For almost 40 years, the author has lived and worked all over the world, from the United Kingdom to South Korea, Indonesia, China, Ukraine, Mongolia and Sri Lanka. He witnessed revolutions, debated with the International Monetary Fund, played golf with Chief Financial Officers of some of the world's largest companies, discussed bond financing with Ministers of Finance, and saw currencies lose 500% of their value in just a few months. He travelled extensively and went above and beyond what tourists and journalists typically get to see when visiting countries. He paints a picture of political, financial economic crises with devastating detail and a cool sense of humour. He has no compassion with politicians or corporate citizens who pretend all is fine and blame everything that goes wrong on the outside world, instead of themselves.Mongolia: Cracks in the Eternal Blue Sky is the first book in the series Life is Good, Potentially. The author takes us on a journey starting in 2016 when he arrives in Mongolia and ends in 2020 after abruptly being locked out of the country because of the Covid-19 pandemic. With deep emotional engagement he writes about the state of the country, from semi-feral horses on nearly pristine steppe, to failed property projects in Ulaanbaatar. He describes in painful accuracy why presidents and politicians are the reason why Mongolia is not the rich country it could - and should - be, how chicanery in the banking sector destroyed what little international credibility the country had, and why the number of people living below the poverty line does not reduce when the economy booms. The people the author writes about all have a name, the issues are all true and the facts accurate. Still, the book is meant to be generic. The author hopes it will contribute to an improvement of the political and social situation of Mongolia, a country where Life is Good, not just potentially.

For almost 40 years, the author has lived and worked all over the world, from the United Kingdom to South Korea, Indonesia, China, Ukraine, Mongolia and Sri Lanka. He witnessed revolutions, debated with the International Monetary Fund, played golf with Chief Financial Officers of some of the world's largest companies, discussed bond financing with Ministers of Finance, and saw currencies lose 500% of their value in just a few months. He travelled extensively and went above and beyond what tourists and journalists typically get to see when visiting countries. He paints a picture of political, financial economic crises with devastating detail and a cool sense of humour. He has no compassion with politicians or corporate citizens who pretend all is fine and blame everything that goes wrong on the outside world, instead of themselves. Mongolia: Cracks in the Eternal Blue Sky is the first book in the series Life is Good, Potentially. The author takes us on a journey starting in 2016 when he arrives in Mongolia and ends in 2020 after abruptly being locked out of the country because of the Covid-19 pandemic. With deep emotional engagement he writes about the state of the country, from semi-feral horses on nearly pristine steppe, to failed property projects in Ulaanbaatar. He describes in painful accuracy why presidents and politicians are the reason why Mongolia is not the rich country it could - and should - be, how chicanery in the banking sector destroyed what little international credibility the country had, and why the number of people living below the poverty line does not reduce when the economy booms. The people the author writes about all have a name, the issues are all true and the facts accurate. Still, the book is meant to be generic. The author hopes it will contribute to an improvement of the political and social situation of Mongolia, a country where Life is Good, not just potentially.

Provides a comprehensive and insightful guide to the diverse natural history and rich history and culture of "The Land of the Eternal Blue Sky".

Mongolia, a vibrant democracy landlocked between Russia and China, stands on the edge of becoming Asia’s next boom nation—one of the richest countries per capita in the region. Referred to as the “wolf economy” for its vast natural resources—copper, gold, and rare earth metals—today, it is also home to a growing number of cutting-edge tech startups and international lifestyle brands. Its vast steppe landscape lends itself not only to herding and tourism but also renewable energy production and filmmaking. This book is about the individuals who are fighting to strengthen the country’s democracy and diversify its economy. It is about innovators aiming to realize Mongolia’s promise as a hub for green energy, tech and lifestyle entrepreneurs who are shaking up traditional industries, and go-getters who have left high-flying jobs on Wall Street to return to the country they love and play their part in moving it forward. Unlocking a country’s potential is never easy. But if administered well, and if corruption can be rooted out, Mongolia stands every chance of becoming Asia’s next success story. Traveling across Mongolia on numerous visits, Asia correspondent and award-winning author Johan Nylander speaks to the country’s leaders and innovators—not to mention a cast of digital nomads, jazz musicians, and ordinary families—and finds a nation ready to grasp a better future. “A must read for Asia enthusiasts.” —Rob Carnell, head of research and chief economist, Asia-Pacific, ING Bank (Singapore) “Nylander ably integrates analysis and on-the-ground reporting.” —Dexter Roberts, senior fellow, The Atlantic Council’s Asia Security Initiative (Washington DC) “By far my favorite read on contemporary Mongolia.” —Jan Wigsten, CEO, 360° Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) “An amazing book . . . like reading a detective story.” —Alicia García Herrero, chief economist, Asia Pacific, Natixis (Hong Kong) “Johan is one of the best storytellers and writers I know.” —Akash Karia, global keynote speaker and bestselling author (Hong Kong)

A boy’s nomadic life in Mongolia is under threat in a novel that “captures the mountains, valleys and steppes in all their surpassing beauty and brutality” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune). In the high Altai Mountains of northern Mongolia, a young shepherd boy comes of age, tending his family’s flocks on the mountain steppes and knowing little of the world beyond the surrounding peaks. But his nomadic way of life is increasingly disrupted by modernity. This confrontation comes in stages. First, his older siblings leave the family yurt to attend a distant boarding school. Then the boy’s grandmother dies, and with her his connection to the old ways. But perhaps the greatest tragedy strikes when his dog, Arsylang—“all that was left to me”—ingests poison set out by the boy’s father to protect his herd from wolves. “Why is it so?” Dshurukawaa cries out in despair to the Heavenly Blue Sky, to be answered only by the wind. Rooted in the oral traditions of the Tuvan people, The Blue Sky weaves the timeless story of a boy poised on the cusp of manhood with the story of a people on the threshold. “Thrilling. . . . Tschinag makes it easy for his readers to fall into the beautiful rhythms of the Tuvans’ daily life.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review “In this pristine and concentrated tale of miraculous survival and anguished loss, Tschinag evokes the nurturing warmth of a family within the circular embrace of a yurt as an ancient way of life lived in harmony with nature becomes endangered.” —Booklist

From the acclaimed author of We Ride Upon Sticks comes a luminous novel that moves across a windswept Mongolia, as estranged twin brothers make a journey of duty, conflict, and renewed understanding. "A dazzling achievement...The rhythms are more like prayer than prose, and the puzzlelike plot yields revelations." —The New York Times Tasked with finding the reincarnation of a great lama—a spiritual teacher who may have been born anywhere in the vast Mongolian landscape—the young monk Chuluun sets out with his identical twin, Mun, who has rejected the monastic life they once shared. Their relationship will be tested on this journey through their homeland as each possesses the ability to hear the other’s thoughts. Proving once again that she is a writer of immense range and imagination, Quan Barry carries us across a terrain as unforgiving as it is beautiful and culturally varied, from the western Altai mountains to the eerie starkness of the Gobi Desert to the ancient capital of Chinggis Khaan. As their country stretches before them, questions of faith—along with more earthly matters of love and brotherhood—haunt the twins. Are our lives our own, or do we belong to something larger? When I’m Gone, Look for Me in the East is a stunningly far-flung examination of our individual struggle to retain our convictions and discover meaning in a fast-changing world, as well as a meditation on accepting what simply is.