My Grandmother
by Fethiye Çetin
Fethiye Çetin was unaware for years that her grandmother was one of the children who survived the death marches, who were once Armenian and Christian but had to live the rest of their lives as Turkish and Muslim. Heranush, alias Seher, confided the devastating memories of her childhood to her granddaughter after over 60 years of silence. Çetin was able to contact her grandmother's relatives and fill the gaps in her story only after her death.With its crystal clear narration, this heartbreaking memoir is Çetin's homage to the memory of her grandmother and others who led hidden lives. But it is also a move away from barren disputes over terminology and statistics. "Such arguments," Çetin says, "hide the lives and deaths of individuals and do nothing to encourage people to listen."
