the story of Tibet as a country and the desperate struggle to save its culture and religion from destruction."

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