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Fresno Bee, CA
April 6 2013
'Sandcastle' tackles Armenian Genocide
By Rick Bentley - The Fresno Bee
Chris Bohjalian wrote a novel 20 years ago based on the Armenian
Genocide. It was never published.
"It was a train wreck. Then I started thinking why should I write a
book about the Armenian Genocide when there were so many good ones
already, including 'Rise the Euphrates' by Carol Edgarian," Bohjalian
says. "The manuscript now resides in the archives of my alma mater."
The Amherst College graduate went on to write 11 other books --
including his best-known work, "Midwives" -- before finally getting
back to the subject with "The Sandcastle Girls"
The book was inspired by his grandparents -- Leo and Haigoohi -- who
survived the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, starting in 1915.
Bohjalian will talk about his book during a visit to the Leon & Pete
Peters Education Center at Fresno State at 2 p.m. April 14, just 10
days before the national day of commemoration of the genocide.
The visiting author won't read from his novel. Instead, he will show a
40-minute slideshow about his family and his research visits to the
Middle East. A question-and-answer session will follow. Bohjalian
jokes there also will be some "bad stand-up comedy."
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, who arranged the author's visit, says the
timing is important because of the day of remembrance.
"He will speak about his book to a large audience of the community,
both Armenian and non-Armenian. I think it is important to hear about
what motivated him to write the book, what stories he has heard about
the Genocide, and the larger meaning of remembering the Genocide," Der
Mugrdechian says.
It's that larger meaning that helped Bohjalian write his novel, when
his first effort failed. He was determined to use the genocide as a
backdrop, despite being told by people in the publishing industry --
fortunately not his editor -- that a book like "The Sandcastle Girls"
would be a career killer. They said a lack of knowledge of the
killings outside the Armenian community would make the book a tough
sell.
He proved them wrong by telling two stories -- one about lovers who
meet in Syria during the Genocide and the other about their
granddaughter's efforts a century later to understand why they were so
silent about their youth.
The author's own grandparents never talked about what happened during
that brutal period. Bohjalian was able to get a lot of information
from his father, Aram, who also didn't talk about the Genocide when
the author was young.
When Aram's health began to deteriorate in 2009, father and son spent
a lot of time looking at old family photographs that sparked
conversations about the family. "The Sandcastle Girls" is dedicated to
Aram, and Bohjalian's mother-in-law, Sondra Blewer, who both died in
2011.
This information helped the author write the opposite of a "train
wreck." The book -- which could become a feature film -- has earned
high praise, including being selected as an Oprah Winfrey Book of the
Week.
"I have written so many books that were successful, where people
thought they were crazy ideas. When I started writing a book about
midwives, I was told no one outside of New England would know what I
was talking about," Bohjalian says.
He was glad that he didn't let the critics stop him. "The Sandcastle
Girls" has been an educational tool for many readers. There are
thousands of comments on Bohjalian's Facebook page from people who had
no knowledge of the Genocide until reading about it in his book.
"Because so many people outside the Armenian community hadn't heard
about the Genocide, I was determined to get it right when I started
this book," Bohjalian says.
He also is determined to talk about the book as often as possible. The
trips give him a chance to thank the members of the Armenian community
who have embraced the book.
Read more here:
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/05/3245425/sandcastle-tackles-armenian-genocide.html#storylink=cpy
April 6 2013
'Sandcastle' tackles Armenian Genocide
By Rick Bentley - The Fresno Bee
Chris Bohjalian wrote a novel 20 years ago based on the Armenian
Genocide. It was never published.
"It was a train wreck. Then I started thinking why should I write a
book about the Armenian Genocide when there were so many good ones
already, including 'Rise the Euphrates' by Carol Edgarian," Bohjalian
says. "The manuscript now resides in the archives of my alma mater."
The Amherst College graduate went on to write 11 other books --
including his best-known work, "Midwives" -- before finally getting
back to the subject with "The Sandcastle Girls"
The book was inspired by his grandparents -- Leo and Haigoohi -- who
survived the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, starting in 1915.
Bohjalian will talk about his book during a visit to the Leon & Pete
Peters Education Center at Fresno State at 2 p.m. April 14, just 10
days before the national day of commemoration of the genocide.
The visiting author won't read from his novel. Instead, he will show a
40-minute slideshow about his family and his research visits to the
Middle East. A question-and-answer session will follow. Bohjalian
jokes there also will be some "bad stand-up comedy."
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, who arranged the author's visit, says the
timing is important because of the day of remembrance.
"He will speak about his book to a large audience of the community,
both Armenian and non-Armenian. I think it is important to hear about
what motivated him to write the book, what stories he has heard about
the Genocide, and the larger meaning of remembering the Genocide," Der
Mugrdechian says.
It's that larger meaning that helped Bohjalian write his novel, when
his first effort failed. He was determined to use the genocide as a
backdrop, despite being told by people in the publishing industry --
fortunately not his editor -- that a book like "The Sandcastle Girls"
would be a career killer. They said a lack of knowledge of the
killings outside the Armenian community would make the book a tough
sell.
He proved them wrong by telling two stories -- one about lovers who
meet in Syria during the Genocide and the other about their
granddaughter's efforts a century later to understand why they were so
silent about their youth.
The author's own grandparents never talked about what happened during
that brutal period. Bohjalian was able to get a lot of information
from his father, Aram, who also didn't talk about the Genocide when
the author was young.
When Aram's health began to deteriorate in 2009, father and son spent
a lot of time looking at old family photographs that sparked
conversations about the family. "The Sandcastle Girls" is dedicated to
Aram, and Bohjalian's mother-in-law, Sondra Blewer, who both died in
2011.
This information helped the author write the opposite of a "train
wreck." The book -- which could become a feature film -- has earned
high praise, including being selected as an Oprah Winfrey Book of the
Week.
"I have written so many books that were successful, where people
thought they were crazy ideas. When I started writing a book about
midwives, I was told no one outside of New England would know what I
was talking about," Bohjalian says.
He was glad that he didn't let the critics stop him. "The Sandcastle
Girls" has been an educational tool for many readers. There are
thousands of comments on Bohjalian's Facebook page from people who had
no knowledge of the Genocide until reading about it in his book.
"Because so many people outside the Armenian community hadn't heard
about the Genocide, I was determined to get it right when I started
this book," Bohjalian says.
He also is determined to talk about the book as often as possible. The
trips give him a chance to thank the members of the Armenian community
who have embraced the book.
Read more here:
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/05/3245425/sandcastle-tackles-armenian-genocide.html#storylink=cpy