Out of the Gobi
Out of the Gobi is a powerful memoir and commentary that will be one of the most important books on China of our time. It draws a vivid picture of the raw human energy and the will to succeed against all odds. This powerful and personal perspective on China and America will inform Americans' view of China, humanizing the country, while providing a rare view of America from the prism of a keen foreign observer who lived the American dream.
Praise for Out of the Gobi
“A personal history of China in its Mao and post-Mao periods written by one of China’s brightest people. Worth reading and, more importantly, understanding the ‘great leap forward’!”
― Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator for California
"This is no ordinary memoir. It is the engrossing, vivid personal story of someone buffeted by the tides of China's tumultuous emergence from poverty to power in the space of a few decades. Weijian Shan's journey from rural exile in the Gobi Desert to the heights of international finance is a metaphor for China itself."
― James Kynge, Global China Editor, Financial Times
“This is more than a memoir, it’s an epic. Shan’s improbable journey from his teenage exile in a bleak Gobi Desert work camp to becoming a renowned leader of international finance could be the stuff of fiction. Out of the Gobi is a must-read for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of modern China, and a window from which to view our nation as well.”
― Jeffrey Katzenberg, Former Chairman, Walt Disney Studios, and Co-Founder and CEO, DreamWorks Animation
"Out of the Gobi is a fascinating, inspiring book. It told me what I hadn't known about China through its modern struggles and successes, and about how the United States looks from the world's perspective, and about human ingenuity, courage, and humor that have no national limitations."
― James Fallows, The Atlantic
“To help us appreciate the story, Shan has provided a historical backdrop chapter by chapter, so that we can fully appreciate his personal journey. How Shan lived through a series of misadventures, wound up as an investment banker in the United States, and later became one of Asia’s shrewdest investors is a tale worth reading. You will emerge with a better understanding of what China is and how it got there.”
― David Bonderman, Co-founder and Chairman of TPG Capital
“Weijian Shan’s astonishing story is a modern Chinese odyssey, an epic of personal and political drama, defined, above all, by sheer grit and resilience. Before he made it to Berkeley, Wharton, and the upper
ranks of global finance, Shan made it out of the Gobi Desert by telling himself, ‘I will never give up.’ Indeed, he never did.”
― Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition, winner of the 2014 National Book Award
“Weijian Shan’s remarkable journey paints a picture of grit, determination, and a gift for learning. Well-written, and filled with passionate and poignant insights, Out of the Gobi is a compelling read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the character and determination of the people who will ultimately render history’s verdict on China.”
― Stephen Roach, Senior Fellow, Yale University