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  • Pattie's Book Asks: Who Are The Armenians?

    PATTIE'S BOOK ASKS: WHO ARE THE ARMENIANS?

    AZG DAILY
    24-08-2011

    Dr. Susan Pattie, author of the newly-released paperback, Who are
    the Armenians?, has produced a contemporary, colorful and informative
    guide and accompanying CD to introduce Armenian history and culture.

    When she recently spoke about the book to a full house at NASSR in
    Belmont, Mass., nearly 50 copies of the book were sold that evening
    alone, Nancy Kalajian reported to the Mirror-Spectator.

    Aimed at children aged 5-12, the format and design of the book easily
    engages readers of all ages; there are 16 sections or mini chapters,
    and each section makes good use of background color, font color
    changes, captions and highlighted words, to share and distinguish
    related information.

    Information is usually presented within a few paragraphs on each
    page, or occasionally on lists, for example, on traditional Armenian
    instruments or letters of the Armenian alphabet.

    The readability level and font size might be a bit challenging for an
    early elementary age student, though the spacing between lines of print
    is generous, which can make it easier for younger readers to access.

    For those youngsters who may have difficulty reading it on their own,
    an older sibling or adult could easily read it to a child who could
    follow along looking at the attractive visual information. Indeed,
    the wonderful family photographs, illustrations, friendly and simple
    captions and wealth of information will likely capture the interest
    of readers of all levels.

    Many of the sections include an "activity," whereupon the reader can
    reflect on a personal connection and then think of that connection
    outside the box, for example in a global context. In the diaspora,
    for instance, the reader is asked to trace their roots, where they
    have lived and changes that have taken place there. Then it asks
    the reader to discover "famous" Armenians living in their country or
    perhaps other diasporan countries. In religion, the activity focuses
    on the Jashagestzouk prayer said before a meal; not only are the
    words there in transliteration but can be heard by a group of people,
    perhaps a family, in the accompanying CD.

    In one of the last chapters, Armenian Children around the World,
    you can meet children of Armenian descent who live throughout the
    diaspora, like Anush and Felipe in Buenes Aires, Sarine and Garen
    in Boston (both attend the Armenian Sisters' Academy), Dzovinar
    and Chouchane in Paris, Noemi in London, Mikel in Beirut and Eduard,
    Monika and brothers Vilen and Hakob in Yerevan. Living in the diaspora,
    many of the featured students seem to attend Armenian, parochial or
    private schools and it would have been interesting to also include
    an example of a student who attends a public school in the US and
    goes to Sunday School and Armenian School on weekends, as I did. But
    the main focus here is on children in the diaspora and how, through
    learning the Armenian language and culture, or connecting with their
    friends, families and especially grandparents, students can learn
    and keep their unique heritage alive and be proud of who they are
    and where they have come from. Through their words, photographs and
    games shared, we learn of their passions and commonality with peers
    around the world, an effective approach to multicultural understanding.

    The Armenian language section describes its connection to the
    Indo-European language family. You can open the book to the section
    and use the CD to learn how to say in Armenian the numbers 1-10, the
    recited alphabet as well as an alphabet song, and most importantly,
    how to say and respond in both Eastern and Western Armenian to,
    "Hello. How are you?"

    Reading this book took me down memory lane, especially when I read
    about yadess and the custom of breaking a chicken bone; decades ago,
    this game was as common an occurrence around our Sunday lunches with
    our grandparents as was the bulghur pilaf I always looked forward to.

    Here, the game of yadess was explained along with nardi
    (tavloo/backgammon), ashik (jan) and Havgitakhagh (cracking colored
    eggs during Easter).

    The section titled Food Customs is one of my favorites; a recipe for
    Anooshaboor, sweet soup, is included, as well as a description of
    reading coffee cup grinds. The layout of Dance includes a photo of
    immigrant families dancing at a picnic in the 1930s in Pennsylvania,
    contrasting with a contemporary picture of women doing an Armenian
    line dance in Paris. There's even a pocket guide with the CD that
    describes step by step how to do the Tamzara line or circle dance,
    that "originated in the Gagharkounik region near Lake Sevan in
    Armenian." Tamzara music is even included in the CD.

    At her talk at NASSR, the audience seemed genuinely interested in the
    subject matter discussed in the presentation, thanking the author for
    her careful research and well-written book. When the author discussed
    writing a second children's book on a similar theme in the future,
    she was receptive to audience members' feedback and some ideas she
    might consider in the next go-around.

    In summary, this book is a grand discovery and can meet the needs
    of diverse audiences of all ages, whether you are "new" to Armenian
    culture, need to be refreshed on the somewhat familiar, or simply
    love to learn and want to experience Who are the Armenians? answered
    in an uncomplicated, informative and enlightening manner. Who are the
    Armenians? was published by the Armenian Institute in London and is
    being sold and distributed in the US through NASSR.

    Pattie is the director of the American Institute in London and has
    a PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan,
    Ann Arbor. Her previous book, Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding
    Community, was published in 1997.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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