Michael Kohn (1)

A competently written, factual and sympathetic account of life in Mongolia, by an American journalist who worked as editor on a newspaper, The Mongol Messenger, in Ulaanbaatar at the end of the 1990s. He explores the political, economical, geographical, historical, social and traditional background of the country and travelled widely in search of real Mongolians (as opposed to the many Chinese who live there now). The narrative is fairly flat and explicative though it is sometimes livened up show more by vivid visual and exciting incidents (the horse racing festival, the falcon smuggling, and so on), and he chronicles the immense social changes that came over the country since the millennium. I was glad to learn what lies behind the French crime stories I have been reading by Ian Manook (the Yeruldelgger detective series) set in modern Mongolia (they are gory, full of violence and corruption). Though I wouldn't describe it as a travel book, I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to visit and understand the country.
There are a few typos, but nothing really distracting (free reign should be free rein, by the way, and there is inconsistency between Khaan in the text and Khan in the captions) - the typeface is clear and readable, the paper good quality, and there is a section of colour photographs in the middle, but the pages are uneven (by which I mean they don't all end at the same level at the bottom of the page). I don't suppose this will irk anyone except myself, though. A map would have been useful. Thanks to Blacksmith Books for sending me this Early Reviewers copy.

Note: I am unable to edit the ISBN which should be 978-988-13765-8-9.
Another note: my copy is registered on bookcrossing and is travelling: https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/15147609? show less

Mongolia seems as far away, geographically and culturally, from Northern England as it could possibly be, hence I have a certain feeling towards it of exoticism and mystery. Kohn's book is an antidote to that feeling.

Arriving in the capital of Ulaanbataar to take a position in the underfunded English-language state newspaper, he describes a crumbling post-Soviet city of grey concrete apartment blocks, urban decay and corruption in the newly democratic, fledgling capitalist economy. His show more co-workers aren't particularly interested in journalism, just with filling space with livestock reports and industrial production statistics. Kohn's determination to shake things up and put out real stories is successful, to a degree, but not without consequences, both for him and his colleagues as he inadvertently ruffles political feathers.

I found several parts of the book a push to get through as it felt there were overlong chunks describing rather mundane aspects of Kohn's work or travel arrangements, but there was enough of interest to encourage me to make that push.

The Mongolia that Kohn presents is one of a people struggling to emerge from the shadows of its superpower neighbours; fiercely proud of its own history as a former continent-spanning empire; torn between its nomadic traditions and the needs of a modern, settled, urban economy; missing the security of authoritarian rule, relishing the freedoms of democracy whilst abhorring the perceived increase in corruption, politically, culturally and morally, that for some seems to be the dark price to be paid for those freedoms.

Despite the hardships and difficulties he describes, Kohn obviously enjoyed his time in Mongolia, and he communicates a real affection and respect for the country and its people. show less

I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme - thank you to the author and publisher.

I knew very little about Mongolia, but love good travel writing, and this turned out to be a great introduction to a fascinating country. The author got a job as a reporter/editor with an English language newspaper in the Mongolian capital in the late 1990s, and this is his account of the three years he spent there. He coincided with a lot of pretty momentous political and religious show more transitions, and as well as writing about that he also covers how Mongolia was starting to negotiate the transition from Communist single-party rule to a fledgling democracy and multi-party state. He didn't just stay in the capital, but also travelled round the country, so we see amazing festivals, join a hunt with eagles, and catch a fascinating glimpse of nomad and herding life. Colourful characters add to the mix, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this 'immersed expat' take on Mongolia. This 2nd edition includes an Epilogue which details some of the changes in the country after the author left in 2000 (largely increased economic prosperity and its impact on the more traditional ways of life) which was interesting.

I would have given this 4.5 stars rather than 4, but there were quite a lot of missing words (usually things like 'in' or 'with') which got increasingly annoying, as well as a few typos which really should have been spotted, especially as this is a 2nd edition. However, that is a pretty minor quibble, and I would definitely recommend this book, I really enjoyed reading it. show less

I'm not sure how Kohn did it, but he made me homesick for a country I've never visited. The insights into Mongolia's rich and colorful history as well as the present political struggles are interesting, but the real gold is his somewhat impromptu wanderings in the countryside.