Turkey: A Hidden Armenian No More
The story of Turkey’s hidden Armenians is not so hidden any longer as a groundbreaking book by a famed Turkish human-rights lawyer breaks the silence of her suppressed Armenian roots that she learned about at an adult age.
Amazon announces the date of the release of the English translation of “My Grandmother: A Memoir” – March 1, 2008:
When Fethiye Çetin was growing up in the small Turkish town of Maden, she knew her grandmother as a happy and universally respected Muslim housewife.
It would be decades before her grandmother told her the truth: that she was by birth a Christian and an Armenian, that her name was not Seher but Heranush, that most of the men in her village had been slaughtered in 1915, that she, along with most of the women and children, had been sent on a death march.
She had been saved (and torn from her mother’s arms) by the Turkish gendarme captain who went on to adopt her. But she knew she still had family in America. Could Fethiye help her find her lost relations before she died?
There are an estimated two million Turks whose grandparents could tell them similar stories. But in a country that maintains the Armenian genocide never happened, such talk can be dangerous. In her heartwrenching memoir, Fethiye Çetin breaks the silence.
4 Responses to “Turkey: A Hidden Armenian No More”
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Myrthe on 26 Nov 2007 at 1:34 pm #
Thanks for the info, Simon. I knew this book was being translated into English, but I had been trying to find out when it would be published. Once it’s out, I’ll definitely try and get my hands on it.
marie on 28 Nov 2007 at 3:00 am #
really nice txks do u know where we can find about this book (or others books related to hidden armenian)
Amy on 04 Dec 2007 at 3:54 pm #
This is a great book. I read it in Turkish two years ago. It should also be noted that Fethiye Cetin was one of Hrant Dink’s lawyers in the 301 prosecution against him and is now the leading victims’ lawyer prosecuting his murder. She is also participating in other trials important to the safety and security of minorities in Turkey.
naira on 14 Aug 2010 at 2:11 pm #
If every hidden armenian in Turkey would reveal his identity
they might influence the anti-denial process of the Armenian genocide. I wish courage to all those braves on their way to accept their Armenian origin.