- Paperback: 220 pages
- Publisher: ECW Press; 1 edition (Oct 1 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1550224344
- ISBN-13: 978-1550224344
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #451,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Jill Lawless arrived in Mongolia in the late 1990s to find a country waking from centuries of isolation, at once rediscovering its heritage as a nomadic and Buddhist society and simultaneously discovering the western world. The result is a land of fascinating, bewildering contrasts: a vast country where nomadic herders graze their sheep and yaks on the steppe, it also has one of the world’s highest literacy levels and a burgeoning high-tech scene. While trendy teenagers rollerblade amid the Soviet apartment blocks of Ulaanbaatar and dance to the latest pop music in nightclubs, and the rich drive Mercedes and surf the Internet, more than half the population still lives in felt tents, scratching out a living in one of the world’s harshest landscapes. This is a funny and revealing portrait of a beautiful, troubled country.
From the Publisher
A country awakens to find its place in the new millennium... For most of us, the name Mongolia conjures up exotic images of wild horsemen, endless grasslands, and nomads - a timeless and mysterious land that is also, in many ways, one that time forgot. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongols' empire stretched across Asia and into the heart of Europe. But over the centuries Mongolia disappeared from the world's consciousness, overshadowed and dominated by its huge neighbours - first China, which ruled Mongolia for centuries, then Russia, which transformed the feudal nation into the world's second communist state.Jill Lawless arrived in Mongolia in the late 1990s to find a country waking from centuries of isolation, at once rediscovering its heritage as a nomadic and Buddhist society and simultaneously discovering the western world. The result is a land of fascinating, bewildering contrasts: a vast country where nomadic herders graze their sheep and yaks on the steppe, it also has one of the world's highest literacy levels and a burgeoning high-tech scene. While trendy teenagers rollerblade amid the Soviet apartment blocks of Ulaanbaatar and dance to the latest pop music in nightclubs, and the rich drive Mercedes and surf the Internet, more than half the population still lives in felt tents, scratching out a living in one of the world's harshest landscapes.Mongolia, it can be argued, is the archetypal 21st-century nation, a country waking from a tumultuous 20th century in which it was wrenched from feudalism to communism to capitalism, searching for its place in the new millennium. This is a funny and revealing portrait of a beautiful, troubled country whose fate holds lessons for all of us.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Dry Parts In The New Mongolia,
By Marie Stewart (North Bay, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Wild East: Travels in the New Mongolia (Paperback)
I started reading WILD EAST out of curiosity for a place I knew nothing about, intending to skip over the "dry" parts. I didn't skip a word. Even the history and politics moved at a rapid pace and kept me enthralled.While engrossed in this book I remembered a similar feeling from long ago while reading the sci-fi novel DUNE. A dry desert world creates a totally alien landscape with politics shaped by the geography. Only this book is here, now and real. I would like to read it again, but I can't get it back from my friends. Definitely a good read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
mongolia warts and all,
By A Customer
This review is from: Wild East: Travels in the New Mongolia (Paperback)
I found Wild East to be an eye-opener. I had a naive impression that everyone in Mongolia lived in tents on the steppe. I was surprised to find out that it is a country with a vibrant city life. I also didn't realise there is a lively free press, pop bands, and even night clubs. I get the sense that many westerners view a place like Mongolia through rose coloured glasses (the noble herdsman under the blue sky). That life seems very hard and it is no surprise that many people aspire to move to the city and get their hands on modern consumer goods.I really enjoyed this book and it has given me the desire to go visit Mongolia and see for myself this fascinating country. I highly recommend Wild East.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful well written book,
By
This review is from: Wild East: Travels in the New Mongolia (Paperback)
I concur with the other reviewers. This is a well written and humorous book about life in Mongolia after the Soviets left. Oddly enough Mongolians have reversed the urban trend and have moved back to the countryside and their nomadic way of life to survive.
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