Threads of Awakening

Exactly as the blurb says. Part memoir and part travelogue, this book is such a delightful read. Informative as well as enjoyable.

I find reading this book really effortless despite the fact that it's a memoir/non-fiction as the chapters are really short and the writing doesn't waste words.

However, in addition to the few real pictures in the book, I was expecting some pictures of the textiles or at least the textile art.

I appreciate the glossary given towards the end. It's quite helpful in guiding the reader to read the book. And so much fun too to know some new words!

Thank you, BooksGoSocial, for the advance review copy.

Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo writes of her journey to learn the art of Tibetan fabric thangkas, not quite an appliqué, nor embroidery but an artwork with stitchery elements of both, requiring artistic and spiritual training. Her interest in the extraordinary stitchery began in India where the Tibetan government remains in exile. Appliqué thangkas entail creating your own supplies like making the embroidery thread by wrapping three horsehairs with silk thread instead of purchasing embroidery floss. The process is mind-boggling.
The spiritual components necessitate an understanding of Buddhist philosophy and ritual practices. The author accepts many of the rules where practical, like not letting the thangka cloth touch the floor and she changed her name to the Buddhist name she was given. Stitched thangkas are much more rare than Buddhist scroll paintings and other Tibetan art forms. This is no surprise once the reader learns of the difficult practice to create these silk artworks.
The book is structured like the fabric thangkas the author creates, each chapter labeled a "piece" as the reader weaves through the challenges the author faces in her singular journey to learn this practice and to write a unique story to share with the West. The detailed appendix may be the first written instruction of how to create a stitched thangka. Threads of Awakening takes the reader on a unique and extraordinary journey recognized by none less than the Dalai Lama himself.

I picked this book because I am very interested in textile and fiber arts, especially those which are related to a culture or historical time period. In Threads of Awakening, I got all of this and much more. Not only are we treated to a detailed description of a rare Tibetan textile art, we get a detailed and enlightening description of Tibetan culture and the author’s journey with her Buddhist practice. The book is structured in “pieces,” as in a Tibetan thanghka, rather than chapters, which allows the author to weave these three facets of her story together seamlessly, in a style accessible even to people who aren’t familiar with her subjects. The book also includes several pictures and a section at the end which explains some of the thanghka making process in more detail. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending it. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating read on a less-than-common topic: where the Venn diagrams of textile art and Buddhism overlap. Actually, add a third Venn diagram - that of travel writing. Whether you are a long-time textile artist or you don't even know the difference between knitting and crocheting, there is something truly insightful in how these themes come together to shine light on Buddhism in an accessible way. I agree with other reviewers that I really wish there had been more photos of the textiles themselves. But at least we have the internet so we can find visuals to reference general concepts while reading. Recommended, especially to those who like interesting and unexpected true stories about a side of life they likely are not familiar with (yet).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC.