Overview

A rare and poignant testimony of a survivor of the Armenian genocide. The twentieth century was an era of genocide, which started with the Turkish destruction of more than one million Armenian men, women, and children—a modern process of total, violent erasure that began in 1895 and exploded under the cover of the First World War. John Minassian lived through this as a teenager, witnessing the murder of his own kin, concealing his identity as an orphan and laborer in Syria, and eventually immigrating to the United States to start his life anew. A rare testimony of a survivor of the Armenian genocide, one of just a handful of accounts in English, Minassian’s memoir is breathtaking in its vivid portraits of Armenian life and culture and poignant in its sensitive recollections of the many people who harmed and helped him. As well as a searing testimony, his memoir documents the wartime policies and behavior of Ottoman officials and their collaborators; the roles played by the British, French, and Indian armies, as well as American missionaries; and the ultimate collapse of the empire. The author’s journey, and his powerful story of perseverance, despair, and survival will resonate with readers today.

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9781538133705

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Reviews

Memoirs of the Armenian genocide are sometimes painful to read. They bring us face to face with the most vile features of human beings--their cruelty, venality, and violence. But in this story of a survivor, we meet people who suffered and succeeded, who endured the unendurable and were able later to make a meaningful life for themselves. In his deeply felt and beautifully written account, John Minassian provides the deep texture of the everyday experience that brings the reader face to face with the crime of crimes. Genocide is no abstraction; here it is a palpable reality.--Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan

Memoirs of the Armenian genocide are sometimes painful to read. They bring us face to face with the most vile features of human beings--their cruelty, venality, and violence. But in this story of a survivor, we meet people who suffered and succeeded, who endured the unendurable and were able later to make meaningful lives for themselves. In his deeply felt and beautifully written account, John Minassian provides the thick texture of the everyday experience. Genocide is no abstraction; here it is a palpable reality.--Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan We are more than a century past the beginning of the Armenian genocide. Our survivors are no longer with us--but their eyewitness accounts of how they overcame insurmountable suffering are as important now as ever before. John Minassian's gripping story will take you inside the day-to-day journey of a young man from Gurun, witnessing the unthinkable.--Carla Garapedian, Armenian Film Foundation

Author Information

John Minassian was twenty when the Armenian genocide occurred. He was the only survivor of his family, and he was ultimately able to emigrate to the United States. His grandson, Roderick Ai Camp, is McKenna Professor of the Pacific Rim at Claremont McKenna College. Wendy Lower, author of the introduction, is director of the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, John K. Roth Professor of History, and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. Her book, Hitler’s Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields (Mariner Books 2013), was a National Book Award finalist.

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