This is the account of an American teenager who discovered a monastery in Tibet that was the inspriation for the legend of "Shangri La". It might be categorized as a 'new age' or philosophy book,  like The Celestine Prophecy, since it focuses on his spiritual training and their teachings in a novel-like format. Hard to believe, but interestingly, the sub-tropical region amongst the Himalayas that he describes finding, was later documented by explorers from National Geographic, the 'covered up' (there is still evidence of this).  Also interesting is that the author was apparently mentioned in the Edgar Cayce readings (the famous American psychic whose books have sold millions of copies), as someone who would one day bring an important message to the world.