Snake Lake

By Jeff Greenwald

Book Overview

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.

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. The author is forced to choose between witnessing Nepal's long-overdue revolution and reconnecting with an alienated brother in desperate need of help.

Snake Lake is primarily a memoir (though the roles of several characters have been recast). Focused on the life-changing events that unfolded during one calamitous spring, the book weaves a vivid tapestry of Buddhism, revolution, and the often serpentine paths to personal liberation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582436495
• ISBN13: 9781582436494
• Release Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Catapult
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 8.9"