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 enlarge | Author: Jamie Zeppa
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy Used: $2.19
You Save: $13.81 (86%)
New (33) Used (43) from $2.19
Rating:  79 reviews
Sales Rank: 62389
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 157322815X
Dewey Decimal Number: 954.98
EAN: 9781573228152
ASIN: 157322815X
Publication Date: May 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Book has remainder mark. Nice book. We ship six days a week. Delivery confirmation in U.S. Sorry, unable to ship to prisons
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| Customer Reviews:
Beautifully-constructed first half leaves us high and dry at the end October 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In Beyond the Sky and the Earth, Jamie Zeppa presents an overall intriguing and insightful account of her experience as a schoolteacher and college lecturer in the remote kingdom of Bhutan. Published more than ten years after the author originally left for Bhutan, the book succeeds in presenting a fascinating view of the author's early experiences in the country. In the first two-thirds of the book, Zeppa's vivid images and careful attention to detail are possible only as she writes sincerely from her heart. One believes that her only motivation is to share her love of the Bhutanese and her gratitude for the privilege of living there and being loved by the children and villagers of Pema Gatshel. The reader feels a part of Zeppa's lovely world.
The reliability of Zeppa's account is bolstered by her consistent address her own imperialist mind. Most of us White people living in the Western world have inherited a perception clouded by a pervasive sense of superiority to other races and cultures. Zeppa is mindful of this fact, and sincere in her efforts to unlearn racism and imperialism. Zeppa wrestles with her desire to perceive the Bhutanese in romantic sentiments, and to impose her values upon them. Zeppa provides an interesting account of her personal despair over the social and political unrest she witnessed in Bhutan, some of which played out among students at her university.
In the final third of the book, however, Zeppa's sincerity begins to waver as the details give way to rushed summaries of particular events. Suddenly a year and a half has passed, and the reader is no longer invited into Zeppa's world. Although one doesn't doubt the veracity of the events reported, the tone of the events and the words spoken savor of emotional editing. The brief paragraphs of conclusion Zeppa offers to tie up her story indicate a difficult relationship with her Bhutanese husband and a host of regrets. One gets the impression that the story of the love affair, which hurriedly takes over the last part of the book, is presented for the benefit of Zeppa's spouse, meant to send some message about "the way it used to be." In any case, the reader is left behind. In the second edition of this book, it is hoped that Zeppa will rewrite the last 80 pages or so, and even (gasp!) go over the 300-page limit to present more fully, and more honestly, the story of the second half of her tour as a lecturer in Bhutan.
 Not what I thought it would be July 30, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a travel memoir, but it reads as much more of a personal journey. She goes from the western world into an isolated eastern world that is also very poor. She learns and learns, sometimes is very naive, sometimes very wise. Where she ends up was a surprise to me.
EXTRAORDINARY, WELL-WRITTEN STORY June 25, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
After reading some of the other reviews for this book, I was hestant to purchase it. But after traveling to Bhutan, a friend highly recommended this book. Zeppa's story is an extraordinarily well-written account of a westerner's time teaching in Bhutan. Her descriptions of the Bhutanese landscape alone are worth the read. There are few books that I read twice, and this will soon be one of them!
A JOY May 20, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Whether you are interested in travel, anthropology, religion this a charming read for all. Insiteful and skillfuly written. I've given it to five friends and all enjoyed it equally.
Loved it! April 13, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book will leave you thinking about it long after you've read it. I thought the author's transformation throughout her experience was so interesting to read about. I was disappointd that she didn't give more info about how her relationship with her lover ended because she had been so thorough about how they fell in love. Otherwise, it was a great book. I learned a lot about Bhutan's culture (I had never even heard of this country before I read the book.) and have recommended this book to other friends and colleagues.
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