Daughter of War
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Fitzhenry
& Whiteside Canada,
2008
$14.95 hardcover
 |
  |
Daughter of War is
a gripping story of enduring love and loyalty set against the horrors
of Turkey during World War I.
Teenagers Kevork and his betrothed Marta are the lucky ones.
They
have managed so far to survive the Armenian genocide in Turkey, and
both are disguised as Muslims. But Marta is still in Turkey, pregnant
with another man's child. And Kevork is living as an Arab in Syria.
Kevork
yearns to get back into Turkey and search for Marta, but with the war
raging and the genocide still in progress, the journey will be
impossibly dangerous. Meanwhile, Marta worries that even if Kevork has
survived and they are reunited, will he be able to accept what she has
become? And what has happened to her sister, Mariam, who was sold as a
slave to the highest bidder?
Why Teach Genocide?
Awards
USBBY Outstanding International Book 2009
Nominated for the White Pine Award, 2009
Nominated for YALSA
Best Book 2009
A CCBC
Choices 2009 selection.
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is the author of many books for
children,
including Silver Threads and Enough as well as her YA novels, Hope's
War, The
Hunger and Nobody's Child, which was nominated for the Red Maple Award,
the Alberta Rocky Mountain Book Award, and the B.C. Stellar Award. Her
chapter book, Aram's Choice, was nominated for the CLA Children's Book
of the Year Award for 2007, as well as for the Silver Birch Express
Award, 2007, and the Golden Oak Award, 2008.
Reviews
-- Kristen Anderson, School Library Journal
"From the first page I was hooked into this story of Kevork and Marta,
two young lovers separated by the deportations inflicted on ethnic
Armenians by the Turks.....Skrypuch manages to depict the horror of the
genocide without becomeing trite or unnecessarily graphic. While
deploring the evil done, and the callousness of human beings to one
another, she avoids labelling groups as iether good or bad.
Daughter of War is a good read, as well as a compelling look
at an event too little known in the western world."
-- Elizabeth Creith, Children's
Book News
"brutally honest and tells the often untold story of a
different genocide."
"...this gripping novel tells the story of suffering and the atrocities of war from two very different perspectives....The novel forces readers to think about the war from a new perspective, can be easily connected to ideas about history, and may be used to discuss context in current political events.
-- ALAN Review
Daughter of War is a book about an overlooked subject that I wouldn't exactly think to read about, but I am glad I did. The novel is fascinating and well written. The character dynamic was realistic. ...I commend Skrypuch for this great novel. I would personally recommend this book to any teen looking for a good read.
--Mair Luscombe, Teen Reviewer, VOYA
"The carefully structured narrative ... yield[s] a sense of
the epic; readers will feel that they have been on Kevork's journey
with him, across the deserts and through the concentration camps in his
quest to find Marta. The smells of the bazaars and graphic images from
death marches and concentration camps root the story in the particulars
of time and place."
"Daughter of War is a powerful and moving read..."
-- Gregory Bryan, CM
"At its core, this is a love story. But it's also a quest, told from the perspective of several main characters. In 1915, the new government of Turkey started its systematic destruction of the Armenian poeple. Separated by cultures and distance, two young betrothed Armenians, Kevork and Marta, dream of being reunited. Their story plays out against a backdrop of political unrest, providing dramatic tension that doesn't let up until the very end."
-- Jean Mills, Quill & Quire
-- Heather Wright, Guelph Mercury
"...a powerful sequel to her 2003 novel,
Nobody's Child..."
"The award-winning Skrypuch bases her
story on
first-hand accounts of the Armenian genocide. While sections of this
novel are disturbing, they also chronicle acts of kindness and
compassion and an enduring love story between the two young people."
-- Helen Norrie, Winnipeg Free Press
"This is an exciting
story...[with]...thrilling action in a certainly exotic setting.
readers of Armenian descent will find this especially relevant to their
own cultural understanding, but any readers who like historical fiction
filled with danger, tragedy, and survival will like this novel."
-- Claire Rosser, KLIATT
"Daughter of War is a recommended purchase for all libraries.
Teachers will find it useful in history classes studying the Middle
East, as well as discussions of genocide. The fast pace and rich
descriptions will appeal to both boys and girls, as well as adults."
-- Linda Aksomitis, Resource
Links
"This is a story filled with both excruciating historical
detail and
no-holds-barred emotion--at times disturbing, but it's a story that
needs to be told, with an ultimately uplifting ending."
"Daughter of War is a
deftly written historical fiction novel, sure to enthrall readers with
a story set amid events that truly happened. A top pick"
-- Internet Bookwatch
-- Betsy Fraser, VOYA
"remarkable and powerful storytelling..."
