RADIO SHANGRI-LA What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth

A chance encounter leads NPR journalist Lisa Napoli to travel to the isolated Himalayan nation of Bhutan to help build the nation’s first radio station. Napoli’s budding relationships with Kuzoo FM’s 20-something staff reveal the spiritual and material conflicts facing the Bhutanese as they transform from a Buddhist monarchy to a fledgling democracy. Radio is an aural medium, making the audio version of this book vastly superior due to its ability to render the fledgling station’s intriguing broadcasts. Another bonus is that Napoli herself depicts the world of Bhutanese radio, one of many technologies yanking Bhutan headfirst into the modern world. The confidence, contentment, and wonder in Napoli’s voice reveal both her love of Bhutan and her rediscovered inner peace. J.T. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]