Book Log 2012 #10: Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli

I have an odd fixation with Bhutan, so this book was right up my alley. Napoli, a journalist based in Los Angeles, took a major detour at a crossroads in her life by agreeing to move to the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu to help start a youth-oriented radio station. Considering Bhutan only allowed television and Internet access in 1999, this was a bigger deal than she expected.

The bulk of the book covers her time in the country, getting used to her youthfully exuberant, if not particularly skilled, station staff, learning about the pervasive nature of its Buddhist culture, and trying to get used to the spicy cuisine. As interesting (and often humorous) as this is, I think the last part of the book, where Napoli goes back to California and eventually hosts one of her former radio personalities, speaks best about the author's personal journey in comparison to the changes in Bhutan (which was introducing elections for some positions) and in the Bhutanese, who have the unenviable task of trying to balance traditional living with the desire to be more involved with the outside world.

Certainly worth a read if you're interested in Bhutan or cross-cultural sorts of books.