The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response

by Peter Balakian

Book Overview

A History of International Human Rights and Forgotten HeroesIn this national bestseller, the critically acclaimed author Peter Balakian brings us a riveting narrative of the massacres of the Armenians... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060198400
• ISBN13: 9780060198404
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 475 Pages
• Weight: 1.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Gripping from start to finish.

After finishing this remarkable work the only way that I can think of to describe it is, that it is gripping from page one to page four hundred and one. Professor Balakian's careful reserved approach and use of language truly makes for a haunting, sometimes depressing read. I had never really heard of the Armenian Genocide until last month when a close Jewish friend of mine who had lost many family members in the Holocaust and who has read many books on the topic of genocide recommended Professor Balakian's book. After taking a month to carefully read this book, how anyone could give this exemplary scholarly work a negative review makes absolutely no sense, the only thing that I can think of is that either they didn't read the book and they are reacting on emotion, or like someone below already commented on, their grandparents were involved in the crime. What struck me most about this book was how easy it was to read for a history book, I found myself turning the pages with great interest as the immense timeline of World War One played itself out. I never knew that the first major humanitarian effort of many American philanthropic organizations was focused on the Armenians of Anatolia. Another thing I never realized was that there was a "Turkish Hitler," named Talat Pasha who was every bit as evil as Hitler, and who Hitler actually admired. As an avid watcher of the History Channel I can recall seeing dozens of segments on World War One but I don't ever remember the topic of the Armenian Genocide, or the person of Talat Pasha being covered. This lack of coverage is a little difficult to understand since according to Professor Balakian, Teddy Roosevelt considered the greatest tragedy of World War One to be what happened to the Armenians. The Armenian Genocide is truly one of the greatest hidden crimes in history, I am just surprised that some Hollywood writer or director hasn't picked up on the epic nature of this theme - especially the Armenian valiance in the defense of Van in May 1915 - it seems to be an Academy Award waiting to be won. I highly recommend Professor Balakian's book, it is an incredible, eye-opening book.

Kemalist denial of genocide exposed

First I like to say this is most important work on the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Ermeni people from Anatolia. I am Turk and I am from the area where the Ermeni were killed that is mentioned in the book, Hazar Golu. Around this lake are buried thousands upon thousands of Ermeni. Everybody who lives around here knows this is truth! They know Ermenians were killed like sheep not fighting! In my family village Ermeni lived peacefully, strangers came and murdered all of them! No deportation, no relocation. My grandfather tells me this. Only people who lie about this are kemalists who profit from illegal government of Turkiye. The kemalists who deny Ermenian Jenocide in reviewing this book are the grandchildren of those who killed the Ermenians. It is their interest to lie. Turkish government is built upon the bones of the Ermenians, Greeks, Suriyani, Zaza, and Kurds. Who does jenocide and admits to it? Nobody! Germans did not say even when they were killing Jews! It was "relocation" just like what the kemalist government of Turkiye says today. There two types of people in Turkiye today: kemalists and the good people of Turkiye. I hope this book will be translated to Turkish. This book tells the truth about everything Turkish government did and does to the Ermenian people. The most important chapter is on Turkish work to lie today about what happened. Many Ermenian village and homes are empty even today. I hope when the kemalist government and their agents leave power forever, the Ermenian people come back to their properties and villages and live happy lives. This book could be a stepping stone to a confederation of Anatolian peoples.

A people Killed Twice

I am a book collector on Near Eastern history, the way you can tell a book is well researched and written is by the referencing and the bibliography contained in the book.I must say that this book has an amazing bibliography which includes books written mainly by non-Armenians and were printed before, during and directly after the events which occurred. On the other hand almost every book which is printed to deny the Armenian Genocide uses only recently published books which were published by other denialists.In 1985, the UN Committee on Human Rights published a report declaring the Ottoman Empire responsible for the massacres of the Armenians in 1915 and 1916. Two years later, the Council of Europe agreed that Turkey's refusal to recognise the genocide was an insurmountable obstacle to Turkey's admission to the EU. By the end of 2000, the European Parliament, France, Sweden, the Vatican and Italy finally acknowledged the Armenian genocide. Of the major powers, only the US, Canada and Britain still hold back. There are too many conflicting interests at stake. Turkey, for instance, threatened to deny the US use of its air bases if President Clinton agreed formally to accept the massacres as a genocide.Turkey has offered funding for academic programmes in the universities of Princeton and Georgetown. Three years ago, UCLA's history department voted to reject a $1m offer to endow a programme in Turkish and Ottoman studies because it was conditional on their denying the Armenian genocide. Professor Colin Tatz, director for the Centre for Comparative Genocide Studies at Macquarie University, in Sydney, Australia, claims that Turkey has used "a mix of academic sophistication and diplomatic thuggery . . . to put both memory and history into reverse gear".The majority of Turks remained ignorant of the genocide while it was happening, and have since. Mehmet Ergen, a 34-year-old London-based Turkish theatre director, confirms, "In our Turkish schools we never learnt about our history. The Armenian massacre was never mentioned. In London I heard that the Kurds were told that if they killed the Armenians they could take their lands. So they did, and then the Turks killed the Kurds." Ergen, a multiculturalist, laments Turkey's denial of "its own historical mosaic". He says, "even Turkish theatre owes its birth to Armenian writers and actors. Armenian, Greek and Jewish culture has vanished, and Turkey is the loser." As Thomas Bürgenthal, an Auschwitz survivor, lawyer and member of the UN Human Rights Committee, says, "I don't know why the Turks can't admit it, express sorrow and go on. That is the worst. You do all these things to the victim and then you say it never happened. That is killing them twice."

How soon we forget the real first 20th century holocaust

It does not in any way diminish the sheer horror of the holocaust against the Jews to say that the Turks did exactly the same to the Armenians only a few decades before - and with far less international condemnation. The Armenian massacres were the first genocide, holocaust, ethnic cleansing, call it what you will - and it is great that the truth about these barbaric events are now coming to the fore. Buy this book, give it to your friends and get involved in telling people about the hidden massacre of the 20th century. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

It made me weep

and it made me proud to learn of America's first international human rights endeavor and the many acts of altruism carried out by State Department officials as well as by grassroots Americana -- from Sunday schoolers to Clara Barton and more --to save Armenian lives during the tragedy of the horrific Armenian Genocide. From the opening sentence one can see Balakian writes with a poet's eye but his heart and soul belong to historical witness and testimony. This scrupulously researched and detailed account will not disappoint and will keep readers turning pages. Finally a clear concise eloquent historical narrative of the 20th century's first genocide.