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Summary: "This, then, is G_d murder..."-Franz Werfel
Review: "Never...had the Agha Rifaat Bereket seen such faces...Nearly all these children had swollen heads, on the thinnest necks, and their huge staring eyes had a knowledge in them forbidden the children of humankind...The most horrible thing...was not that a whole people had been exterminated, but that a whole people, G-d's children, had been dehumanized. The sword of Enver...had struck Allah...And whoso degrades His dignity in the creature, degrades the Creator in his victim. This, then, is G_d murder, the sin which, to the end of time, is never forgiven." The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel The Burning Tigris is an excellent book, a must read, an authentic gem, no falsehood found within. There are so many important facts in The Burning Tigris; this book is probably Balakian's crowning achievement. I would give this book 10 x 10 x 10 stars, 5 is too few! All americans must read this book. For those who do not want to believe that the massacres and "government-sponsored genocide" happened, I believe there are many proofs to the contrary found within Balakian's book. For, it was after the massacres of the early 1890's that the world began to witness the beginnings of human rights awareness from the steps of Faneuil Hall in Downtown Boston. Among the first public speakers on the issue, was Clara Barton, founder of America's Red Cross. The predicament of the Armenians propelled the Red Cross overseas for the first time in U.S. history. And that is just the start of this historical book. If you still have doubts, come to Watertown, Massachusetts where there is an entire library devoted to all things Armenian. I'm not Armenian myself, but have met some truly genuine Armenian people in my neighborhood and 'foster' state. I absolutely adore Teddy Roosevelt and Henry Morgenthau after reading this book. Roosevelt criticized his own country and President Wilson for not declaring war on the Ottoman empire during WWI and disclosed that missionaries working there had over 100 million dollars worth of real estate holdings threatened, revealing the darker side of missionary work overseas. Ambassador Morgenthau time after time met with various Turkish administrators on behalf of lives and property in the hands of the turkish authorities. Talaat Pasha once asked him for the life insurance policies of all the Armenians who had died claiming that the state would now own them all!!! Ambassador Morgenthau refused him furiously knowing full well how Talaat's Turkish government had violently disposed of hundreds of thousands of precious human lives, not only Armenian. Terrorism and tragedies are indeed worldwide, yet I do maintain that studying the Armenian experiences within this past century and a half, is instructive in so many ways. (Armenia was the first Christian nation to declare Christianity their official religion; I was taught in school that Rome was the first nation to do so, obviously this is incorrect). Balakian has chosen for this book to show how America responded to their crises starting from the massacres in the 1890's until the present time. In the aftermath of the genocide of WWI, international efforts were directed at trying to punish the perpetrators of the horrific crimes committed resulting only in a Turkish courts-martial, with many of the criminals later on the loose again. Finally, in the past decades, sadly, many prominent politicians worldwide have been lured by petrol dollars, threatened by the perpetrators to deny that the genocide ever happened, while so many thousands upon thousands of other peoples living in Islamic countries are denied justice today still...
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Summary: Great new scholarship on Armenian Genocide!
Review: Balakian does it again! Having come off the success of 'Black Dog of Fate' this eminent researcher now adds essential new scholarship to the Armenian holocaust. Sometimes called the 'secret genocide' or 'forgotten genocide' Mr. Balakian seeks to explore not only the Armenian massacres and extermination campaign of the Turkish government but also American and European response. Balakian takes us on a tour de force as he first analysis American human rights campaigns that culminated in the hundreds of front page stories about the armenian massacres that ranged from the 1890s to 1917 and the subsequent armenian famine. Balakian shows how noted womens rights figures like Julia Ward Howe dedicated themselves to saving the remaining Armenians. Balakian reveals the essential humanism of ambassador Morgenthau whose clear understanding and indignation helped form the basis for essential documents explaining the TRUTH behind the Turkish governments campaign to 'end the Armenian question once and for all". Also revelaed is the betrayel of the armenians by Wilson(who originally envisioned an armenian state) for Arab oil, something history has seen repeated again and again but with different victims. The Author details the early Hamidian massacres of the 1890s and shows how the culture of genocide became the norm in Turkey as turks were exhorted to do unspeakable acts of cruelty to their fellow man, convinced they were carrying out yet another Islamic Jihad. This wonderful account adds another volume to the paucity of books on this essential overlooked subject. The land cries out for justice for the Armenians, a people overlooked by history, forgotten, brushed away to the dustbin, but the lord reaches out through men like Balakian to bring the worlds attention to this hidden holocaust, something far to many people have worked far to hard to make us forget! The only misgiving I have is that once again we are treated to the maps of turkey but no maps of the genocides path, no maps of the war, no maps showing figures of Turkish armenians and their deportaiton and how some eventually did survive to live in America, France, Uruguay and Lebanon. This is one of those windows of scholarship, never tackled to my knowledge, the neccesity to document the armenian diaspora and show the extent of the slaughter with graphs and maps. A must read for anyone interested in human rights, the development of war crimes, Armenians, Jews, American middle east policy and genocide in particular.
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Summary: Bernard Lewis is not objective!!!!
Review: This is in response to.....
46 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
Balakian not playing with a full deck, January 19, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
As opponents in card games do not show all their cards in order to gain the advantage, Balakian has followed this principle to present his overview of history which represents the narrow views of the descendants of Armenians in the U.S. If you're looking for a recycled account of earlier books on the topic that have long since been forgotten, you'll enjoy this book. However, if you're looking for an book about the complicated events of WWI in Anatolia, this is not the book I would recommend.
Instead, try more objective accounts of history that include the fact that the Armenians were the lackeys of the Russians in east Anatolia and the French in Cilicia (both intent on carving out a nice-post WW1 piece of real estate for themselves out of the old Ottoman Empire), until the Ottomans decided to protect the Muslim population of Anatolia by putting an end to the kiling and plundering of these mercenaries, irregulars and just regular thugs.A more objective account can be found in Bernard Lewis' accounts of this historical period. Unlike Balakian, Lewis is a true historian, an a professor emeritus at a respected institution like Princeton. And unlike Balkian, Lewis, a respected and world-reknown historian for over 60 years, who is not Turkish--is not trying to be the darling of his ethnic constituency.
"A more objective account can be found in Bernard Lewis' accounts of this historical period."
That is false. He isnt objective. This is what i found on him.
"Institut d'Egypte (associate member, 1969--), Turkish Historical Society (honorary member, 1972--)"
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Summary: Well-Crafted Dichotomy
Review: Tremendous book, carefully written and accurately documented. The author presents a well thought out cogent history of the Armenian Genocide from its incipient stages in the 1890's to the final destruction of most of ancient Armenia in 1915-1923. In addition Mr. Balakian details the political and philanthropic response of America and Americans to the crime. Though a detailed history book, there is a dichotomous memoir-like thread woven throughout. The incredible barbarity and Nazi-like cruelty of the Turks and the seriatim razing of thousands of ancient Armenian villages are juxtaposed against the backdrop of America's response both geo-politically and philanthropically. I highly recommend this book it is informative, well written and relatively easy to read. As far as the Turkish readers who have complained that Professor Balakian does not know what he is talking about, I can only say that after having carefully read The Burning Tigris I do not understand such unfounded criticism. In addition to the hundreds of quotes from the omnibus writings of lesser known diplomats and historians in Turkey in 1915, most of Balakian's book is lifted directly from the writings of such eminent historians/scholars/politicians as Winston Churchill, Viscount Bryce, Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, Arnold Toynbee, and of course the main hero Ambassador Henry Morgenthau Jr. Not to mention the numerous quotations from American and European missionaries and businessmen on the ground in Turkey at the time. There is also a considerable amount of quotations from survivors who tell of the destruction of their homes and villages and families. If those that would criticize (and I can only assume they are Turks) have an objective source of the caliber of Winston Churchill or Arnold Toynbee let us know, otherwise stop yelling and learn to honestly and truthfully live with and face your own history.
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Summary: Amnesia and genocide
Review: This excellent account of the whole history of the Armenian genocide perhaps spells the turning of the tide on the organized amnesia that has haunted this subject since the 1920's. And yet it wasn't always so. An immense awareness of and publicity effort about the ongoing genocide is a part of American history from the first period in the 1890's onward. Balakian's account is an indispensable guide, with fresh research, through the three main waves of the Holocaust, the term was first used for the Armenian instance, from Sultan Hamid to the Young Turks to the Kemalists. Exhaustion of the War, the failure of Wilson's initiatives, the influence of oil interests, and the systematic denial of the Turkish nationalists, to say nothing of the latter Cold War alliance with Turkey, induced the amnesia that has persisted to this day. Eerie premonitions of the later Nazi Holocaust pervade this tale, and the direct influence of the Armenian tragedy on the politics of proto-fascism suddenly comes to light.
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Summary: Smart, Witty, Sad, and Painful (Not for the faint of heart)
Review: It's amazing how the worst in people can bring out the best in others. I was touched by all the philanthropy that came about during the genocide from people living in the United States, a full ocean away. This notion somehow guided me and offered some comfort as I read of the malodorous evil that humans could enact.
This was a great book: it read quickly, had interesting sub-stories, some sad, some happy, some poignantly memorable. The book also provided great historical information, in regards to some of the leaders during the First World War and the different policies of Europe, The Ottoman Empire, and the U.S.
I don't understand how some people have tried to discredit the author when all the sources are quotes from eye witnesses like ambassadors, missionaries, and doctors. Balakian also used letters written by Talaat Pasha and Enver Pasha in his book. It's actually quite amusing hearing people discourage these sources "Ambassador Morganthou was a liar, the missionaries were liars, umm the Armenian grandparents who told their stories, they are all liars too."
The book mentions a very endearing event that took place that if it were to happen today, constitutional attorneys of the U.S. would be having a massive field day. In the 1930s MGM Studios wanted to turn the Novel "40 Days of Musa Dagh" by Franz Warfel, which was about the genocide and a particular city, into a film. However, through enormous lobbying by the Turkish government and a few affluent Turks in the U.S., Congress persuaded MGM studios not go on with the film.
Imagine that, the almighty 1st Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, which has shaped our country and stood the test of time for 217 years, was no match for the Turkish government and the friendship (oil) it offered to the United States. What can you do but burst into a series of guffaws.
Overall, a good book simply for its historical value.
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Summary: Where is the TRUTH? If u wana know read, if not stop here!!
Review: Like many books about Turkey: BIASED!
Why, easy, just try to follow, it shouldnt be too hard (depends on each person if you want to know the truth you will see, if you still want to live a lie than better stop here).
1. It wasn't a GENOCIDE, the population at East-Anatolia had to be relocated (Armenians). Why?
Armenians rebelled, killing Turks. The Turkish gov't didn't know who the trouble makers were, so it was decided to move the whole population of Armenians. Yes, there weren't enough supplies to do so BUT it had to be done of a time of big crises, killing of TURKS and the stage of war. People died. The Turkish gov't even issued out to protect the Armenians and sent troops. At some marches there weren't enough troops to protect them all, and bandits and other Turks attacked them. Bandits because they wanted to rob them, few Turks because to revenge themselves on the deaths of their families, BUT IT WASNT A GENOCIDE! Turkish troops protected the marches, the soldiers didn't help the other Turks to kill them. And to mention, not all Turks wanted to kill the Armenians. They had high position in those days like being merchants, big gov't paid occupations.
2. British also sparked this crisis with Russians. Turks were at war, Russia on one side, British on the other, and the French. The Brits wanted to get access to the oil field at Iraq(Iraq didnt exist those days) which was under Turkish rule that days. Russians, because they prefered to sent Armenians then to sacrifice their own soldiers. So, Armenians were used by other nations to try to destroy Turkey. People should know that British gov't thought that Turks shouldn't be allow to rule by themselves because they thought that Turks to be inferior and not able to govern (u heard me, thats the truth, research for yaself if ya dont believe me).
3. Also it should be pointed out, Armenians living in Turkey these days don't complain. I ask all of you, WHY? They have their churches, schools, etc. Live a decent and better life compared to Armenians in Armenia around 100,000.
4. Fake documents were printed at those days to get support for a war with Turkey which benefited Britain, Russia, and France. And it does now, those fake documents are used to justify the fake genocide on Armenians. So please, stop the madness and look into this issue with an open eye, open mind, and an unbiased eye.
Read another book, one that isn't biased like this one.
Hatred causes blindness.
There are real documents and those for propaganda. Armenians (when I mean Armenians, that are the ones living in Armenia, the ones living in Turkey have different views, of course some support the Armenians gov't but the majority doesnt) of course point out to the fake ones produced at the 10's-20's.
Let the truth come out, the truth, nothing else but the truth.
I urge you to make your own research and don't depend on one book, one resource, and one side (Armenian [British, French]) of this important issue.
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Summary: A needed and important work of scholarship
Review: "The Burning Tigris" is a needed piece of scholarship. It is a comprehensive account of the atrocities suffered by the Armenians from the 1890's to WWI. Balakian retells these chilling stories, stories that history seems to have forgotten, in such a way a moving and passionate way that it demands the readers attention. The atrocities committed against the Armenians, and America's response, seem strangely relevant given the current situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. I hope and pray that by examining and understanding a hidden genocide of our past, we can learn and progress as society and prevent chillingly similar events from claiming more lives.
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Summary: Truth or Myth?
Review: It's really disappointing to see such a marketing giant as Amazon.com publish reviews to support this publication only. I have been trying to post a review for this book several times but Amazon.com has not accepted them. My review in fact contains professional review published by The Times Literary Supplement (London), www.the-tls.co.uk by Andrew Mango. I truly believe that, nowadays, in the 21st century every individual has a right to express their opinion in a free manner and Amazon should not be depriving them of these rights.
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Summary: Ambassador Morgenthau - Great American
Review: Excellent book, very compelling. Carefully researched with a meticulous bibliography. The archival, diplomatic and survivor documentation is esepcially impressive. Balakian's emphasis on U.S. humanitarian efforts was particularly well written and thoughtful. My only complaint is not with the book itself - Balakian is such an outstanding writer - but rather with the topic. By about page two hundred the inhumanity and brutality of the Young Turks - especially Talat Pasha - started to give me nightmares. On the other hand reading about the heroism and courage of Ambassador Morgenthau (the American Ambassador to Turkey during World War One) renewed my faith in the capacity of humanity for goodness.
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