Books to Read for Armenian Genocide Memorial Day April 24
- @authorwaterman
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 5
April is Genocide Awareness Month and a time to honor the memory of victims, raise awareness about past and ongoing genocides, and promote education and prevention efforts. Many of history’s most devastating genocides either began or have significant anniversaries in April, making it a powerful time for reflection and advocacy.
This blog is a personal list of books on my own shelves that I have read and studied pertaining the Armenian Genocide of 1915. This is a partial list and doesn't include all the worthy books I've either borrowed or stored on my Kindle. I am appreciative to every one of these authors whose work inspired the creative storytelling and historical accuracy in Who She Left Behind. They are grouped by genre for your convenience.
Please take a peek and let me know which ones you'd like to add to your reading lists.
Historical Fiction:
As the Poppies Bloomed by Maral Boyadjian
Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
Rise the Euphrates by Carol Edgarian
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
The Gendarme by Mark T. Mustian
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
Who She Left Behind by Victoria Atamian Waterman
Zabelle by Nancy Kricorian
Young Adult (YA) and Children
Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian
Like Water on Stone by Dana Walrath
The Road from Home by David Kherdian
Under the Light of the Moon by Laura Michael
Lost Words by Leila Boukarim & Sona Avedikian
Non Fiction
Fragments of a Lost Homeland by Armen T. Marsoobian
Killing Orders by Taner Akham
The Armenian Legionnaires by Susan Paul Pattie
The Burning Tigris by Peter Balakian
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel
The Murder of a Nation by Henry Morgenthau
The Resistance Network by Khatchig Mouradian
Remnants by Elyse Semerdjian
The Sins of the Fathers by Siobhan Nash-Marshall
Memoir
A Knock at the Door by Margaret Ajemian Ahnert
At Four O'Clock in the Afternoon and Bones and Bodies, We Had to Walk Over Them, edited by Gil Harootunian, PhD
Beginning Again at Ararat by Mabel Evelyn Ellott
Black Dog of Fate by Peter Balakian
Eliza: A Memoir of Love and Resistance by Eliza Aharon (Der Melkonian) Sachaklian
Forbidden Homeland:Story of a Diasporan by Katia Tavitian Karageuzian
Forced into Genocide: Memoirs of an Armenian Soldier in the Ottoman Turkish Army by Yervant Alexanian
Goodbye Antoura by Karnig Panian
In the Ruins by Zabel Yessyan, edited/authored by Judy Saryan
Maro by Mary Najarian
Mayrig by Henri Verneuil
Misak: An Armenian Life by Karen Jeppe
My Grandmother by Fethiye Cetin
Nowhere, a story of exile by Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte
Ravished Armenia, the story of Aurora Mardiganian by Aurora Mardiganian
The Hundred Year Walk by Dawn Anahid MacKeon
Here’s a little glimpse into my bookish world.
When I’m not reading... I’m writing, promoting my debut novel, researching my next book, reading to our grandsons, sharing bookish thoughts on social media, and piecing together jigsaw puzzles—usually with a book theme.
📚 Monthly Columnist – Victoria’s Voice for The Armenian Weekly
📖 Author – Who She Left Behind, a 5-star, award-winning historical fiction novel inspired by my family’s story of survival during the Armenian Genocide and their journey of rebuilding in the United States.
✉️ Creator of HerSTORYian Tales – A free monthly newsletter dedicated to the art of storytelling through reading, writing, and speaking. We spotlight female protagonists, celebrate Armenian culture, and dive into the captivating world of Who She Left Behind. Click here to sign up and you will automatically receive a monthly update of books I've read.
Check back each month for updates, and feel free to share your thoughts—I’d love to hear from you. Let’s journey through the pages together!
Read On! Victoria
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