Author: Jack Weatherford
I loved this book because it opened my eyes to a perspective and an account of history that I’m rarely exposed to. I had some idea of who Genghis Khan was, but the more I read this book the more I realized that my ideas were limited and often inaccurate.
A lot of reference material comes from The Secret History that was recently uncovered and translated. It was a set of records kept by warrior’s family that was specifically for their use and education. This obviously comes with some risks, but considering the other accounts available are generally western and often completely fabricated based on myth.
Some interesting learnings from this book:
• One reason that the advance of the Mongol armies was stopped: their arrows didn’t fly as straight when the climate was more humid.
• The Silk Road and its accompanying laws created the best environment for free trade until that time in history.
• Descendants of the Khan family continued to rule some territories until 1920!
I absolutely recommend this book for anyone interested in history!