Who Was
Genghis Khan?
The year was 1179. A teenager named Temujin slept soundly in his felt-walled tent alongside his wife, Borte.
The round tent, called a ger, stood alone at the edge of the steppe—a region of vast, flat grasslands in Mongolia. Temujin and Borte shared this ger with family and friends. Together, they formed a small clan of thirteen people.
Most clans lived close together, forming communities of thousands called tribes. But Temujin’s clan lived alone and isolated.
An old woman was awakened by vibrations in the ground.
Hoofbeats. Coming closer.
She screamed for everyone to wake up. Someone was coming!
Three hundred men on horseback from the Merkid tribe raced toward Temujin’s ger. Eighteen years earlier, Temujin’s father—a man named Yesugei—had kidnapped his mother from her Merkid husband. Now Temujin was grown, with a wife of his own. The Merkid wanted revenge.
Who Was
Genghis Khan?
The year was 1179. A teenager named Temujin slept soundly in his felt-walled tent alongside his wife, Borte.
The round tent, called a ger, stood alone at the edge of the steppe—a region of vast, flat grasslands in Mongolia. Temujin and Borte shared this ger with family and friends. Together, they formed a small clan of thirteen people.
Most clans lived close together, forming communities of thousands called tribes. But Temujin’s clan lived alone and isolated.
An old woman was awakened by vibrations in the ground.
Hoofbeats. Coming closer.
She screamed for everyone to wake up. Someone was coming!
Three hundred men on horseback from the Merkid tribe raced toward Temujin’s ger. Eighteen years earlier, Temujin’s father—a man named Yesugei—had kidnapped his mother from her Merkid husband. Now Temujin was grown, with a wife of his own. The Merkid wanted revenge.
In celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month in June, we are sharing a collection of books by Caribbean American and Caribbean authors that includes fiction, memoir, non-fiction, and history. Find a full collection of titles here.
On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize
In June, we celebrate Black Music Appreciation month and the influential Black musicians and artists who have brought entertainment to their communities and beyond, and inspired others to make their own art. Collection of titles for Black Music Appreciation Month
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