Tight and humorous short stories that revolve around a fictional young dalai lama, these are strange and unique journeys into a world far separated from what most of us know. Delattre's writing and ideas are truly delightful, and there are plenty of stories here to treasure and enjoy over and over again. The only caveat is to note that Delattre explores religion through humor--for this reader, it was a welcome and unique eye opener that did indeed bring beauty to the Tibetan religion and philosophy, as he meant and noted in his introduction. However, if you're not willing to laugh at yourself and look with curiosity and humor at your own religion or others, this book might at times come across as too baudy or crass for your taste. For my part, though, it was a lovely short journey, full of curiosity and beauty. ( )