JEFF GREENWALD / Snake Lake

Oct 28 2010 7:30 pm
 
National Geographic Traveler Book of the Month (November 2010)
 
 
 
 

In a circular valley beneath the looming peaks of the Himalaya lies Kathmandu, Nepal. It’s a city of shimmering prayer flags, sacred cows, lavish festivals, and violent political turbulence -- and a world that journalist Jeff Greenwald has come to call home. Focused on the life-changing events that unfolded during one calamitous spring, Greenwald weaves a vivid tapestry of Buddhism, revolution, and the often serpentine paths to personal liberation.

 

Snake Lake unfolds during 1990's dramatic “people power” uprising against Nepal’s long-entrenched monarchy. The story follows Greenwald as he wins the friendship of a high lama who reveals the pillars of Tibetan Buddhism, embarks on a passionate romance with a spunky but curiously unlucky news photographer, and discovers what democracy means to rural Nepali citizens, all while covering the revolution for a major American newspaper. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Greenwald's brilliant but troubled younger brother descends into a deepening depression. Jeff is forced to choose between witnessing Nepal’s long-overdue revolution and reconnecting with an alienated brother in desperate need of help.

 

"Greenwald has a gift for electrifying descriptions of the profound intricacy of the world and the mind. His portrait of his erudite ... brother and keenly illuminating memoir of place, spirit, love, and brotherhood are unforgettable." - Booklist

 

“Jeff Greenwald has always been a great travel writer, but in Snake Lake he transcends the genre by taking us on a perilous journey through the human heart. By turns poignant and hilarious, Greenwald molds the dramas of his life into teaching stories, filled with both passion and wisdom.” -- Wes Nisker, author of The Essential Crazy Wisdom

 

Jeff Greenwald is the author of Shopping for Buddhas and The Size of the World. His writing has appeared in print and online in such publications as National Geographic Adventure, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, Tricycle and Salon.

 

Bring your iPhone!

Because Jeff loves the Giants, we’ll do occasional breaks to check on the score.

 

 

Snake Lake (Paperback)

By Jeff Greenwald
$15.95
ISBN-13: 9781582436494
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Counterpoint, 11/2010
Other Editions of this Title
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