This biography, about a Christian Armenian woman born in Zeiton, Turkey, revolves around 1975 Beirut. Trapped and alone in her fourth-floor flat, Hripsime relives her story as her beloved city crumbles around her. At a young age, most of her family are killed during WWI in the 1915 Armenian Deportation. Before the Ottoman Turks can herd over one and half million or more Armenians into the desert, Hripsime's father takes her to an American school in Marash. Most died a grueling death, either of starvation, thirst, diseases or they were slaughtered. Hripsime, in her teens, was one of only a handful who escape a massacre in Marash during the Franco-Turkish War of 1920. Fleeing to Aleppo, Syria, Hripsime marries an Armenian Evangelist and raises four children. Again, she and her family survive another war - World War II. Hripsime tells of her beloved Evangelist husband, Mihran who's amazing faith is far reaching. Passing on eight years before 1975, Hripsime alone endures many weeks of horrible shellings and bombardments with no electricity or phone, food and water were almost unattainable. Hripsime finds her younger brother, Luther in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia soon after she settles in Aleppo, she not able to visit Luther and his family for 40 years. His escape from the deportation is even more remarkable. Separated from his parents at age 7, he tells of an astonishing survival and afterwards when he lives with the Bedouins. It is Luther's daughter that helps Hripsime escape from Beirut; another of God's miracles. Hripsime feels she may be the only civilian left that hasn't evacuated Beirut. Her building is barely standing just like it is for all of Beirut. When her niece finally reaches Hripsime, her niece and husband try to arrange for the three of them for passage on a boat to Cyprus. But many Christians are escaping at this time and so the odds are very slim. Finally space on a boat is found. With no room to stretch their legs, the night is long as they barely reach Cyprus because of a life-threatening storm on the Mediterranean. In Cyprus there's no place for anyone to lay their head, but her niece's husband has family in Cyprus which provides a safe-haven. After contacting Hirpsime's son and daughter-in-law in Tehran, it is decided she is to live in the States with her daughter and her physician husband. A traumatic trip for her, her daughter-in-law travels with her the first leg. When in NY, she sees her grandson for the first and he travels with her to the Midwest. While Hripsime lives out her last years in America, she perceives our nation as naive about the ways of her world. Although her extraordinary journey provides a good understanding of Middle-East philosophies, her story above all else is an inspiring biography of a Christian Armenian woman with a remarkable faith. Hripsime, who survives four wars against all odds, describes her life as one miracle after another.Although my joy comes from writing novels, when 9-11 descended upon us, I remembered this little book from the 1980's when I met Hripsime. My mind would not rest until I began to write a fictionalized version of her amazing journey. I pray you will treasure Hripsime's life as I have. Often I refer back to her life when my own trials are hard to endure.
About the Author: At this time, traveling around America, seeing all we can see, is a large part of our lives. Yet, my husband and I are finding the Southwest more and more desirable the longer we hang around here. I am thankful we resided in the Seattle-Tacoma area long enough so I could pursue a writing degree from the University of Washington. The twenty years we resided there will always bring pleasant memories. Always I will crave the wide open prairie of the plains. Born in Central Nebraska, I was raised in Omaha. Later, when we lived in Lincoln, one special milepost was my position on the Nebraska Governor's staff. My mainstays are my beloved husband and our sweet golden retriever. May God bless you all.