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ANC-GRASSROOTS TO LAUNCH BOHJALIAN'S MASTERPIECE ON GENOCIDE
Asbarez
Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Urge Armenian Americans to put The Sandcastle Girls on the
Congressional Summer Reading List by supporting the ANCA book donation
campaign (Click to order) Bohajanlian will attend a kick-off luncheon
and presentation in Los Angeles on July 16 and present the book in
San Francisco on July 17.
WASHINGTON-The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and the
Genocide Education Project (GenEd) have teamed up with internationally
renowned publisher Doubleday Books to spotlight New York Times
Bestselling author Chris Bohjalian's upcoming novel on the Armenian
Genocide on Capitol Hill and in communities across the United States.
Bohjalian's widely anticipated tour-de-force, The Sandcastle Girls,
which goes on sale on July 17th, will take center stage beginning with
a special Southern California kick-off luncheon with the author at
the Universal Sheraton Hotel, hosted by the ANC-Grassroots Film and
the Arts Committee and GenEd, followed by an evening presentation
held at Woodbury University Fletcher Jones Auditorium. Tickets for
the luncheon are available through the ANC-Western Region office at
(818) 500-1918 or online at http://www.itsmyseat.com/ancawr.
Bohjalian will then be traveling to events in San Francisco, CA;
Watertown, MA; Warwick, RI; New Milford, NJ and Washington, DC,
where his Capitol Hill debut is co-hosted by Congressional Armenian
Genocide Resolution lead sponsors, Representatives Robert Dold (R-IL)
and Adam Schiff (D-CA). Bohjalian will be meeting with Congressional
members throughout the day on August 1st and then offering remarks
and signing books beginning at 6:00pm at the Rayburn House Office
Building, Room B-369.
See the complete listing of events across the country.
Armenian Americans and interested readers are encouraged to pre-order
The Sandcastle Girls online at discounted prices from Amazaon.com,
BN.com and Indiboude or from their local book sellers.
"Bohjalian's The Sandcastle Girls certainly belongs in every Armenian's
book collection, but more broadly, its powerful depictions of the
horrors of genocide makes it a must-read for every American," said
Nora Yacoubian, Chair of the ANCA-WR Film and the Arts Committee.
"Through vivid characters and a moving story line, the collective
Armenian genocidal experience is presented in a way that touches
us all."
Genocide Education Project Chairman Raffi Momjian concurred, noting,
"Bohjalian's The Sandcastle Girls is a powerful educational tool to
help readers - young and old - relate to a topic so abhorrent to us
all, but so necessary to understand if we are to prevent future such
crimes. Through Chris' vision and story-telling ability - a whole
new audience will learn about this tragedy and will, hopefully, be
inspired to ensure the victims and the survivors are never forgotten."
Putting The Sandcastle Girls and the Armenian Genocide on the
Congressional Summer Reading List
In conjunction with The Sandcastle Girls Capitol Hill debut, the
ANCA has launched a special donate-a-book campaign asking community
members and anti-genocide activists to put Bohjalian's novel their U.S.
Senators' and Representative's summer reading list. Community members
can pre-order one or more books specifically for distribution on
Capitol Hill and legislators across the country through an online
donation of $15.41 to the ANCA Endowment Fund on the secure online
payment page below:
https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=b29104
ANCA Leo Sarkisian Program summer interns will be available to pass
out the books upon the July 17th publication and at August 1st the
Congressional event with the author.
Critical Acclaim Grows for The Sandcastle Girls The publishing world
has been abuzz with praise for The Sandcastle Girls, with Publisher's
Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Booklist collectively
offering unprecedented tributes to the author and the book.
"Bohjalian's powerful novel... depicts the Armenian genocide and
one contemporary novelist's quest to uncover her heritage... His
storytelling makes this a beautiful, frightening, and unforgettable
read," wrote Publisher's Weekly.
Julie Kane from Library Journal concurred, stating "Bohjalian
powerfully narrates an intricately nuanced romance with a complicated
historical event at the forefront. With the centennial of the
Armenian genocide fast approaching, this is not to be missed. Simply
astounding."
Kirkus Reviews cites the ongoing pain of genocide on the descendants
of victims and survivors. "An unforgettable exposition of the
still too-little-known facts of the Armenian genocide and its
multigenerational consequences." Meanwhile, Booklist's Elizabeth
Dickie proclaims 'Sandcastle Girls' "a powerful and moving story
based on real events seldom discussed. It will leave you reeling."
Bohjalian's Literary Journey Over the course of his career, New York
Times bestselling novelist Chris Bohjalian has taken readers on a
spectacular array of journeys.
Midwives brought us to an isolated Vermont farmhouse on an icy
winter's night and a home birth gone tragically wrong. The Double
Bind perfectly conjured the Roaring Twenties on Long Island-and a
young social worker's descent into madness. And Skeletons at the
Feast chronicled the last six months of World War Two in Poland and
Germany with nail-biting authenticity. As The Washington Post Book
World has noted, Bohjalian writes "the sorts of books people stay
awake all night to finish."
In his fifteenth book, The Sandcastle Girls, he brings us on a very
different kind of journey. This spellbinding tale travels between
Aleppo, Syria, in 1915 and Bronxville, New York, in 2012 - a sweeping
historical love story steeped in the author's Armenian heritage,
making it his most personal novel to date.
When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria, she has a diploma from
Mount Holyoke College, a crash course in nursing, and only the most
basic grasp of the Armenian language. The First World War is spreading
across Europe, and she has volunteered on behalf of the Boston-based
Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medical aid to refugees of
the Armenian genocide. There, Elizabeth becomes friendly with Armen,
a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant
daughter. When Armen leaves Aleppo to join the British Army in Egypt,
he begins to write Elizabeth letters, and comes to realize that he
has fallen in love with the wealthy, young American woman who is
so different from the wife he lost. Flash forward to the present,
where we meet Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in suburban New York.
Although her grandparents' ornate Pelham home was affectionately
nicknamed the "Ottoman Annex," Laura has never really given her
Armenian heritage much thought. But when an old friend calls, claiming
to have seen a newspaper photo of Laura's grandmother promoting an
exhibit at a Boston museum, Laura embarks on a journey back through
her family's history that reveals love, loss - and a wrenching secret
that has been buried for generations.
Asbarez
Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Urge Armenian Americans to put The Sandcastle Girls on the
Congressional Summer Reading List by supporting the ANCA book donation
campaign (Click to order) Bohajanlian will attend a kick-off luncheon
and presentation in Los Angeles on July 16 and present the book in
San Francisco on July 17.
WASHINGTON-The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and the
Genocide Education Project (GenEd) have teamed up with internationally
renowned publisher Doubleday Books to spotlight New York Times
Bestselling author Chris Bohjalian's upcoming novel on the Armenian
Genocide on Capitol Hill and in communities across the United States.
Bohjalian's widely anticipated tour-de-force, The Sandcastle Girls,
which goes on sale on July 17th, will take center stage beginning with
a special Southern California kick-off luncheon with the author at
the Universal Sheraton Hotel, hosted by the ANC-Grassroots Film and
the Arts Committee and GenEd, followed by an evening presentation
held at Woodbury University Fletcher Jones Auditorium. Tickets for
the luncheon are available through the ANC-Western Region office at
(818) 500-1918 or online at http://www.itsmyseat.com/ancawr.
Bohjalian will then be traveling to events in San Francisco, CA;
Watertown, MA; Warwick, RI; New Milford, NJ and Washington, DC,
where his Capitol Hill debut is co-hosted by Congressional Armenian
Genocide Resolution lead sponsors, Representatives Robert Dold (R-IL)
and Adam Schiff (D-CA). Bohjalian will be meeting with Congressional
members throughout the day on August 1st and then offering remarks
and signing books beginning at 6:00pm at the Rayburn House Office
Building, Room B-369.
See the complete listing of events across the country.
Armenian Americans and interested readers are encouraged to pre-order
The Sandcastle Girls online at discounted prices from Amazaon.com,
BN.com and Indiboude or from their local book sellers.
"Bohjalian's The Sandcastle Girls certainly belongs in every Armenian's
book collection, but more broadly, its powerful depictions of the
horrors of genocide makes it a must-read for every American," said
Nora Yacoubian, Chair of the ANCA-WR Film and the Arts Committee.
"Through vivid characters and a moving story line, the collective
Armenian genocidal experience is presented in a way that touches
us all."
Genocide Education Project Chairman Raffi Momjian concurred, noting,
"Bohjalian's The Sandcastle Girls is a powerful educational tool to
help readers - young and old - relate to a topic so abhorrent to us
all, but so necessary to understand if we are to prevent future such
crimes. Through Chris' vision and story-telling ability - a whole
new audience will learn about this tragedy and will, hopefully, be
inspired to ensure the victims and the survivors are never forgotten."
Putting The Sandcastle Girls and the Armenian Genocide on the
Congressional Summer Reading List
In conjunction with The Sandcastle Girls Capitol Hill debut, the
ANCA has launched a special donate-a-book campaign asking community
members and anti-genocide activists to put Bohjalian's novel their U.S.
Senators' and Representative's summer reading list. Community members
can pre-order one or more books specifically for distribution on
Capitol Hill and legislators across the country through an online
donation of $15.41 to the ANCA Endowment Fund on the secure online
payment page below:
https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=b29104
ANCA Leo Sarkisian Program summer interns will be available to pass
out the books upon the July 17th publication and at August 1st the
Congressional event with the author.
Critical Acclaim Grows for The Sandcastle Girls The publishing world
has been abuzz with praise for The Sandcastle Girls, with Publisher's
Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Booklist collectively
offering unprecedented tributes to the author and the book.
"Bohjalian's powerful novel... depicts the Armenian genocide and
one contemporary novelist's quest to uncover her heritage... His
storytelling makes this a beautiful, frightening, and unforgettable
read," wrote Publisher's Weekly.
Julie Kane from Library Journal concurred, stating "Bohjalian
powerfully narrates an intricately nuanced romance with a complicated
historical event at the forefront. With the centennial of the
Armenian genocide fast approaching, this is not to be missed. Simply
astounding."
Kirkus Reviews cites the ongoing pain of genocide on the descendants
of victims and survivors. "An unforgettable exposition of the
still too-little-known facts of the Armenian genocide and its
multigenerational consequences." Meanwhile, Booklist's Elizabeth
Dickie proclaims 'Sandcastle Girls' "a powerful and moving story
based on real events seldom discussed. It will leave you reeling."
Bohjalian's Literary Journey Over the course of his career, New York
Times bestselling novelist Chris Bohjalian has taken readers on a
spectacular array of journeys.
Midwives brought us to an isolated Vermont farmhouse on an icy
winter's night and a home birth gone tragically wrong. The Double
Bind perfectly conjured the Roaring Twenties on Long Island-and a
young social worker's descent into madness. And Skeletons at the
Feast chronicled the last six months of World War Two in Poland and
Germany with nail-biting authenticity. As The Washington Post Book
World has noted, Bohjalian writes "the sorts of books people stay
awake all night to finish."
In his fifteenth book, The Sandcastle Girls, he brings us on a very
different kind of journey. This spellbinding tale travels between
Aleppo, Syria, in 1915 and Bronxville, New York, in 2012 - a sweeping
historical love story steeped in the author's Armenian heritage,
making it his most personal novel to date.
When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria, she has a diploma from
Mount Holyoke College, a crash course in nursing, and only the most
basic grasp of the Armenian language. The First World War is spreading
across Europe, and she has volunteered on behalf of the Boston-based
Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medical aid to refugees of
the Armenian genocide. There, Elizabeth becomes friendly with Armen,
a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant
daughter. When Armen leaves Aleppo to join the British Army in Egypt,
he begins to write Elizabeth letters, and comes to realize that he
has fallen in love with the wealthy, young American woman who is
so different from the wife he lost. Flash forward to the present,
where we meet Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in suburban New York.
Although her grandparents' ornate Pelham home was affectionately
nicknamed the "Ottoman Annex," Laura has never really given her
Armenian heritage much thought. But when an old friend calls, claiming
to have seen a newspaper photo of Laura's grandmother promoting an
exhibit at a Boston museum, Laura embarks on a journey back through
her family's history that reveals love, loss - and a wrenching secret
that has been buried for generations.