Thomas Laird and Robert Thurman provide entertaining, outspoken and informative opinions on the Dalai Lama and the problems confronting Tibet vis-a-vis China. Laird is the author of *The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama*. Thurman is the author of *Why the Dalai Lama Matters*. Both authors are scholars on Tibet and the Dalai Lama. Their differing viewpoints offer keen insight into this regional conflict. This event is co-sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book.
Scholar, author, former Tibetan Buddhist monk, co-founder with Richard Gere of Tibet House in New York City, a close personal friend of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and father of five children including the actress, Uma Thurman, Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. *Time* magazine named him one of the "25 Most Influential Americans." He has lectured all over the world; his charisma and enthusiasm draw packed audiences.