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Bruce Kirkby
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Blue Sky Kingdom: An Epic Family Journey to the Heart of the Himalayas Kindle Edition

by Bruce Kirkby (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 99 ratings
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A warm and unforgettable portrait of a family letting go of the known world to encounter an unfamiliar one filled with rich possibilities and new understandings. 

Bruce Kirkby had fallen into a pattern of looking mindlessly at his phone for hours, flipping between emails and social media, ignoring his children and wife and everything alive in his world, when a thought struck him. This wasn't living; this wasn't him. This moment of clarity started a chain reaction which ended with a grand plan: he was going to take his wife and two young sons, jump on a freighter and head for the Himalaya.  

In Blue Sky Kingdom, we follow Bruce and his family's remarkable three months journey, where they would end up living amongst the Lamas of Zanskar Valley, a forgotten appendage of the ancient Tibetan empire, and one of the last places on earth where Himalayan Buddhism is still practiced freely in its original setting.

Richly evocative, Blue Sky Kingdom explores the themes of modern distraction and the loss of ancient wisdom coupled with Bruce coming to terms with his elder son's diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum. Despite the natural wonders all around them at times, Bruce's experience will strike a chord with any parent—from rushing to catch a train with the whole family to the wonderment and beauty that comes with experience the world anew with your children. 
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pegasus Books
  5. Publication date
    October 6, 2020
  6. File size
    44211 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kirkby deftly and emotionally describes the stakes. Raw and moving, it is the family’s interior journey, and Bodi’s especially, that displays the curative powers of adventure.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“An uplifting travelogue. Poignant and gently provocative.” (Publishers Weekly (starred))

I was blown away by the audaciousness of this epic family voyage, desperately wishing I was there with them. Kirkby’s writing offers a vivid exploration of culture, geography and relationships, but also, more urgently, of how we choose to live- and whether that’s possible to change. (Alex Hutchinson Author of Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance)

Bruce Kirkby’s chronicle of living in a remote Buddhist monastery with his family is by turns hilarious and enchanting. What a beautiful ode to impermanence, to the families we choose and the families we find and to the complicated wonders of a different, and fast-disappearing way of life. (Kate Harris Author of Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road)

Family adventure doesn’t begin to describe what transpires in these pages. Kirkby and his remarkable family have built a bridge between the Rockies and the Himalaya, and in so doing spanned the gap between autism and Buddhism. In addition to being a manifestation of deepest love and devotion, this book is a time-bending journey through a landscape and culture that filled me with envy and sorrow by turns, while showing me things I have never seen described in a lifetime of reading. We are lucky to have someone as brave, generous, and open as Bruce Kirkby abroad in the world. (John Vaillant The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival)

In an era when countless demands make it increasingly easy to ignore people and engage instead with devices, Blue Sky Kingdom provides a much-needed call back to the physical world. (Darcy Gaechter Author of Amazon Woman)

A rollicking journey, full of insights on cultivating a nourishing, fully present life amidst so much noise and distraction. (BRAD STULBERG Co-author of Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox)

By any standards, it’s a big adventure to travel the slow way across the world to a remote corner of the Himalaya and live there for months in a spartan Buddhist monastery—but taking young children along ramps it up to another level. Written with zest and clarity, Bruce’s account is compelling, moving, funny and above all honest, sharing hardships and frustrations along with the joys and ultimate rewards. (Maria Coffey, author of Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow )

Insightful and adventurous, Blue Sky Kingdom offers a road map on how to learn from the world ... There is wisdom in this book. Open it and let your imagination soar. (Conrad Anker Acclaimed American Aplinist)

"Bruce Kirkby has lived the dream of the modern globe-trotting adventurer: crossing Arabian sand seas, sea-kayaking Iceland and Borneo, traversing Northern Mongolia on horseback. In Blue Sky Kingdom, Kirkby's wife and two young sons join him for a different kind of journey—to an isolated Buddhist monastery, yes, but also to the elusive and fragile heart of wisdom that we all hope to glimpse in this lifetime. What a heartfelt, lovely and kind book this is." (Daniel Duane, author of Caught Inside )

In Blue Sky Kingdom, Bruce Kirkby not only takes us far across the world and deep inside a rarely seen culture, but also allows us an intimate view of his family, all while writing with tender honesty, penetrating insight and a delightful lack of bra-vado. Kirkby gently reminds us to breathe, embrace the unfamiliar and celebrate even the smallest of moments. (Jill Fredston Author of Rowing to Latitude and Snowstruck)

"As it explores an ancient—and dying—Tib etan Buddhist culture, this delightful book also tells a timely, heartwarming story of a family’s search for peace away from the din of modern culture. Soul-refreshing reading for armchair travelers and spiritual questers alike." (Kirkus Review)

About the Author

Bruce Kirkby is a Canadian writer, photographer and adventurer whose journeys span 80 countries and include traversing Iceland by foot, Mongolia by horseback, Arabia by camel and the Blue Nile Gorge by raft. Along the way he’s been shot at in Borneo, taken hostage in Ethiopia, and imprisoned by Myanmar’s army. His writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Outside Magazine. He is listed among 'the nation’s top modern day explorers' by Canadian Geographic.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B085GK9JD1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Books (October 6, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 6, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 44211 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

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Bruce Kirkby

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
99 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

TMM
5.0 out of 5 stars Finding balance and connection on an incredible family adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2020
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I just finished reading this new book by Bruce Kirkby. It was an astonishingly beautiful read. As someone who loved the Travel Channel show about Bruce’s family globetrotting expedition, this was a long awaited book for me. This book served as a true insight to his family’s journey. I was pleased to see that about two thirds of the book delved into the family’s life at the monastery in the Zanskar valley and the journey home which the show never covered. To me, this book read like a love letter; to his family, the valley in which they stayed, and the ancient way of life. Love isn’t always pretty or easy or perfect but it leaves an indelible mark that will forever change you. This book offers the reader a step away from the crushing pace of modern living. It is a moment of stillness, clarity and needed perspective on the what is meaningful in life.
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amazonfan
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous story about an awesome adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2020
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I loved the Big Crazy Family movie but was sorry we didn’t learn more about their time at the monastery. I knew a book was in the works, and as soon as it had a release date, I preordered .
The book was fabulous, so much information on a part of the World I knew nothing about. I loved reading about the boys’ reactions to daily life at the monastery and how the whole adventure changed them all.
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J. Peyton
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming and fascinating...a great read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2021
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This book paints a fascinating portrait of the people of the Himalayas and of a wonderfully adventurous family. Told with humility and self-awareness, this book tells a story that makes a mark on each reader.
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Maria L
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021
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Wonderful, well told story. Many valuable lessons to be learned in this tale from a family’s adventure to the other side of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Max
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021
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Sometimes a journey is more about what you learn about yourself then the trip it's self. From the start of the story you know that the family will return home to Canada it still breaks your heart when they leave India and the friends that they leave behind.
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Marjorie G. Mount
3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet testimony of a trip well taken.
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021
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I liked the personal journaling of the author. The trip itself. And all the ins and outs.
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Z. Cohen
5.0 out of 5 stars A chance to experience a distant world!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
I have been waiting for this book since I first watched the TV series, "Our Big Crazy Family Adventure". I fell in love with the entire family and was so curious about the time spent with the Lamas of Zanskar Valley. I was so excited to find that Blue Sky Kingdom is primarily a story of the time when the TV cameras left. I continued to love the Kirkby family, but now I added in the Lamas, the students, and the whole region. It was the perfect escape from my busy, connected life! If you want to be transported to a beautiful country with beautiful people, this is the book for you!
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Bobbi
5.0 out of 5 stars Like new
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2023
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A pristine copy and fast delivery.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ken Ballard
5.0 out of 5 stars Great writer, awesome adventure story, very touching and inspiring
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
As in the past read of your outstanding books I found the adventure, thrill, excitement, ups and downs through your writing Bruce. It is pure joy and warmed my soul - inspired, intriguing and I am now more knowledgeable on this part of the world and Buddha :) I feel fortunate to have met you many years ago, your writing has improved immensely (it was always good however you paint such amazing pictures now within the story). This is such a heartfelt, honest and open book. Such a presentation of fun, life, truly a stunning story You are so unique with a rainbow of words. To have lived is to have read Blue Sky Freedom (felt a bit like I was there with you :) It helped me to set my dreams higher and to make some important changes. You made every page a painting - PURE ART.
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David Malinowski
5.0 out of 5 stars True page turner.
Reviewed in Canada on September 7, 2020
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I rarely get excited about a book but this one is a must read! This book is next to impossible to put down.
The Kirkby family took off on an epic journey halfway around the world their way. Thanks to the writing talents of Bruce, we get to experience a little bit of what they bravely endured. Blue Sky Kingdom is an amazing book filled with emotions, education and life lessons. We get to learn 1st hand about the struggles and so much joy that traveling outside the norm can bring, no matter the obstacles that may be in play. I’m so grateful that Bruce and his family shared their adventures with all of us!!
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David Malinowski
5.0 out of 5 stars True page turner.
Reviewed in Canada on September 7, 2020
I rarely get excited about a book but this one is a must read! This book is next to impossible to put down.
The Kirkby family took off on an epic journey halfway around the world their way. Thanks to the writing talents of Bruce, we get to experience a little bit of what they bravely endured. Blue Sky Kingdom is an amazing book filled with emotions, education and life lessons. We get to learn 1st hand about the struggles and so much joy that traveling outside the norm can bring, no matter the obstacles that may be in play. I’m so grateful that Bruce and his family shared their adventures with all of us!!
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mantle536
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful...
Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2020
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An incredible story of one family’s journey, a journey of discovery and connection. There is so much heart and wisdom to be found in these pages, and I think anyone in our modern world would benefit from reading this. I was personally touched deeply by so much of this narrative as a parent of a special needs child myself, anyone who has experienced this will understand all the struggles and rewards that come along with that. So few books are truly inspiring, this one is.
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Jeneane E Fast
5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring book
Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2020
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This book was pure joy from start to finish. I have read other books by this author and they always remind me of the importance of our relationship with the land and nature. This was no exception. But it also highlighted the equally vital part of what makes us human - community. In a time when we may feel more connected to our phones than other people, this seemed especially poignant. Thanks Bruce!
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Shelley
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Travelogue
Reviewed in Canada on February 28, 2021
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I love a great travelogue. This one, written by a fellow Canadian, is wonderful. The story of a family's travel to and stay at a monastery in the Himalayas gives you much to think about our societal quest for the next technological development.
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