This is an interesting, evocatively-written short book about the life of a young shepherd boy belonging to a nomadic people in Mongolia. Set in the 1940s, the book is based on the author’s own life – the boy has his name, and in the author’s note (which puts the book in context) he refers to the character as himself; reading this alongside a memoir with numerous fictionalized elements highlighted the existence of that grey intermediate zone between fiction and nonfiction. The author – who grew up in a yurt, was educated in Europe, then returned to Mongolia and became a tribal leader and shaman – has certainly had a fascinating life, though this book focuses on the narrow world of a child, consisting of his family, the sheep and his dog. The boy faces a number of losses in his young life that leave him questioning the divinity of the sky, which his people worship.

It’s an interesting book, and while there’s no overarching plot, its relatively short length and the variety of its episodes carry it along fine. The translation is fluid and readable, and the glossary, author’s note and translator’s note at the end are all helpful. The book didn’t strike any deep chord with me, but it did expand my mental map a little bit further, which is exactly what my world books challenge is intended to do. The author himself discusses this in the afterword:

“Humankind, which for me in the beginning meant my small tribe of Tuvan people, has grown larger and richer in my heart with the addition of other peoples. Now, the publication of The Blue Sky extends it for me even further by including the peoples of North America. I am mightily pleased, not least for these peoples themselves, whose world, in turn, will now include the mountain steppe of Central Asia, and whose awareness of humankind will embrace the nomadic people from that corner.”

Indeed.

Sky Shamans of Mongolia: Meetings with R... I got this book as a gift, and other than the title I didn't know much about it. I thought it would be an objective, more anthropological view on modern Shamanism in Mongolia. The author clearly had a great time and whole-heartedly believes in shamans' abilities.

It was interesting to read about the various practices, especially from the point of view of a believer. It was also interesting to see how Turner traveled around the country. I wish the last chapter on Shamanism as Personal Evolution would have been at the beginning of the book. But the pictures throughout really helped me

This was lovely and unexpected.

 

Set in a sort of alternate medieval fantasy!Mongolia, it brings to mind classic fairytales with a princess locked in a tower for defying her father's mandate to marry the evil lord of a neighbouring land. Except the hero of the story is neither the resistant princess nor her dashing princely love, but the unsuspecting, dutiful servant girl who accompanies her into exile.

 

Dashti is a mucker, a sort of herding, yurt-living nomad, who heads to the city for a job after her mother and last remaining family member dies. She's trained as a lady's maid because she knows the healing songs of her people. Her first assignment is to the daughter of the khan, but when she shows up for work, her new employer has been deserted by the rest of her staff and is about to be locked up for seven years for refusing a marriage.

 

There's much to love about this book - apparently a 10-year anniversary re-release. Dashti has the kind of slow but significant character arc that is extremely hard to pull off, but entirely convincing and satisfying. She's determined, responsible, and hard-working, and very aware of her low-class status. Her transition from being happy just to be fed and housed to falling in love and learning to want, pursue, and fight for more than she ever thought she deserved is inspiring and natural-seeming.

 

The story is entirely told through Dashti's writing-practice journal entries, a unique perspective that creates an almost delicate-seeming storytelling style. The character experiences are mostly conveyed from the outside, from observations and actions, which can pack more of a punch than a close voice and strong interiority.

 

A poverty-stricken, bottom-of-society, functionally powerless girl saves everyone from her nearest relationships to the country. But don't read it for that. Read it for the amazing healing power of cats, and the story of one girl who's totally, utterly and completely in love with her cat.

 

Lovely read. I'm grabbing everything written by this author to marathon through right now.

Mongolia and the Golden Eagle - Bradford... This tale follows Cornell professor, Robert Johnson as he is mysteriously pulled from his classes to head up the project for a major archaeological grant set up by the head a worldwide High Tech firm, Walter Falone. Johnson has worked with him and the company before to great success, but something about this venture just seems off. He soon realizes that he and his team are the cover story for a race to find missing technology lost in the wilds of Mongolia. Before it is over the adventure will include international spies, a Navajo Windtalker, the best in high-tech cyber technology and Russian fighter planes.

If you were ever curious about how a research grant works, then professor Johnson and his assistant Abby, will put that curiosity to rest. As the main reason for the team to be in Mongolia, studying in a very specific place, reveals itself, the team takes up the time with outlining the scientific needs of the Mongolian academia. Also through the various team members, like Sumo, a retired wrestler with a way for negotiation and the heart of a professional Foodie, Mongolian park rangers , a young goatherd and sociologists on the team, you meet the Mongolian people and learn a great deal about their way of life and history.

Through negotiations with the various institutions, ministries and as things tense up between the team, with its high-tech counterparts and Chinese cyber-spies, the readers are given glimpse into the ongoing power struggle between Russia and China over Mongolian interests.

What I take most away from this book is a real feel for Mongolia. Everything from the most parts of the cities to the rugged inaccessible areas of the national parks were described in such in depth and vivid detail, supported by beautiful illustrations, that it really was like being there. The amount of research that went into this book must have been staggering.

4 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Książka - zaskoczenie. Przynajmniej dla mnie. Pokazała mi Mongolię od innej strony, nie podręcznikowej. To oni tam mają jakieś jeziora i rwące rzeki? I lasy? Niemożliwe. Jakoś nie kojarzyłem sobie tego kraju w ten sposób. Dla mnie to był tylko step, jurty i jedyne miasto Ułan Bator. Trochę to uproszczone, ale tak było. Po przeczytaniu tej pozycji książkowej, otworzył się przede mną całkiem inny świat. Interesujący na swój sposób. W książce jest opisanych sporo mongolskich zwyczajów, wierzeń i trochę historii. Jest też dużo opisów "prawdziwej męskiej przygody" w mongolskim stepie i wzdłuż mogolskich rzek. Takie typowo pamiętnikarskie opisanie rzeczywistości dnia codziennego. Nie każdemu może to przypaść do gustu. Mnie na przykład nie przeszkadzało. Co muszę podkreślić, książka nie jest z tych, co to czyta się "jednym tchem" i nie można się od nich oderwać. Mnie przeczytanie jej zajęło prawie miesiąc. Odkładałem po kilku rozdziałach, by znowu powrócić do niej po kilku dniach. Jakaś ta Mongolia taka rozległa....