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The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and Turks Reconciled

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GeorgeJerjian goes beyond the repetitive attempts to prove the Armenian genocide, which is already been proved
beyond doubt. He offers a SOLUTION. He also points out that while Turks want reconciliation without the truth, Armenians want the truth without reconciliation.
Jerjian's proposition is creative,courageous and builds bridges in times when divisions and hatred of the other is prevalent. We all need to be exposed to solutions that can bring opposites together. This book is truly a remarkable and inspiring achievement because it instills hope in a very original way.

Anyone interested in the history of the 20th Century, who cares about the resolution of national conflicts in the 21st, must read Jerjian's fine book. The Armenian genocide was perhaps the most ghastly atrocity committed during the last century. Mr. Jerjian treats his subject with the restraint of a gentleman and the sensitivity of a poet. His optimistic vision for the future is both deeply touching and extremely encouraging.

In this very short book George Jerjian, a British citizen of Armenian blood, implores Turks and Armenians to make peace.

He starts the book with the story of Cain and Abel, which he notes is also in the Koran). Next he recounts the story of his maternal grandmother, and her family's entanglements with the governor of Samsun and Sivas, Süleyman Necmi Selmen, who became "Prisoner Number 2812" upon being interned Malta.

Jerjian goes on to relate both the Armenian and Turkish perspectives, bolstering his case with selected incriminating quotes. They will be familiar to those who have read the literature but they should have been sourced.

Jerjian devotes the remainder of the book to presenting his dream solution (chiefly, admission of genocide and restitution), and explains the purported benefits (for example, regarding restitution: "If [governments] did not intend to invest in [a] part of the country, they were better off devolving it. The less territory a country had, the less their costs, which meant there was more money left over." See pg.75).

Thankfully the tone is not vituperative, but the logic is shaky at times. I appreciated the British Foreign Office document reproductions in the Appendix.

If Mr. Jerjian is planning a new edition, he might like to correct the spelling of the parenthetical Turkish translations, and not comparing Atatürk to Franco and Lenin if he wants his Turkish readers to pay full attention past page 70.

Perhaps the most solid signal that communication among people who care about the world condition is the amount of attention the reading, interested, concerned people who take the time to read and respond to the reviews posted here on Amazon.com. This international forum ignites the minds of all manner of thinkers and is obviously not simply a platform for finding books to read or films to view or recordings to hear.

After reviewing THE BURNING TIGRIS I have received beautifully constructed and emailed opinions from both sides of the 100 year old discussion of the Armenian genocide. Now we have a book written in quiet, scholarly fashion that places these two poles on the same gaming table. George Jerjian's terse but touching book THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE: ARMENIANS AND TURKS RECONCILED may seem like a plea for a midground end to the argument as to whether or not the 'genocide' was indeed a genocide. His book is conversational, backed by not only footnotes but by photocopies of documents he quotes. He first relates the historical facts from as nonpartisan a view as he is able to construct about what happened in the first two decades of the 20th Century, when the Turks of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenians of Eastern Anatolia were in conflict. He does this through an examination of known documents as well as a family history that reflects direct association with the events (an Armenian family who was befriended by an important Turk during that time). He then addresses the steps the world has taken to discover the truth about the occurrence of the Armenian genocide. Having stated his case he commits the last third of his book to his "dream solution" which he hopes to resolve this painful bit of history: He believes that if the Turks admitted to the genocide and asked for forgiveness and offered compensation to the victims, then there could finally be a reconciliation of this divisive issue and perhaps a chance for peace at last. In his words: "Will this be enough to reach reconciliation? No. Armenians will need to overcome their high expectations of what Turkish recognition of the genocide will mean and in turn, the Turks will need to overcome the serious limitations of their high school syllabus. Reconciliation can only take place when truth and truce are declared. What happened cannot be undone, but we need not be prisoners of the past. The truth will set us - Armenian and Turk - free."

Perhaps some readers will find this little book simplistic. But perhaps this book will infuse a positive influence on the way we all view what we perceive as Wrong vs Right. At times it is the candle burning in the soul that gives the greater light. Very much worth reading, no matter your current perception of Turk/Armenian dialogue.

George Jerjian's book is a gift to each of us. His use of the language, structure and ability to evoke real emotions is truly amazing. I found this to be a quick read, and read it in an hour. The author tugs at heartstrings, provokes thought and offers a solution. Give this book to everyone on your Christmas list.