Description
One morning at breakfast, while gawking at his phone and feeling increasingly disconnected from family and everything else of importance in his world, it strikes writer Bruce Kirkby: This isn’t how he wants to live. Within days, plans begin to take shape. Bruce, his wife Christine, and their two children – seven-year-old Bodi and three-year-old Taj – will cross the Pacific by container ship, then travel onward through South Korea, China, India, and Nepal aboard bus, riverboat, and train, eventually traversing the Himalaya by foot. Their destination: a thousand-year-old Buddhist monastery in the remote Zanskar valley, one of the last places where Tibetan Buddhism is still practiced freely in its original setting.
In this refuge, where ancient traditions intersect with the modern world, Kirkby discovers ways to slow down, to observe and listen, and ultimately, to better understand his son on the autism spectrum – to surrender all expectations and connect with Bodi exactly as he is.
Recounted with wit and humility, Blue Sky Kingdom is an engaging travel memoir as well as a thoughtful exploration of modern distraction, the loss of ancient wisdom, and the challenges and rewards of intercultural friendships.
More Information
Rights Information
Canadian English rights sold to Douglas & McIntyre, German rights sold to Grafe und Unzer, U.S. including audio rights sold to Pegasus Books. All other rights available from Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists. meg@wcaltd.com
Endorsements
“Kirkby and his remarkable family have built a bridge between the Rockies and the Himalaya, and in so doing spanned the gap between autism and Buddhism. This book is a time-bending journey through a landscape and culture that filled me with envy and sorrow by turns, while showing me things I have never seen described in a lifetime of reading.”
– John Vaillant, author of The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
Reviews
“An uplifting travelogue. Poignant and gently provocative.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred)
As it explores an ancient – and dying – Tibetan Buddhist culture, this delightful book also tells a timely, heartwarming story of a family’s search for peace away from the din of modern culture.
Soul-refreshing reading for armchair travelers and spiritual questers alike.
– Kirkus Reviews
Author Biography
BRUCE KIRKBY is a wilderness writer and adventure photographer recognized for connecting wild places with contemporary issues. A columnist for The Globe and Mail, author of two bestselling books, and winner of multiple National Magazine Awards, Kirkby has also written for The New York Times, Outside magazine, and Canadian Geographic. He makes his home in Kimberley, British Columbia.
Copyright Information
Copyright (c) 2020 Bruce Kirkby
Westwood Creative Artists Ltd.
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Douglas & McIntyre
- Publication Date August 2020
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9781771622691 / 1771622695
- Publication Country or regionCanada
- FormatHardback
- Primary Price 34.95 CAD
- Pages336
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- EditionFirst
- Copyright Year2020
- Page size16.51 x 2.79 x 23.5 cm (16.51 x 23.5) cm
Westwood Creative Artists Ltd. has chosen to review this offer before it proceeds.
You will receive an email update that will bring you back to complete the process.
You can also check the status in the My Offers area
Please wait while the payment is being prepared.
Do not close this window.