If storytelling is at the heart of human learning, then Cameron (Hello, I'm God and I'm Here to Help You) has opened a softly lit doorway to a greater understanding of the ethical complexities in the struggle between Tibet and China. Cameron is a Jew who converted from Christianity, and in her quest for a more complete spiritual and ethical framework she found rich, compatible resonances in yoga, the twelve-step program, bioethics and, lastly, Buddhism. A Ph.D. and R.N with a broad yen for wisdom stored across traditions, she and her beloved husband Mike have an apparently insatiable quest for philosophy that guides ethical behavior. This book describes the chapter in their lives wherein they doggedly pursued a just comprehension of the centuries-old relationship between the "neighboring" countries of Tibet and China, a conflict brought to the world's attention by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The gifts of this book are several. The guileless story of their travels, especially in Tibet, is vivid and engaging, engendering empathy—a "must read" for anyone contemplating the trip. The thrust and quality of their search to understand the perspective of both nations is a forgotten art. Although Cameron frames the work as an ethical quest, which it is, her greatest gift is a historical and cultural overview of what has transpired between Tibet and China. This should be required reading, especially for American Buddhists. (Sept.)
