In our Memories by Mark Morey

The Armenian Genocide of 1915 is largely forgotten by the world. I've worked with a number of people that are of Armenian descent so I was aware of some of their history. But this book tells the whole story and now I know why so many of them ended up in France. (probably the most famous of them Charles Aznavour, the singer of Armenian descent.) I gave this 4 stars as I wasn't blown away by the writing. I recommend it anyway because of the research and comprehensiveness. Everyone should know about this part of history.

I choose this book as I love reading historical fiction and non-fiction. This was certainly a story that needed to be told. I was aware of the Armenian genocide, but not quite how brutal the Turks were in driving the Armenians out of Anatolia. Mark Morey tells this harrowing story through Anoushka Hagopian and her family.

The book is written in 3 parts. Part one is about the events leading up to the persecution of the Armenians and Anouska’s very harrowing forced march to the de facto concentration camp. I liked that the writer explained the political climate and named the politicians involved, it puts the story in context. Part 2 is more about Karine, Anoushka’s daughter and how they are coping and acting after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The last part is told from the point of view of the Armenian assassins who go after the 3 Pashas responsible for the genocide. It was a comprehensive and well researched book but I found the language a bit dry and somewhat repetitive at times. I would recommend it if you want to know more about this dark part of history.