The Lost Heart of Asia

By Colin Thubron,

Book cover of The Lost Heart of Asia

Book description

This describes a tour of the central Asian states of the former Soviet Union.

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Lost Heart of Asia as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’ve traveled to many of the places that Thubron, the acclaimed travel writer and novelist, visits, but his take on them is much different from mine. He delves deep into the histories of the peoples of the steppes, mountains, and fertile agricultural regions of Central Asia, their art, architecture, belief systems, and cultures. It is a broad historical sweep, from the rise of the Mongol empire to Stalin's deportations to the wrenching economic, social, and political challenges faced by the governments and populations in the post-Soviet era. Thubron’s research is impeccable, his descriptions of places and people engaging and lyrical. 

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Interested in Central Asia, the Soviet Union, and Asia?

Central Asia 31 books
The Soviet Union 380 books
Asia 64 books