ORPHAN IN THE SANDS

Orphan in the Sands by Virginia Haroutunian - It so happened that the copy of this book that Valerie found for me on Amazon (after years of searching), is signed by the author. The inscription reads "To Helen Kelly As we gaze into the future, its our past that holds the key. Virginia Haroutunian January 19, 2001". This is an autobiographical family history about a mother and her daughter. The mother was a refugee from the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and the story tells in personal detail how personal tragedy can affect future generations. Virginia is the daughter, and she is unfailingly honest in her self-explorations. Outwardly there is never anything wrong; it's the inner turmoil we carry that truly shapes our selves. It's a beautiful moment when she finally unlocks the doors with the key to her mother's hidden past. Her experience is probably more common than we know, because secrets and hidden pasts are such troublesome burdens for those who carry them. I'm so happy to have finally read this book, the review of which I cut out from a Michigan Alumnus magazine more than ten years ago. Thanks Valerie. Now we have to look for one called From Van to Detroit: Surviving the Armenian Genocide by Souren Aprahamian. Wish us luck. It doesn't seem to be anywhere.