Overview

Driven by persecution and poverty from their ancestral lands, thousands of Armenians fled to the New World before World War I. But their hearts and minds remained in part on the Old World with their persecuted countrymen in Turkey and their aspirations for a free Armenia. This first comprehensive study of the Armenian American community examines the rich background, the patterns of migration and settlement in the New World, the complex economic and social adjustments, the family life, and the religious and political institutions of the newcomers. The author shows that the experience of the Armenians differed from that of other contemporary immigrant groups from Southern and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean in two critical respects: they were rapidly successful in business and agriculture in the first generation, and they were tormented by their history and politics. Of particular interest is his trenchant, detailed analysis of the Armenian revolutionary parties in the United States: their formation and structure, their fundraising and propaganda activities, and their resort to terrorism. Lucidly written, this study is an important account of the Armenian American community, which is today the largest Armenian community outside Soviet Armenia.

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Reviews

Torn Between Two Lands is the story of an ethnic group torn between its desire to create a homeland in historic Armenia and its adopted homeland, America. The result is o history of tension involving ethnic pride and identity, assimilation, and resistance to the melting pot. I recommend it highly to Armenian and non--Armenian readers alike.--Vartan Gregorian, President, New York Public Library

Robert Mirak's pioneering book describes the role in American life of a significant ethnic group; and his perceptive analysis will interest all those concerned with the complex patterns of American culture.--Oscar Handlin, Harvard University Torn between Two Lands is the story of an ethnic group torn between its desire to create a homeland in historic Armenia and its adopted homeland, America. The result is a history of tension involving ethnic pride and identity, assimilation, and resistance to the melting pot. I recommend it highly to Armenian and non-Armenian readers alike.--Vartan Gregorian, President, New York Public Library

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