Black Tortoise, Red Raven

Book excerpt: Black Tortoise, Red Raven, the compelling sequel to the novel White Tiger, Green Dragon, continues to weave a captivating tale as it follows the courageous pilgrimage of a young woman scholar as she travels the length of the Yangtze River. Scholar Li, the daughter of Tu Ming and Shen Tao, flees a revolution in eastern China and travels west with a caravan of rug merchants. A Taoist intellectual and master of the tantric arts, the teenager encounters spiritual masters from unfamiliar traditions during her 1,500-mile expedition toward the foothills of the Himalayas. As she journeys to the Red Raven Temple, her spiritual understanding grows and she learns important life lessons from yogis, "crazy Zen" practitioners, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews. Just as she is about to reach her final destination, Li's life is forever changed when she encounters an extraordinary stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance to a historical figure. Black Tortoise, Red Raven not only opens the doors to personal growth and spiritual understanding for Li; it will also lead anyone who has a receptive spirit, open mind, and loving heart on the same journey to finding their true purpose in life.