Forgotten Fire
Forced to watch his father escorted out of their lives by Turkish  police, his brothers shot to death in their backyard, his grandmother murdered  by a rock-wielding guard, and his sister take poison rather than be raped by  soldiers, 12-year-old Vahan Kendarian abruptly begins to learn what his father  meant when he used to say, "This is how steel is made. Steel is made strong by  fire." Up until 1915, Vahan has lived a cosseted life as the son of a wealthy  and respected Armenian man. But overnight his world is destroyed when the  triumvirate of Turkish leaders, Enver Pasha, Talaat Bey, and Djemal Pasha,  begins the systematic massacre of nearly three-quarters of the Armenian  population of Turkey, 1.5 million men, women, and children. Soon Vahan is an  orphan on the run, surviving by begging, pretending to be deaf and mute,  dressing as a girl, hiding out in basements and outhouses, and even living for a  time with the Horseshoer of Baskale, a Turkish governor known for nailing  horseshoes to the feet of his Armenian victims. Time and again, the terrified  and desperate boy grows close to someone--and loses him or her to an appalling,  violent death. Through three years of unspeakable horror, Vahan is made stronger  by this fire, and by perseverance, fate, or sheer luck, he survives long enough  to escape to the safe haven of Constantinople.Brutally vivid, Adam Bagdasarian'sForgotten Fireis based on the  experiences of his great-uncle during the Armenian Holocaust. The absolutely  relentless series of vile events is almost unbearable, but the quiet elegance of  Bagdasarian's writing makes this a novel of truth and beauty. Parental guidance  is strongly suggested for younger readers of this extraordinary, heartbreaking  account. (Ages 14 and older)--Emilie Coulter--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.