Firsthand accounts and spectacular photographs combine to form a fascinating portrait of the endangered Tibetan people, their plateau, and their cultural landscape. Known as the "water tower of Asia," the Tibetan Plateau is heating up twice as fast as the global average. These rapidly melting glaciers-along with recent unprecedented development on the plateau-are quickly changing the lives of the deeply devotional nomads, monks, and farmers who have lived in this area for centuries.
Photographer Phil Borges uses individual stories and portraits to illustrate how dramatic development, climate change, and the deep devotion of the Tibetan people are interacting to transform Tibetan culture. The portraits of the land and the people bring a powerful visual component as the reader meets and learns about Tibet firsthand through these storytellers.

Reviews

"Phil Borges' images are some of the finest portraits I have ever seen, and like those of Edward C. Curtis, they are also precious, documenting a vanishing way of life. Look, care and be reassured by the beauty of the human spirit." Ann Curry, "NBC News
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"PHOTO BOOKS OF THE YEAR WINNER: Documentary & Photojournalism
In his fifth monograph, Borges explores both the indigenous lifestyles of the Tibetan people and their grand surroundings--each threatened by forces including industrial development, climate change and ongoing political tension between Tibet and the People's Republic of China. Forged over 17 years of periodic visits, Borges's affinity with the hardy natives informs the book's illuminating text and warm portraits alike." "American Photo
""Ethnographic, environmental, and aesthetic--this book is a triple win. Photographer Phil Borges returned to Tibet after 15 years to make this panoramic portrait of a people and place that are drastically changing. IntimateT