The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong: The Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet

China scholar Thurston (China Bound) assists Thondup, elder brother of the Dalai Lama, in telling the story of his life and his homeland's battle for autonomy. Thondup recalls his family's humble origins in the Amdo region; they were uprooted and traveled to Lhasa when his four-year-old brother was declared a candidate for Dalai Lama. Groomed to become a political advisor, Thondup is sent from tumultuous Tibet to study in China, establishing close ties with Chinese president Chiang Kai-Shek and hoping to return home to institute modernization reforms. The 1949 Communist takeover in China and subsequent invasion of Tibet puts his plans on hold; Thondup returns to an impoverished Lhasa as Chinese troops bomb monasteries and use "colonial, imperialistic tactics to divide and rule." Escaping to India, Thondup works with the CIA to train resistance fighters. A tense situation escalates with riots at Norbulingka Palace and the Dalai Lama flees to India, where the brothers organize a "government in exile." After decades of broken negotiations, Thondup returns to Tibet to take over a noodle factory, ruminating on Tibet's continued status as a colony in a world where so many have been liberated. Thondup is straightforward about his regrets regarding his own actions and remarkably less bitter than one would expect. Thurston challenges some of his memories and assertions in her afterword, though it's unclear why she did so. Though the narrative grows repetitive by the end, this is a vital narrative of Tibetans' ongoing effort for independence, and Thondup's bravery is commendable. Photos. (Apr.)