Book
Blue sky kingdom : an epic family journey to the heart of the Himalaya
Record details
- ISBN: 9781643135687
-
Physical Description:
print
regular print
xix, 316 pages : colour illustrations ; 24 cm - Publisher: Madeira Park, BC : Douglas and McIntyre, [2020]
- Copyright: ©2020
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Autobiographies. |
| Topic Heading: | Festival of the Written Arts 2020 > Sechelt, B.C.) |
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sechelt Public Library | 394.3 KIRK (Text) | 33260100070573 | Nonfiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2020 August #2
A Canadian writer and adventurer's travel narrative about a life-changing family trip to a remote Buddhist monastery in northern India. Kirkby knew his life was out of balance when he realized he had become addicted to scrolling through social media websites on his phone at all hours of the day and night. Seeking to heal his "permanently fractured awareness," he and his equally harried wife decided to take their two children to Karsha Gompa, a 1,000-year-old Buddhist monastery in the Zanskar Valley. There, the Tibetan Buddhism that had long fascinated Kirkby was still practiced in its most "intact [and] undiluted" form. One challenge the family faced was allowing cameramen from the Travel Channel, which partly funded their trip, to follow them. Kirkby worried that the scrutiny would be especially difficult for his son, Bodi, who is on the autism spectrum. Another challenge was the journey itself, which involved travel by container ship, train, and a high-altitude overland trek. Once in Karsha Gompa, the family stayed with a colorful leader at the monastery, Lama Wangyal. Kirkby and his wife became English tea chers to the young novice monks who lived at the monastery, and his two computer-loving sons "filled their days with [games involving] sticks, rubber bands...and dried leaves." At the same time, Bodi was able to use meditation to control the "anxiety caused by noise, people and changing routines." The author and his family returned to Canada six months later feeling closer to each other, less beholden to technology, and deeply grateful to have observed an ancient culture in the throes of massive changes. As it explores an ancientâand dyingâTibetan Buddhist culture, this delightful book also tells a timely, heartwarming story of a family's search for peace away from the din of modern culture. Soul-refreshing reading for armchair travelers and spiritual questers alike. Copyright Kirkus 2020 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2020 August
Television host Kirkby (
Copyright 2020 Library Journal.The Dolphin's Tooth ;Sand Dance ) shares his vivid account of the journey he and his family took to stay at a Buddhist monastery high in the Himalayas as an effort to unplug and reconnect as a family. For them the journey was as important as the stay. They canoed away from their mountain home; took a cargo ship across to Korea; boarded a high-speed rail to China; and finally backpacked across the Himalayas at an altitude of around 14,000 feet, hoisting their sons and following mountain guides into the ever-higher peaks. The journey with their two young boys, one on the autism spectrum, and a camera crew from the Travel Channel sounds daunting at best. However, the trip bonds their family in the unique quality time it affords. Kirkby adeptly balances local history, culture, and travelog with personal family experiences. His decision to include his son's perspective shows the raw beauty of their interactions.VERDICT A breathtaking journey, both geographical and internal, Kirkby's blending of travelog of an already fascinatingly remote locale and personal family experience is unique and luminous. Will appeal to a wide range of readers.âStacy Shaw, Denver - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2020 August #5
In this uplifting travelogue, Kirkby, a Canadian travel journalist and photographer, recounts how he and his family fled the pressures of society to "slow down" in a Himalayan Buddhist temple. Addicted to iPhones and exhausted from their oldest son, seven-year-old Bodi's, autism spectrum diagnosis and treatment, Kirkby and his wife, Christine, decided to depart on their "fantasy" with their two children: a journey by canoe, container ship, train, and trekking, to the thousand-year-old Karsha Gompa in Zanskar, India (a three-month trip). Along the way, Kirkby and Christine teach English to novice monks and are adopted by Lama Wangyal, who gives them Tibetan names, a practical matter for pronunciation but also, Kirkby notes, an "honour." Interspersed are facts about the Dalai Lama, Buddhist rituals, India's history, and Chinese "territorial claims over Tibet," with examples of prejudice against Tibetans in India (Wangyal is unable to obtain a visa to travel to Canada, despite Kirkby's interventions). Kirkby has an eye for detail, imbuing even the most mundane tasks with meaning. Emotional reflections on the journey, Bodi's "leaps in development," and Kirkby's "newfound ability to... actually meet Bodi where he is," are juxtaposed with keen observations on the modern world encroaching on Zanskar. It's poignant and gently provocative, much like a prayer flag blowing in the wind.
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.(Oct.)
