Comments on: There Was and There Was Not, Meline Toumani

By: Christy

Christy — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 23:57:00 +0000

I was at a Pink Martini concert last weekend – they call themselves “a little orchestra” and perform pieces that are sung in a multitude of languages. They performed a song in Turkish and invited any Turkish audience members to come on stage. The song immediately after was a sung in Armenian, and I believe a similar invitation was issued. My cousin and I were both like, “That’s interesting”, knowing the history between the two peoples, though I wondered aloud if the Turkish people and/or the Turkish diaspora denied the genocide or if the denial was sourced mainly in the Turkish government. Your review of this book kind of answers my question.

By: Stefanie@SoManyBooks

Stefanie@SoManyBooks — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 16:31:00 +0000

Sounds like a fascinating study. I like that Toumani decided to figure out what was what for herself. And what a timely read given Belgium’s recent recognition of the Armenian Genocide and other countries talking about it as well. And didn’t the Pope say something about it too? I found Turkey’s reaction to it all rather sad and disheartening.

By: jen mullen

jen mullen — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:20:00 +0000

A courageous undertaking. The book sounds fascinating and the excerpt you included was such a slice of life–sometimes we just adjust the situation and facts to fit. Sometimes, accepting the need for a plush, yellow bathrobe is common sense. Love that Toumani refuses to draw conclusions.