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.

3.5 stars

This memoir tells Leslie’s story of going to volunteer in the community of Tibetans in exile in India, how she accidentally discovered the little-known sacred art of textile thangka, & stayed for several years to study Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, and apprentice to a thangka maker. It’s a wonderful story, & I highly recommend this book! Especially if you have an interest in textile art &/or Buddhist art.

[What I liked:]

•Leslie’s memoir is beautifully written & supplemented with photos of her friends & daily life in India. It’s clear how much Leslie enjoyed her time there, & how much she studied & learned during her several years spent in India. I learned a lot about Tibetan culture (art, food, religion, etc.) while reading this.

•Lots of color photos of Leslie’s work are included. The “appliqué” thangkas are amazingly beautiful!

•While the whole book was enjoyable, I especially loved the chapters about Leslie’s study of thangka: the way the patterns are designed by painters who understand the media differences between painted thangkas & textile ones, the special silk fabrics & the Muslim community that weaves them, how the outline cords are prepared by wrapping silk floss around a core of horse hair (or fishing line), how the silk is stiffened by coating it in mutton fat (or various adhesives), how the massive artworks are built up piece by piece into a patchwork, how the special borders are made, how important embroidering the eyes are, & more! It was super fun to read about a textile art I hadn’t encountered before!

•Leslie includes a basic how-to sections at the end, with instructions on wrapping outline cords & piecing a lotus flower. However, she warns it may be difficult to learn from a book. She offers online classes & coaching for anyone who wants to learn.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I was expecting this book to be less of a memoir & more of an educational book. I enjoyed it quite a lot, nonetheless!

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I struggled a bit to enjoy this one, quite interesting but also a bit boring. I was expecting a lot more images, so perhaps that was why.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

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.

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.

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.