The Young Turks to the Young Nazis: The Genocides that Scar Us Still
Critically-acclaimed novelist Chris Bohjalian's writings explore contemporary social issues and the ways in which they play themselves out in the lives of ordinary people. His work covers topics as diverse as midwifery, transsexual surgery, animal rights, homelessness, domestic violence and human trafficking, and the personal, moral, and ethical dilemmas that arise from them. The author of 18 books, most of which were New York Times bestsellers, his work has been translated into over 30 languages, and three of his books have become movies.
In his novel The Sandcastle Girls, Bohjalian explores the Armenian genocide, in which 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the First World War. The genocide is seen from the perspective of Elizabeth Endicott, who joins her father in traveling to Aleppo, Syria, to provide aid to deported Armenians. There she falls in love with Armen Petrosian, an Armenian engineer searching for his wife and child despite being certain they are dead. Publishers Weekly says that “Bohjalian’s storytelling makes this a beautiful, frightening, and unforgettable read.”
Bohjalian’s books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage and Salon. Among dozens of awards, Bohjalian has received the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for The Sandcastle Girls, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal, among many others.
Bohjalian graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College.
Mr. Bohjalian’s will deliver the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights’ Third Annual Lecture on Armenian Studies.