Genghis Khan And The Making Of The Modern World Summary

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, by Jack Weatherford. New York: Crown, 2004, 312 pages. Reviewed by Tyler E. Tatum.

The book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, written by Jack Weatherford to recount his “quest” through the Mongol’s homeland. Weatherford states that “this book presents the highlights of our findings” that were acquired through years of research and travel in the Mongol’s homeland of Mongolia. (page XXXV). Weatherford begins his book in a lethargic manner by having a thirty-five-page introduction. While this introduction was slow to grab my attention looking back on it after finishing the book I see that it was a necessity. Without this introduction many of the quirks and traditions of the nomadic steppe people would have been confusing to the reader. However, it is after the lengthy introduction concluded is when the book began to really grab and hold my attention. The arrangement and organization of the book’s information had me eagerly turning the page to see how a historical event ended or how the steppe tribes did things in their daily lives. While the information is interesting alone, I believe that it is Weatherford’s simple and straight forward information organization that further enhances the book. Weatherford chooses to have the book play out mostly like a timeline while also being careful to not jump from year to year, which can be confusing to some readers. Another positive thing
attributed to this book is the value that Weatherford gives to other sources of information. When it is possible Weatherford provides different sources of information on a single subject to provide multiple points of views and thoughts on that subject. Weatherford does a superb job of accomplishing his thesis throughout the entirety of his book. He continually explains the timeline pertaining to the rise of Mongol Empire, without spending too much time and effort explaining minuscule subjects. By giving only the most important subjects attention the book offers a way for a novice in a subject to acquire a vast amount of information from one source. Normally this much information would be spread out across numerous sources that usually focus on one aspect or event in history. The book also shows little to no bias towards the subject, but instead Weatherford sets out to simply tell the history of the Mongol Empire as accurately as possible with the limited information available. Finally, Weatherford diligently makes sure to inform the reader when the information being relayed in the book is questionable or the only surviving concrete evidence on the subject. From this book I further increased my knowledge on a subject I had little experience and information on.
However, the most important thing that came from reading this book to me as a person derives from the leadership style of Genghis Khan. His style showed me that as a leader you should always base positions on who is best suited to hold them, you should be fair and never think of yourself higher than anyone else, you should be diplomatic, and finally you never be afraid to fight in order to protect what you care
about. Jack Weatherford’s account of the Mongols is a fantastic and invaluable source of information for anyone interested in the history of the Mongols or the other civilizations that had contact with the Mongol people. The enthusiasm and first hand experience from Weatherford’s travels and studies in Mongolia only further enhance an already superb book.
Tyler E. Tatum