IRB Entry #1

The Open Road by Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer is a British-born writer.  He is the author of seven other nonfiction books and two novels.  He has written about Tibet for publications such as Time Magazine, The New Yorker and New York Times for more than 20 years.  Iyer has also been a friend to the Fourteenth Dalai Lama for more than 30 years.  Through years of traveling with His Holiness, intimate conversations, and honest observation, Iyer has come to know the Dalai Lama in a very thorough and fond way.  Iyer is a Theosophist, or in other words, a believer of Truth.

Iyer essentially begins the book with simple observations about the Dalai Lama's life.  He mentions the Dalai Lama's history in Tibet and family.  As the book progresses, his writing gets a bit more intricate.  He starts to go into greater detail about the Dalai Lama's struggles as a global icon, his charismatic personality, humble character and his realistic approach toward situations; his refusal to romanticize and simplify complicated problems.  Iyer touches on how the Dalai Lama carries out his days, his habits and his meditation.

The book is most likely aimed toward anyone who has interest in the Dalai Lama, researching people's lives and spirituality.  The context to be aware of when reading The Open Road is the Tibet Crisis.  The Dalai Lama was expelled from Tibet by the Chinese government when he was barely a teenager.  He is a spiritual leader and is constantly searching for ways to establish peace and understanding both within China and the world.

Pico Iyer is constantly trying to create connections and insert personal anecdotes to help readers gain better understanding of the observations he makes.  He uses dialogue to try to bring ideas full circle.  He also uses lots of imagery to set the mood, to give readers a sensual feel of everything that is going on.  His ultimate purpose, I think, is to cover the intricacies of the Dalai Lama's life, logic and philosophy.  In telling this truth, even objectively, he is also bringing justice to a sometimes misunderstood leader.  I think so far, Iyer is successful.  He is not lazy or careless with his words.  Although indirect in a way, he is very specific about the notes he makes and offers many practical examples.