Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk, led his first 21-day retreat in North America in the spring of 1998. Attended by several hundred followers, the retreat marked an important step on the road to the re-establishment of peaceful relations between the United States and Vietnam; it was also a seminal spiritual event in its own right. "The Path of Emancipation" is essentially a transcription of Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings at the retreat, and it is an important and elegant book. Containing talks from the retreat, transcriptions of question and answer sessions, and two appendixes on "mindfulness trainings," and how to become more deeply aware of one's breathing, each page of "The Path of Emancipation" is replete with wisdom and insight. What makes this book such an unusual and important document, however, is its power as a testimonial to the 21-day retreat itself. It captures a unique historical moment in the development of Buddhism in America--as well as spiritual teachings that transcend time.