A brief history:
Since the 1500s, the
Armenian people were part of the Ottoman Empire under Turkish rule. “The
Ottoman Turks rules many people, each with its own culture. The Ottoman Turks
were Muslims who practiced the religion of Islam. Jews and Christians were
allowed to practice their faith and customs, since Islam acknowledged its roots
in these two religions. However, many Muslims regarded these groups with
suspicion because they had never converted to Islam, and non-Muslims often didn’t
have the same rights or privileges Muslims enjoyed” (January 10). The Armenians
were one of these Christian groups. As time passed, they rose in power, which
made the Turks uneasy.
As the Ottoman Empire declined and various regions split away to form independent countries, the Armenians continued to rise in power and influence. This angered the Turks, and they started talking about taking action against the Armenians. “The late 1800s and early 1900s were rocked by revolts and sudden spasms of large-scale violence against the Armenians…Turkish leaders believed large portions of the Armenian population actively supported the rebels, so the Turks continued their attacks. By 1896 it is estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 Armenians had been killed” (12). A shift in power (the Young Turks) in the early twentieth century led many to hope that the violence against the Armenians would end. Ismail Enver, one of the leaders, stated: “‘Henceforth we are all brothers. There are no longer Bulgars, Greeks, Romanians, Jews, Muslims. Under the same blue sky we are all equal, we glory in being Ottomans’” (qtd. in January 12-13). It didn’t take long for old prejudices to resurface, however, and violence against Armenians intensified.
When World War I ignited in 1914, the Turks sided with Germany but feared Armenians would side with Russia and provide aid to an invading Russian army. The Young Turks saw the distraction of the war as an opportunity to retaliate against Armenians and avoid foreign intervention. Thus, in 1915, the Armenians were told they would be resettled. Families were forced to march across the desert and many died from starvation, dehydration, and exposure to the intense heat of the desert. Others perished at the end of Turkish bayonets and guns.
When the war ended in 1918, the British and French began to investigate the treatment of the Armenians. However, the world was occupied with rebuilding after the war and focus shifted away from prosecuting the perpetrators. The government blamed the loss of life on the war and continues to deny any acts of genocide.
**(My brief outline of these events were summarized from Brendan January’s Genocide: Modern Crimes Against Humanity – pages 10-21 – and The Crime of Genocide: Terror Against Humanity by Ray Spangenburg & Kit Moser – pages 45-53. See book citations under "Citations" tab.)
As the Ottoman Empire declined and various regions split away to form independent countries, the Armenians continued to rise in power and influence. This angered the Turks, and they started talking about taking action against the Armenians. “The late 1800s and early 1900s were rocked by revolts and sudden spasms of large-scale violence against the Armenians…Turkish leaders believed large portions of the Armenian population actively supported the rebels, so the Turks continued their attacks. By 1896 it is estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 Armenians had been killed” (12). A shift in power (the Young Turks) in the early twentieth century led many to hope that the violence against the Armenians would end. Ismail Enver, one of the leaders, stated: “‘Henceforth we are all brothers. There are no longer Bulgars, Greeks, Romanians, Jews, Muslims. Under the same blue sky we are all equal, we glory in being Ottomans’” (qtd. in January 12-13). It didn’t take long for old prejudices to resurface, however, and violence against Armenians intensified.
When World War I ignited in 1914, the Turks sided with Germany but feared Armenians would side with Russia and provide aid to an invading Russian army. The Young Turks saw the distraction of the war as an opportunity to retaliate against Armenians and avoid foreign intervention. Thus, in 1915, the Armenians were told they would be resettled. Families were forced to march across the desert and many died from starvation, dehydration, and exposure to the intense heat of the desert. Others perished at the end of Turkish bayonets and guns.
When the war ended in 1918, the British and French began to investigate the treatment of the Armenians. However, the world was occupied with rebuilding after the war and focus shifted away from prosecuting the perpetrators. The government blamed the loss of life on the war and continues to deny any acts of genocide.
**(My brief outline of these events were summarized from Brendan January’s Genocide: Modern Crimes Against Humanity – pages 10-21 – and The Crime of Genocide: Terror Against Humanity by Ray Spangenburg & Kit Moser – pages 45-53. See book citations under "Citations" tab.)
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Forgotten Fire
By Adam Bagdasarian
Published: 2000
Based on the experience of the author’s great-uncle, this novel is a raw testimony to what thousands of people endured during the Armenian genocide. The narrator, Vahan Kenderian, once belonged to a wealthy, respected family – until the Turks started their systematic murder of Armenians. Vahan’s father and uncle disappear, his brothers are executed in front of him, and he and the rest of his family are forced to march through the desert. Though he eventually manages to escape the brutality of the march, his troubles and fears are not over, as he must hide, scavenge, and beg in order to survive. At times, he is met with wonderful kindness, but he also experiences extreme cruelty and prejudice.
What Vahan endures and witnesses through these events paints a clear picture of the suffering of his people. It is an emotionally gripping story that keeps readers invested in Vahan’s fate. It is a testament to the hatred and brutality that existed during this time, validating claims that this massacre of Armenians was, in fact, genocide. The suggested age for this book is 14 and up.
By Adam Bagdasarian
Published: 2000
Based on the experience of the author’s great-uncle, this novel is a raw testimony to what thousands of people endured during the Armenian genocide. The narrator, Vahan Kenderian, once belonged to a wealthy, respected family – until the Turks started their systematic murder of Armenians. Vahan’s father and uncle disappear, his brothers are executed in front of him, and he and the rest of his family are forced to march through the desert. Though he eventually manages to escape the brutality of the march, his troubles and fears are not over, as he must hide, scavenge, and beg in order to survive. At times, he is met with wonderful kindness, but he also experiences extreme cruelty and prejudice.
What Vahan endures and witnesses through these events paints a clear picture of the suffering of his people. It is an emotionally gripping story that keeps readers invested in Vahan’s fate. It is a testament to the hatred and brutality that existed during this time, validating claims that this massacre of Armenians was, in fact, genocide. The suggested age for this book is 14 and up.
Black Dog of Fate: A Memoir
By Adam Bagdasarian
Published: 2000
This moving memoir traces the author’s discovery of his family’s past and their experiences during the Armenian genocide. Balakian grew up in a wealthy suburb in New Jersey, and through his novel, readers are transported back to his youth, as he uncovers and explores this history of his people. With a poet’s grace, he weaves together his own life and that of his Armenian family in a brilliant juxtaposition of the two vastly different experiences.
Recommended for older teens and adults, this book is a wonderful and moving story of self-discovery. Not only does it explore the atrocities forced upon the Armenians, but it also examines the impact this event continues to have on the families of victims and survivors, and on the rest of the world.
By Adam Bagdasarian
Published: 2000
This moving memoir traces the author’s discovery of his family’s past and their experiences during the Armenian genocide. Balakian grew up in a wealthy suburb in New Jersey, and through his novel, readers are transported back to his youth, as he uncovers and explores this history of his people. With a poet’s grace, he weaves together his own life and that of his Armenian family in a brilliant juxtaposition of the two vastly different experiences.
Recommended for older teens and adults, this book is a wonderful and moving story of self-discovery. Not only does it explore the atrocities forced upon the Armenians, but it also examines the impact this event continues to have on the families of victims and survivors, and on the rest of the world.
The Road from Home: A True Story
of Courage, Survival, and Hope
By David Kherdian
Published: 1979
The Road from Home is a biography of the author’s mother, Vernon Dumehjian Kherdian, who survived the massacre of her people. Like thousands of other Armenians during World War I, Vernon and her family are forced by the Turkish government to leave their home and walk through Turkey to an area set up for Armenians in Syria. Lacking adequate food, water, and rest, many died on this cross-country journey. The wealth of Vernon’s family allows them to travel in their carriage, but Vernon witnesses the death of many people, and the family’s wealth does not protect them from the squalid conditions of the relocation camps.
This is a wonderful book for introducing the Armenian genocide, especially to younger teens. While the book discusses the horrors Vernon witnessed, it is not as heavy as some other experiences; I don’t know if this is because Vernon was luckier than some, or if she and her son decided to leave some of it out of the book. Regardless, it is a powerful account of her journey and experiences.
By David Kherdian
Published: 1979
The Road from Home is a biography of the author’s mother, Vernon Dumehjian Kherdian, who survived the massacre of her people. Like thousands of other Armenians during World War I, Vernon and her family are forced by the Turkish government to leave their home and walk through Turkey to an area set up for Armenians in Syria. Lacking adequate food, water, and rest, many died on this cross-country journey. The wealth of Vernon’s family allows them to travel in their carriage, but Vernon witnesses the death of many people, and the family’s wealth does not protect them from the squalid conditions of the relocation camps.
This is a wonderful book for introducing the Armenian genocide, especially to younger teens. While the book discusses the horrors Vernon witnessed, it is not as heavy as some other experiences; I don’t know if this is because Vernon was luckier than some, or if she and her son decided to leave some of it out of the book. Regardless, it is a powerful account of her journey and experiences.