When I saw Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World by His HolinessThe Dalai Lama on the new book shelf at the library, I was excited. I'm very much concerned about the environment, and I have a great deal of respect for the Dalai Lama, whom I've actually met (as a reporter).
Picking it up, I discovered that the book was also written by Franz Alt, with whom I was not familiar. I assumed he helped the Dalai Lama write the book, and noticed that it included interviews with the Dalai Lama that Alt had apparently conducted.
Fine.
Then I read the book.
The Dalai Lama material was fine, spiritual, and typical of him. It explained his own growing awareness about environmental issues, and some sad reflections on what the Chinese have done environmentally to Tibet. Certainly worth reading.
But there was a lot more Alt than I'd expected. He tended to be preachy, unrealistic, enamored of Greta Thunberg, and religiously suspect - even suggesting that Jesus believed in reincarnation, but some Catholic bishops suppressed that!
He even implied that "without humans the world would be doing better."
Right.
If you can cull out just what the Dalai Lama had to say, then by all means read those comments.
But otherwise, avoid this book!
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Pax et bonum
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