Sabriye Tenberken is a young woman from Germany who happens to be
blind. She has written one of the most amazing and uplifting books
I have read in years. MY PATH LEADS TO TIBET is an account, in her
own words (translated from the original German), of how Sabriye
fulfilled her dream of helping the blind children of Tibet achieve
independence and attain a sense of dignity. She has done this by
establishing a school for blind children in Lhasa against
incredible odds -- all alone and before she reached her 30th
birthday.

There could be no better introduction than her own words: "Strange
as it may seem, whenever I'm about to take a leap into the unknown,
I always have the same dream. I'm standing at the top of a sand
dune, looking down at the sea. The sky is clear and blue, the sea
flat and dark. The sun is bright, the beach is filled with people.
Then all of a sudden, on the horizon a huge towering wall of water
is moving slowly toward us in total silence. Everyone is running in
my direction. The wall of water, growing ever more menacing by the
second, blots out most of the sky. Instead of running away, I walk
toward it. And the wall of water crashes over me. To my surprise,
however, instead of being crushed by its mass, I am in my dream
left feeling tremendously light, filled with new energy. And I know
that from now on nothing will be impossible." (pp.11-12)

Sabriye was diagnosed with a serious eye disease in childhood and
became completely blind at age 12. She uses a white cane when she
walks and travels around the world without assistance. In a place
where she has never been before, she relies on strangers to help
her and trusts that they will. She is rarely disappointed. The
faith she has in herself and in the best of human nature is
extraordinary --- and extraordinarily rare to read about at a time
when, more often than not, we are being bombarded with words of
worldwide deceit and destruction.

The book is written in a flowing, straightforward and easy-reading
manner in first person, much like a journal. Yet Sabriye never
forgets that we who are reading her book have never had the
experience of being blind. She takes us into her world and shares
with us her experiences in such a way that we gradually begin to
realize what an extraordinary teacher she will be, when and if she
is able to get her school started.

On a previous trip to Nepal with her mother, Sabriye spent a brief
time in Tibet and learned that blind people are viewed as having
been cursed at birth and are treated very much like lepers, or
worse. She developed a burning desire to teach Tibet's blind
children that they can have full lives, that they do not need to be
ashamed or handicapped and that they can live as Sabriye herself
lives --- to the fullest.

Tibet, now a part of the People's Republic of China, is famous for
its exotic isolation. Yet she set off with only a few pieces of
luggage, her white cane and a promise of a small amount of
financial backing from sources in her native Germany. She had to
apply for permission to the Chinese government and faced
bureaucratic obstacles that must have seemed as insurmountable as
the mountains themselves. She doesn't give up. She makes friends.
She buys a horse that knows its way through the mountain
passes.

Not only does Sabriye have to get permission to build a school, she
must also go out among the people --- some of who are nomadic
tribes --- and find the blind children who will become her pupils.
Because their parents are ashamed of them, these children are often
hidden away. Thus she travels on horseback and tells us of her
travels, the hardships, the joys and the people she meets along the
way. Even though you know she will achieve what she has set out to
do, the fact that she was able to do it is so remarkable that you
will read with your heart in your throat much of the time.

The publisher has included a selection of color photographs that,
for us sighted folks, add much to the book.

Reading MY PATH LEADS TO TIBET is an unforgettable experience.
Sabriye Tenberken has done us all a kindness by taking us with her
on her incredible mission.