Out of Turkey: The True Life Story of Donik "Haji Bey" Yessaian [Paperback]

Harry Yessaian (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Wayne State University Press (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814325564
• ISBN-13: 978-0814325568
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,025,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A sad but true story..., July 1, 2011

By 

A. Imam (Bradford, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of Turkey: The True Life Story of Donik "Haji Bey" Yessaian (Paperback)

As a lover of Turkey (the country/language and its people) I began reading this one evening last week and almost could not wait to continue reading it the next morning. I have read a lot of books of different genre's but it's rare for me to be so engrossed in a book. The first half of this book describes the life of 'Donik' (Haji Bey) and his Armenian family in a village near Kayseri in central Turkey. The details of how life was back then are captured perfectly, you can almost feel you are there. You laugh with them, cry with them, follow their life's journey. You long to experience for yourself a simple life as it was back then when so much pleasure was to be found in such small things. But then somewhere after midway through the book, the Armenian Genocide takes place and 'events' unfold for this family. It is heartbreaking to read some of what follows (although there is some light at the end of the tunnel). Without going into the debate about the 'Armenian Genocide' all I can conclude is that it was a great tragedy for all those involved. This book however, does not portray Turkish people in a negative light, you will find many examples of decent folks in here, both Armenian and Turkish.

As an afterthought, you can find more about the village of Efkere (and its Armenian past) online at efkere.com. Another interesting article is on forum.hyeclub (type 'half armenian half turk') in Google to find. According to the latter site, there are people of partial Armenian heritage still living in Efkere. Although the past cannot be changed, I found it almost comforting and a source of closure to the tragedy for me to know in some limited way, at least a little Armenian legacy remains in Efkere...