Catching Up on 1700 Years of Reading

With a cultural heritage extending back for 1700 years and well beyond, Armenians have much reading to catch up on. Read some of the books or articles on our recommended reading list to find out what being Armenian has meant throughout history and what it means to you today.

History

A Concise History of the Armenian People, By George A. Bournoutian
If you want to learn a lot about Armenian history in relatively few pages, this is the book for you. A Concise History covers Armenian history from pre-history to the present.

History of the Armenian Genocide, By Vahakn N. Dadrian
Most scholars and critics point to this book as one of the most important works written on the Armenian Genocide. Helps you see the matter from several viewpoints and languages by utilizing sources originally in Turkish, Armenian, German, French, and English.

Armenia: A Historical Atlas, By Robert H. Hewsen
Hewsen literally puts Armenians back on the map of history with this amazing collection of maps capturings the many movements in Armenian demographics, culture, language and social-political environment. Expensive, but absolutely worth it.

Language

Discover Armenian, By Arlex International Ltd.
Discover Armenian language software gives users the opportunity to learn Western Armenian by reading, speaking and hearing the Armenian language. The software is Windows compatible and has great graphics, interactive exercises, songs and cultural lessons.

Armenian-American

Passage to Ararat, By Michael J. Arlen, with new introduction by Clark Blaise
At the age of 21, a young writer named Dikran Kouyoumjian changed his name to Michael Arlen, repudiating his Armenian heritage. Some five decades later, his son, Michael J. Arlen, embarked on a journey to rediscover the ethnic ties that his father had effectively severed.

Armenian-Americans: From Being to Feeling Armenian, By Anny Bakalian
Are you actually Armenian, or only symbolically so? Find out how being Armenian has changed over time, and help clarify what being Armenian might mean to you.

The William Saroyan Reader, Works of Willam Saroyan, compiled by Aram Saroyan
Here is the vintage Saroyan of the early 1930's and early 1940's, the period during which the short stroy writer, playwright, and novelist achieved a critical and popular success comparible to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s.

Black Dog of Fate, By Peter Balakian
A young Armenian-American, immersed in the New York Yankees, rock and roll and the popular culture of the baby boom, becomes aware of the Armenian genocide through a family history that was slowly revealed over the years.

Download the Reading List

Armenian Heritage Reading List
171 K PDF file

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