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Out of the Gobi

By: Weijian Shan - Read: May 2023 - Rating: 9/10

A memoir of surviving China's Cultural Revolution and building a career in American finance.

Shan was sent to the Gobi Desert at 15 for "re-education." He taught himself English from a dictionary, eventually made it to Berkeley, and became a successful private equity investor.

The contrast between his Gobi years and his later success is staggering. A testament to human resilience and the power of education as a path out. Also a sobering look at what ideological extremism does to a society.