There are some good essays in this book. But if you want a textbook/intro, George Bournoutian's much more reasonably priced book is the one to buy. On the other hand, if you want scholarly essays, you're going to have to pick and choose between this book and a few others, because the quality is uneven.

This is about as good as it gets in terms of an overview of Armenian history. Armenia is an incredibly fascinating study in the context of the Middle East, and the world's history at large. Containing a series of contributions on various topics by leading scholars in the field and edited by one of the foremost scholars, Hovannisian, this is an outstanding read and should be on any Armenian or history scholar's shelf.

I read this great book called My Brother, My Enemy by Madge Harrah. This book is about a boy named Matt whose family was killed by susquehannok Indians. Matt is a young Virginian who lives next to a forest. It turns out Matt's best friend named Naoken is a member of the susquhaennok tribe. Matt then decides he wants revenge on Naokan because he found his arrows all around their cabin. To get the revenge he joined an army of plantation owners organized by Nathaniel Bacon. Matt had a problem because he found out that Naokan tried to stop the massacre and he was now a prisoner of Bacon's army. Now Matt has to choose between getting revenge and helping his friend escape.

I like this book because it has many qualities such as it is partly suspenseful, exciting, and sad. It's suspenseful when Matt finds Naokan and his sister Pomanah hiding in the bushes and you're wondering if Matt will let them escape or turn them in. It happened while Matt was a member of general Bacon's army and invading the Susquehannok camp. The book also had some very exciting parts like when Matt was trying to free Naokan and Pomanah during the war. One was when Matt went to court twice, the first time they said he was innocent, and the second time he was sentenced to be hung. He also marched with Bacon's army to Jamestown. Another exciting part was when Matt and Bacon's army invaded Noakan's tribe . Finally, Matt and one of Bacons men named Hansford came up with a great plan to free the prisoners. Finally it was sad when Matt came home and his family was dead.

The theme or message from the author of this book deals with the topic of following your heart and doing the right thing in the face of tragedies. One way the author emphasizes this theme is when Matt's dad tells him, 'Do what you think is right.' Another example happened when Matt had to make a choice of freeing his Indian friends from Bacon's army. It also emphasized the theme when Matt's family was killed and he decided to join Bacon's army to fight the Indians who were massacring the settlers. I would recommend this book because I could count tons of great reasons to read My Brother, My Enemy.

This book makes a good attempt at translating Isahakian's perceptions of the world around him. This great thinker has many other works that unfortunatly have not yet been translated. His passion for exsictence and the meaning of life reminds me at times the writtings of Omar Khyam. Yet there seems a hint of influenece by thinkers such as Nietzsche ( This can be argued against). The translator, I beleive, does a good job at interperting the work from Armenian to English. A definite insight to Isahakian's plea.

A highly detailed book, using pottery, to present the
history of this area. Lots to read, but sometimes boring.
It was an okay book, but try another one before you get
this one. Unless you are looking for something very
specific.

The Turks and the Turkish cultural lobby deny that Armenians wove rugs. This is part of their overall efforts to deny the existence of Armenians in Armenia. They argue that Armenians only sold rugs. One of the chief pieces of physical evidence against the lobby is the "Gohar rug" pictured on the cover of the book, which bears an inscribed Armenian dedication and date approximate to 1701.

Any person who knows about Caucasian and Anatolian rugs knows better than the Turkish claims - Armenians made many, maybe most, of the best rugs, whether they were made for individual use in the village, for export sale, or even for palaces. This book shows some plates of late inscribed rugs, many of which resemble rugs that are presently on the market here. The introductory articles by Ms. der Manuelian and Mr. Eiland are worth the price of the book....

I would advise to read this book to noone, maybe only to knowledgeable people, who know the real situation and won't be misled by the tricky description of the author. Why? Just to see the real face of Armenian nationalism in its veil of "national democracy".

The problem with ethnic issues is that often the only people that care about them are people of that ethnicity -- therefore, this author is going to be called biased and unbiased by the 2 sides. I found this book an interesting account of how the issue of Karabagh was used by the National Democratic Movement (a loaded term -- basically, the people who were pro-democracy in the end of the USSR who also happened to all be of the ethnicity) in promoting their own goals. I read this book twice in an academic setting and found it to be one of the best on the subject.

The conflict over the Armenian territory of Artsakh, also known as Garapakh (hence the title of the book), has been intractable since the fall of the Soviet Union. Yet few today remember how the conflict originated, how Joseph Stalin's purges and ethnic engineering shaped the region, and how the Mountain Turks (called "Azeris" since WWI), the Armenians, and indeed most of the Soviet Union's subjects were used in the often arbitrary Stalinist decisions. In this mostly objective work, the origins of the conflict are traced in such a way as to explain why feelings in that region of the world are so strong, why the Mountain Turks want Artsakh from the Armenians, and the relation between the Genocide of the innocent Armenians in 1915 by murderous Turkey itself still has ramifications in the present.

A crucial element of Hitler's thesis Mein Kampf was his contention that if one is to tell a lie that the lie be so big that no one would ever think it false.This is seemingly the underlying motivation behind the authorship of this book.What's next,that the Jews committed mass suicide just to implicacte the Nazis? The content of this book is not worthy of intellectual discourse. The book flies in the face of accepted historical facts and common sense. For the author to slap the common face of the victims of the Armenian Genocide with this ludicrous book is to perpetuate the final phase of genocide. That final insult being to deny that it ever happened.

Weems has done a thorough research utilizing Turkish, Russian, British and American archives. The book mainly discusses the Turkish-Armenian issues from a different view point than the American public is used to hear from the Armenian lobbyists. It tells about the Armenian massacres of Turkish-Kurdish population in the name of an Armenian State, promised by Russian Czar regime, on Turkish soil.

All in all it is a good resource if you are sick of the false Armenian propaganda that never talks about all sides of the story, begging sympathy for their twisted story of so-called genocide. This book is a nice blow to those people who planted hatred in their nation's hearts for years and tried to take advantage of worlds sympathy for humankind's most embarrassing event - the Jewish Holocaust.

Read to see :
- that according to Ottoman, British and French numbers, there were no more than ~1,300,000 Armenians in overall Anatolia (West, Middle and East) in 1915 , and that according to Armenian Patriarch this number was only 1,579,000 and yet these people falsely claim that 1,500,000 of their people were massacred in Eastern Anatolia, that they can not account for those left in Western regions and those who successfully reached Syria,
- how in 1915 Ottomans had to make a relocation decision to relocate the Armenian population after they started backstabbing Turkish Army defending its land against the invading Russian army, and that even they handed over the city of Van to Russians, after it was cleansed of its muslim Turk and Kurdish population,
- how the Ottomans tried to make the relocation safe, but unpleasant events had happened due to its lack of control in the area during the war,
- that the relocation was only for those in war zones (Eastern Anatolia) but no such action was taken for the ones living in western Anatolia and Istanbul at the time.
- how Russians could not control their Armenian allies after they started withdrawing in 1917 and that Armenians massacred the whole muslim Turk and Kurdish population until Turkish army gained control in Eastern Anatolia again,
- that Armenians have always been a minority in the region, and have never had a state in Eastern Anatolia except for a little vassal state 3000 years ago, and they tried to liberate it from its 1000 year long Turkish owners, and how they terrorized the region during first world war,
- how Armenian propaganda since 1947s beg for western nations to back its false claims of a so-called genocide, and lights candles at the university campuses for the -never existed- 1,500,000 dead, with increasing numbers, but never ever mentions a word about more muslim population that was massacred by rogue Armenian gangs,
- that Armenia still has 20% of Azerbaijan still occupied, and has removed its 1,000,000 muslim inhabitants either by ethnic cleansing or forced immigration and today questions the Ottoman decision to relocate their population which hit Ottoman Army from behind in a war situation,
- that the Armenians lived safely under Ottoman rule for hundreds of years with their own patriarchy allowed, unlimited practice for their religion, until they sided with Russians in IstWW hoping to gain a piece of land out of the war and started the killings leading to a clash between the muslim and Armenian Christian population.
- and how Armenians have started their false propaganda even before the relocation was ordered, and that they still continue it.
Before falling victim to the propaganda a must read to learn about the other side of the medallion.

This book totally assisted me to make a decision about this so called genocide issue that Armenians have been whining about. After reading and listening many information from both sides, Mr. Weems' book made everything clear for me. I can't believe the power of lies and the strength of truth in this world. No matter how many Armenians keep making anti-Turkish propaganda, truth always prevails and lies will eventually damage the liar itself. It is clear that Armenians are simply showing themselves as victims in a situation where actually they are the ones who should be criticized more. Mr. Weems explains the impossibility of this so-called genocide very well with European, Turkish and Armenian documents. He also gives a good lesson to today's Armenian lobby in our country with simple and clear facts. I have been reading a lot of different material about this matter and am sorry for what happened to Armenians' ancestors. However, new generation should also read this book and understand what caused this exile. I would say; if you want a peaceful and a fair world, first judge yourself. Find out about Asala (Armenian terrorist organization). Find out why Armenians are bombing houses of American professors in California. Why were 2 Turkish Attaché shot to death in front of Turkish embassy in Los Angeles? Does the young Armenians want to be the next Asala member or a hit man? Or decent Armenians with honor? It is always easier to blame others for our mistakes. Grow up. No genocide; no more lies. Open your eyes.

Libaridian's disjointed narrative makes excuses for the failings of the autocratic ruler he served as advisor--some would say éminence grise. Claiming confidentiality, he fails to reveal anything new; not that his "revelations" would have been particularly credible. One might have hoped for a coherent explanation with a touch of self-criticism. One would have been disappointed.

The other reviewer has some valid points, but I think he may be blinded by the fact that quite a few people disagree with certain choices that the author has made in his personal and political life. In my opinion, this does not take away from the fact that this is the most honest and realistic books on the current political situation in Armenia. One who is not familiar with some of the basic issues in Armenia politics may not enjoy this book as much.

I loved this text because it talks about some of the more valiant points in Armenian political life. Libaridian speaks about topics of Armenia's government that are very rarely talked about. He supports his claims with evidence, most of it first-hand, so the reader must recognize, and at least respect, his views.

It takes a lot of guts to denounce the Diaspora and to speak in-favor of an unpopular President. The book definetely provided insight on Armenia's government and some of the issues they were struggling with since the inception of statehood in 1991. Some of Armenia's problems that were discussed were the Armenian Genocide and how to handle it, the non-existant economy, and the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

The book was written around 1997, 1998, so the current Kocharian Administration is not really talked about. I hope Libaridian writes a follow-up on Armenia in the 21st century. I would love to hear his probably controversail views about Armenia today and the handling of "Artsakh" versus the terroristic and human-rights violations champion Azerbaijan.

.....

I purchased this book from a big bookstore, lost my receipt and am unable to return it. This book uses historical revision to undermine the "just cause" of the Armenian Genocide. It makes faulty assumptions and loose links between terrorism and the Armenian American activists who until this day ask for recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Gunter gives a nice and thorough analysis of the Armenian terrorist attacks against Turkish diplomats around the world that had taken place till early 80`s. The most striking point in the book is that many western states, although seemingly against terrorism, can ignore or indirectly support terrorism if it serves their political needs. Particular attention is given to France, Russia and US in that sense. The book does NOT discuss if Armenian genocide really happened or not. However, it gives important information about how such a discussion, or rather the expression of a non-pro-Armenian opinion is suppresed by the Armenian community in US and France. This is accomplised either politically or violently, as in the case of Prof. Shaw, a UCLA professor whose house was torched because of his views and whose "History of Ottoman Empire" classes was cancelled because of violent protests of Armenian students. The book is definitely "politically incorrect" because it provides you with an objective view in a topic where you are not only used to but also forced to hear a one-sided opinion for years. Again, the book is not about Armenian genocide but about attempts to make "Armenian genocide" a political invariant, and also the double standart of "democratic" countries about handling terrorism.

this book left me with quite a muddled picture of the armenians.

the book can be broadly divided into three parts, chronologically speaking: 1. beginnings-1071, 2. 1071-1915, and 3. 1915-present. the latter two parts are rendered in quite a summary fashion in my opinion, and a topic as central as the genocide has been accorded barely half a page.

throughout the book one finds it hard to understand when armenians were independent and when not, what elements of their culture they got from whom and what contributions they made to other cultures. one major contribution of armenians is their distinctive architecture, and that could have been explored with far more pictures than are included in the book.

the exceptionally summary treatment of the centuries under turkish rule and especially of the genocide leaves one startled, as these are the centuries and events that must have had a most profound effect on the armenian identity. an establishment turkish historian writing about armenian history could not have paid less attention to the genocide issue (for other purposes, of course, but that's another matter). the recently independent armenian republic is also equally summarily treated. the lack of a single armenian name in the acknowledgements page is also very curious.

i had bought it to get an unbiased introduction to the subject, instead i got a muddled one. in sum, i would not recommend this book as an introduction to the subject.

While the book has been written by a professional, I have a feeling that it has been written somewhat hastily, and the topics covered have been arbitrarily chosen. It is frequently hard to trace the underlying logic of the arguments or to come up with specific conclusions intended. One almost gets an impression of the author claiming something like, "If we make this and this assumption, we would arrive to this and this conclusion, if we make the other assumption, we would arrive to the other conclusion. We can arrive to any conclusion, thus the subject should not be seriously studied." This characterization is especially transparent in the case of the topic of the "Origin of Armenians." It looks as if "I have been asked to write about it and I have done it. I can spend my time on better things, however."

For example, it is noteworthy that the author pays minimal attention to the era and the contribution of the Paulicians, who have had tremendous impact on the evolution of European theological thought starting in the 9th century, laying down the foundations of Protestant thought.

On the other hand, this book obviously is not meant for bedtime reading, and has to be read with a sharp pencil in one's hands. However, in this case, I suspect there is a high likelihood of emerging with a much more negative reaction towards it.

Overall, I think this is a book to at least glance through and to know about, and is a positive contribution when looked at from the perspective of bringing Armenian History to the International spotlight. It is a welcome addition to the library of anyone who has serious interest in Armenian History, but would not necessarily be appropriate for novices or those with only a passing interest.

Despite the weaknesses--some fair, some very unfair--pointed at by the other reviewers, this book is the best work published in English on Armenia and the Armenians from their early origins to the Turkish invasion in the eleventh century.