Between 1915 and 1923, more than one and a half million Armenians were killed in what has been recognized by much of the international community as the first genocide of the twentieth century.

From 1910 to 1918, the Armenian, Greek, and Jewish populations lived under the rule of the Ottoman Turkish government, then controlled by the Young Turks. During those years, countless Armenians endured persecution, brutality, forced deportations, and death. Yet many of their personal stories have never been told.

This book grew from countless conversations around our family dinner table, where my parents and other surviving relatives shared their memories of those difficult years. It is the story of my family's survival during the Armenian Genocide and the life they rebuilt afterward, from 1915 through 1991.

To preserve their authenticity, I have remained faithful to the stories as they were told. They did not always follow a strict chronological order. One memory naturally led to another, weaving together people, places, and events from different periods of their lives. Rather than alter that rhythm, I have preserved the natural flow of their storytelling, allowing their memories to unfold as they were remembered and shared.

This is not only the story of my family. It is a tribute to all those who survived, to those who did not, and to the generations that followed. It is a story of endurance, resilience, hope, and the remarkable ability of ordinary people to rebuild their lives after unimaginable loss.