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A story of a people’s survival against all odds.

Revisado: 06-16-24

The writer manages to intertwine the ordinary life of a seemingly ordinary American growing up in suburbia with the culture and dark history of his people—one which the reader is discovering and deciphering alongside the writer. This is an important subject, thoroughly researched and put in historic context. For anyone wishing to educate themselves about the history of the Armenian people, the barbarism of the Ottoman Empire, the often unknown tragedies that unfolded under the shadows of the First World War, the complicity of the current Turkish government, or about the unspeakable depths human of depravity while committing crimes of genocide, this is a very important, though often difficult read.
The writer’s narration lacks any performative elements, and is unfortunately mundane and even a bit annoying. His attempts at pronouncing Armenian words and names was so belabored, it was almost frustrating, since I’ve heard non-Armenians do a much better job of it. This may only register for Armenian speakers, since I imagine that others wouldn’t even know how comically “Americanized” Balakian’s pronunciations of even his own family members’ names were. I realized early on, at least for me, this would’ve been a much better read than a listen..but I stuck through it anyhow. My advice: Absolutely read it. Listen to it if you must. But, in no case, turn away from this poignant memoir. Trigger warning: for tender-hearted readers, the depictions of brutality, rape, mass murder, child abuse, and many more unspeakable crimes against humanity are exceedingly graphic and were almost too difficult for me, even though I am familiar with this history. Steel yourself.

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