YOU REJOICE MY HEART

By Kemal Yalcin

Through a novel, Kemal Yalcin has put together a compelling social history of Armenians in Turkey today. You Rejoice My Heart was written after the author reflected on his ignorance about his fellow Armenian citizens in Turkey and embarked on a journey of discovery. But his discovery was a profoundly sad one. He saw that Turkish Armenians lived in fear because of a history of prejudice and abuse. Living in the aftermath of the genocide of 1915, thousands of Turkish-Armenians only survived by hiding their identities, living as crypto-Christians or crypto-Armenians. This all played havoc in family life and social relations, and many had to emigrate over the decades. His novel takes a critical and compassionate look at the social history of the Armenians in Turkey post-Genocide.

Tekeyan Cultural Association (2007)