Pema Chödrön, an American practitioner and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, is the author of many books published by Shambhala Publications, Boulder, Colo. Her first two books, The Wisdom of No Escape (1991) and Start Where You Are (1994), were "warmly received," according to Shambhala associate publisher Jonathan Green. Chödrön's third book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (1996), was a bestseller, despite some controversy over the title--it seemed too downbeat for Shambhala's distributor, but Chödrön insisted, and the title stuck. The book advocates moving toward the difficult things in life, events that make us angry or anxious, in order to transform negative patterns into positive ones.
When Things Fall Apart turns 20 this year (and Chödrön turns 80). Shambhala is celebrating with a 20th anniversary edition, in hardcover and paperback, and a deluxe slipcover version, with individually signed art prints, available with a donation to the Pema Chödrön Foundation, which supports her work worldwide as head of Gampo Abbey, a Buddhist monastery in Nova Scotia. All three editions have a new cover and afterword. They were released on June 7 (hardcover: 9781611803891; paperback: 9781611803433). --Tobias Mutter
