I spent a long time trying to read this book. It's incredibly epic in the sense that moment to moment is some gripping situation and obviously compelling because from a true account. I may be too geared on an overarching structure or pattern or even narrative summary to help speed certain things along. I think it must be a very worthwhile book in the end, and I appreciate that Harrer spells out the splendid but also cruel aspects of Tibetan culture as it's easy to sentimentalize what may appear peaceful from a great distance. And great to hear about the Dalai Lama.