About the Author

VICKI MACKENZIE is a professional journalist and author who has written for the national and international press for over 40 years. Her articles have appeared inThe Sunday Times, The Observer, The DailyandSunday Telegraph,theDaily Mail,and many national magazines. She has written extensively on Buddhist topics and was the first person to publish an interview with the Dalai Lama forThe Sunday Times.She has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1976.

Reviews

“This book is a worthy record of a truly fascinating woman.”—Diana Athill, author of Somewhere Towards the End, Stet: An Editor’s Life, and Alive, Alive Oh!
 
“An inspiring biography that will appeal to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.”—David Michie, author of Buddhism for Busy People
 
“Vicki Mackenzie captures the spirit of Freda Bedi, whose fierce compassion guided her through the shoals of political activism, motherhood, and finally bringing Buddhism to the West.”—Wendy Garling, author, Stars at Dawn: Forgotten Stories of Women in the Buddha’s Life

“An enthralling story about an indomitable woman, who cared deeply about the suffering and inequalities of the world—and did something about them. Freda Bedi was a big woman, with a big heart and a big life.”—Joanna Lumley

“Vicki Mackenzie has written an engrossing and dramatic account of an extraordinary spiritual adventurer who lived the equivalent of four or five lifetimes all packed into one! As she did with Cave in the Snow: A Western Woman's Quest for Enlightenment, the stellar biography of Tenzin Palmo, the second Western woman to become a Tibetan Buddhist nun, Mackenzie stirs our souls by giving us a vivid portrait of a disciplined and dedicated life.”—Spirituality & Practice