In Myanmar, where civil war, repressive government, and the $30 billion a year jade industry have shaped life for decades, everyone is searching for their own version of the truth . . .
Bum Tsit has a problem. In Myanmar's far north, he is caught between the insurgent army his family supports and the business and military leaders his career depends on. His attempt to get rich quickly leads him to confront Myanmar's biggest, most painful secret: the connection between the jade industry and the longest running war in the world. Now, he must choose a side.
Phoe Wa lives in a very different Myanmar. He is a young migrant who has come to Yangon, the country’s biggest city, to pursue his dream of being a photojournalist. At a time when the government is jailing reporters and nationalist voices are on the rise, he believes that he has a responsibility to educate the public about his country’s problems.
Until the World Shatters weaves Phoe Wa and Bum Tsit's stories of dramatic revelation to present the definitive portrait of Myanmar's politics and people in an era where public trust has disappeared. It also introduces us to the monks, punks, refugees, and disillusioned youth all fighting for their vision of the country’s future, and in many cases, for survival.
This first in-depth piece of reportage about the largest natural resource heist in Asia and its massive destabilization of the country as a whole, Until the World Shatters takes us deeper into Myanmar's world of secret-keepers and truth-tellers than ever before.
Praise for Until The World Shatters
A richly reported and often stirring book, and it arrives at a time when the world could use a deep and intelligent dive into this battered country. ... Until the World Shatters is part history, part academic text and part travel journal. ... Mr. Combs is a fine writer and a thoughtful guide to a nation and a people whose stories defy a straight and logical narrative. The Wall Street Journal
Until the World Shatters is a moving chronicle of a country that was just beginning to reveal secrets. The Economist
An illuminating portrait of a troubled and secretive country. Publisher's Weekly
An intriguing insight into civil war, repressive government and the lure of dark money The Irish Times
The book was written before the Feb. 1 coup ... But that makes it only more important to read it ... it is still highly recommended to anyone interested in contemporary Myanmar The Irrawaddy
The combination of Myanmar’s ancient culture and a deeply vexed modern history make it one of the world’s most intriguing places. Daniel Combs brings the skills of a keen, observant writer to a superb story. Until the World Shatters will absorb readers of all kinds with a chronicle that makes the distant feel strikingly visible. Evan Osnos, National Book Award-winning author of The Age of Ambition
A place like Myanmar deserves to be explored and presented on its own terms, rather than reduced to simple categorization or explained through references to the world outside. Daniel Combs manages to do just this, while also creating a breezy, sparkling, and often delightful journey with broader lessons for any type of reader. He draws on a wealth of human stories, and vast reserves of quiet dignity, to present the messy reality of the jade trade in Asia, the horrors inflicted upon the Rohingya people, and a six-decade conflict in Kachin state; but at the same time, the reportage exposes the contradictions at the heart of resource capitalism across the Global South, the explosive violence engendered by social media, and the near impossibility of nation-building within this particular iteration of globalization. I knew very little about Myanmar before I picked up Until the World Shatters. I tore through it in two days, and now feel like I understand, indeed care for, the country. Vincent Bevins, author of The Jakarta Method
A powerful narrative about one of Asia’s most flagrant crimes: the plunder of indigenous lands in Myanmar. Western writing about Myanmar has long skewed towards exoticism or good-versus-evil tropes. But Combs embraces its complexity — richly illustrating the journeys of two men drawn towards the jade industry, a vortex of stolen riches and ruined lives.
Patrick Winn, author of Hello Shadowlands
At a time when journalists are under attack and it feels like truth itself is under siege, this book journeys into how this struggle plays out in the everyday lives of people in some of the most under-covered corners of the world. In doing so, Daniel Combs has accomplished something rare: a deeply researched, lyrically told piece of reportage on an essential topic. Anyone who cares about the pursuit of truth should read this book.
Charles Sennott, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The GroundTruth Project
Until the World Shatters covers a country about which too little is known, and even less is understood. Myanmar has a complex and painful history that shapes its troubled present, but Daniel Combs sees things clearly from the ground level through the eyes of people who are seldom interviewed, combining their observations with his own to present a depth and balance that is rare and badly needed.
David Dapice, Senior Economist, Harvard Kennedy School