Black Dog of Fate

by Peter Balakian

Book Overview

"His visions are burning -- his poetry heartbreaking," wrote Elie Wiesel of American poet Peter Balakian. Now, in elegant prose, the prize-winning poet who James Dickey called "an extraordinary talent" has written a compelling memoir about growing up American in a family that was haunted by a past too fraught with terror to be spoken of openly. Black Dog of Fate is set in the affluent New Jersey suburbs where Balakian -- the firstborn son of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465010199
• ISBN13: 9780465010196
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A Universal Story of Self-Discovery

The beauty of "Black Dog of Fate" is that anyone who has the good fortune of picking up the book will immediately relate to the author's childhood and sentiments. Balakian's writing is poignant and eloquent, as he enocovers the tragic history of his family and the entire Armenian people who faced Genocide at the hands of the Turkish government. Even through his journey of probing his Armenian roots, Balakian remains the all-American kid. His evolution from a child to adult and the experiences he has along the way, are brilliantly familiar. I often found myself touched by his language and style, which capture the inquisitiveness, happiness and pain of coming of age. However, the underlying theme is the complexity of discovering one's true identity, and the often piecemeal nature of this task. Balakian's discovery does not happen overnight, as we see glimpses of his family's painful secret even in his early years. His full appreciation comes at adulthood, when we see the beautiful blossoming of his self as an Armenian-American, or just a complete individual of any identity. Balakian embodies the universal struggle to understand human nature and the spectrum of beauty and horror that it is capable of producing. A definite must-read for everyone!!

Eye-opening saga of an Armenian-American

My boyfriend is Armenian and once mentioned the genocide that took place in April, 1915. I had no idea what he was referring to and was embarrassed at my lack of education... Since America has decided to ignore the Armenian tragedy in all of its history books, I took it upon myself to become more educated on these events and share what happened with everyone I know. I bought this book to learn more about the Armenian culture through the eyes of someone who was also just beginning to learn about his own culture as he grew up in America. I found that Peter Balakian's book was one of the most eye-opening, identifiable stories of Armenian history. Even his descriptions of the various Armenian foods made my mouth water and my stomach ache with hunger.My mother and father (who are German and Filipino) are now reading this story as well. We often comment on how shocked and amazed we are at how such tragic events happened to the Armenian people and which went totally unpunished, much less acknowledged, by world leaders and historians to date. It's absolutely shameless that Turkey would go on the record as having denied that such a genocide even took place. The resulting evil effects of the Armenian massacre have been felt worldwide throughout many generations. Hitler himself once stated in a speech on August 22, 1939, "Who after all is today speaking of the destruction of the Armenians..." He said this in preparation for the invasion of Poland and he subsequently planned to use the Armenian genocide as a model for his Jewish concentration camps, expecting that the world would ignore his actions just as it ignored the massacre against the Armenians.Buy this book and educate yourself about a large piece of history that must never be forgotten. You won't be disappointed.

riveting and devasting

This book is about the Turkish slaughter of the Armenian Turks during World War I. It is also about an Armenian-American's search for his family's past, and his present identity as viewed through one of the most horrific events of world history, an event made even more unimaginable by the fact that it occurred during the twentieth century.Mr. Balakian's prose overwhelms without being self-pitying or maudlin. I can still smell and taste of walnut and lemon in an Amenian-American household in the 1950's, juxtaposed with the life of a boy who is living under the cloud of the horror of what happened to his ancestor in Turkey in 1917, before he became conscious of what actually occurred.This book left me reeling and depressed for days. It is a book that must be read. David W. Lee leelawok@mmcable.com

Devastating

A true literary memoir, Balakian peppers his prose with poetry, legal documents, etc. etc. etc. A fascinating and heart wrenching look at one of the 20th Century's tragedies. At once intensely personal and heatedly political, it is a book which shows how important it is to learn about one's history, not just as an individual but also as a society.

Bible for EVERY Armenian home

Peter Balakian is an elitist in the best sense of the word. Being a memoir written by a son of a physician it is intricately interwoven with the past of the Armenian tragic history. It is a dynamite of revelations for those unfamiliar with the history and others seeking esthetic indulgence. Some "sub stories" in the novel are themselves plots for separate novels. Mr. Balakian generously and meticulously has opened up his heart and wisdom to those still remembering and honoring their past and present as humankind.