White Mountain: A Cultural Adventure Through the Himalayas by Robert Twigger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I thought this book would have more Himalayan climbing stories & characters, given its title and cover photo. It had some, and had some decent historical background on the area, but not enough of a story thread to be really engaging. It was much more focused on the Tibetan/Buddhist perspectives found by various peoples of the Himalayan--including much on folk beliefs/practices. I felt like it was a typical 20th-century PC look at the mystic cultures of far-off lands, where supposedly everything was so perfect for thousands of years & the people ever-so-happy & contented, until modernity arrived in the guise of British, Russian, or Chinese imperialism. Not that there were bad things done by those imperialists and their condescending viewpoints & supposed cultural superiority--but it was just all too overplayed. Like the Dalai Lama is the answer to every modern ill. So much lostness, darkness, sadness, poverty & subservience to gods-who-are-NOT-God. Got tired/bored of it all. Can't recommend this book to anyone, sorry. Give me some good straight-on climbing stories/experiences!


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