Hundred-Year Walk: An Armenian Odyssey - Softcover

Mackeen, Dawn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0544811941 ISBN 13: 9780544811942

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2017

Synopsis

A Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
A New York Post Must-Read

"Part family heirloom, part history lesson, The Hundred-Year Walk is an emotionally poignant work, powerfully imagined and expertly crafted."--Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan's Inheritance

"This book reminds us that the way we treat strangers can ripple out in ways we will never know . . . MacKeen's excavation of the past reveals both uncomfortable and uplifting lessons about our present."--Ari Shapiro, NPR

Growing up, Dawn MacKeen heard from her mother how her grandfather Stepan miraculously escaped from the Turks during the Armenian genocide of 1915, when more than one million people--half the Armenian population--were killed. In The Hundred-Year Walk MacKeen alternates between Stepan's courageous account, drawn from his long-lost journals, and her own story as she attempts to retrace his steps, setting out alone to Turkey and Syria, shadowing her resourceful, resilient grandfather across a landscape still rife with tension. Dawn uses his journals to guide her to the places he was imperiled and imprisoned and the desert he crossed with only half a bottle of water. Their shared story is a testament to family, to home, and to the power of the human spirit to transcend the barriers of religion, ethnicity, and even time itself.

"I am in awe of what Dawn MacKeen has done here . . . Her sentences sing. Her research shines. Her readers will be rapt--and a lot smarter by the end."--Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion

"Harrowing."--Us Weekly

About this title

Review:

A "Must read" from the New York Post "Gripping." Outside "Harrowing." Us Weekly "MacKeen weaves multiple historical sources for corroboration and context, but her main material, Stepan s unpublished memoir, lands the emotional punch of personal narrative. MacKeen s added perspective is what makes this book though. A moving portrait of one family s relationship to the past that offers surprising hope for reconciliation." Toronto Globe & Mail "MacKeen doesn t shirk from recounting the grisly details of genocide, describing brutal beatings, hunger to the point of cannibalism, and thirst to the point of urine-drinking. With a health-care reporter s deft touch, she manages to play down the utter pathos, but her dedication to baring gruesome facts is as unfailing as her loyalty to the mission thrust upon her." Barron's "Investigative journalist MacKeen always knew her grandfather escaped the Armenian Genocide before building a new life in the United States, but much of her family s incredible origins were masked by time, cultural boundaries, and systematic government denial. The author set out to bring her family s past into the present by translating her grandfather Stepan Miskjian s exhaustive personal journals, researching archival documents, and traveling to Turkey and Syria to retrace his steps and meet the Muslim family that saved him and other Armenians from certain death. The narrative alternates perspectives between MacKeen s quest and her grandfather s odyssey. Through his journals, Stepan came alive. He was no longer solely the victim of a holocaust, but clever, hard-working, and even a prankster. He was a peddler, an entrepreneur, a soldier for the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and a highly valued servant of a powerful Sheikh. VERDICT This previously untold story of survival and personal fortitude is on par with Laura Hillenbrand s "Unbroken." Further, this is a tale of tracing your family roots and learning about who you are. It will have broad appeal for a wide range of readers." Library Journal, STARRED review "Readers will find themselves drawn into the whirlpool of events, soon forgetting the author's presence . . . powerful, terrible stories about what people are willing to do to other people but leavened with hope and, ultimately, forgiveness. Kirkus Reviews Kirkus Reviews Part family heirloom, part history lesson, "The Hundred-Year Walk" is an emotionally poignant work, powerfully imagined and expertly crafted. The considerable archival scaffolding remains invisible as MacKeen carries her readers on an emotional journey full of heartache and hope. Aline Ohanesian, author of "Orhan s Inheritance" In her remarkable book, "The Hundred-Year Walk," Dawn MacKeen has taken the Armenian genocide and shown us its terrifying flesh, blood, bone, and sinew. Her vehicle is her grandfather s forced deportation, and she uses it to take the reader on a horrific ride into the heart of one of history s darkest moments. S. C. Gwynne, author of "Empire of the Summer Moon" I am in awe of what Dawn MacKeen has done here. With the meticulousness of a historian, the courage of an investigative reporter, and the compassion of a daughter mining a fraught and cherished family legacy, MacKeen has accomplished the near impossible. She has elucidated a complicated ethnic and political history through a delightfully literary lens. Her sentences sing. Her research shines. Her readers will be rapt and a lot smarter by the end. Meghan Daum, author of "The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion" By telling the riveting story of her grandfather Stepan, who like the armies of refugees today overcame daunting odds as he braved the Turkish gauntlet of death and walked across desert sands to safety, Dawn MacKeen drives home that we re all part of the human family. "The Hundred-Year Walk" is an unforgettable contribution to the literature of suffering and memory, and to the growing conviction that we must say Never again to the mass destruction of human life and culture." David Talbot, author of "The Devil s Chessboard""

A "Must read" from the New York Post

"Gripping."
--Outside

"Harrowing."
--Us Weekly

"MacKeen weaves multiple historical sources for corroboration and context, but her main material, Stepan's unpublished memoir, lands the emotional punch of personal narrative. MacKeen's added perspective is what makes this book though. A moving portrait of one family's relationship to the past that offers surprising hope for reconciliation."
--Toronto Globe & Mail

"MacKeen doesn't shirk from recounting the grisly details of genocide, describing brutal beatings, hunger to the point of cannibalism, and thirst to the point of urine-drinking. With a health-care reporter's deft touch, she manages to play down the utter pathos, but her dedication to baring gruesome facts is as unfailing as her loyalty to the mission thrust upon her."
--Barron's

"Investigative journalist MacKeen always knew her grandfather escaped the Armenian Genocide before building a new life in the United States, but much of her family's incredible origins were masked by time, cultural boundaries, and systematic government denial. The author set out to bring her family's past into the present by translating her grandfather Stepan Miskjian's exhaustive personal journals, researching archival documents, and traveling to Turkey and Syria to retrace his steps and meet the Muslim family that saved him and other Armenians from certain death. The narrative alternates perspectives between MacKeen's quest and her grandfather's odyssey. Through his journals, Stepan came alive. He was no longer solely the victim of a holocaust, but clever, hard-working, and even a prankster. He was a peddler, an entrepreneur, a soldier for the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and a highly valued servant of a powerful Sheikh. VERDICT This previously untold story of survival and personal fortitude is on par with Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken. Further, this is a tale of tracing your family roots and learning about who you are. It will have broad appeal for a wide range of readers."
--Library Journal, STARRED review

"Readers will find themselves drawn into the whirlpool of events, soon forgetting the author's presence . . . powerful, terrible stories about what people are willing to do to other people--but leavened with hope and, ultimately, forgiveness." --Kirkus Reviews
--Kirkus Reviews

"Part family heirloom, part history lesson, The Hundred-Year Walk is an emotionally poignant work, powerfully imagined and expertly crafted. The considerable archival scaffolding remains invisible as MacKeen carries her readers on an emotional journey full of heartache and hope."
--Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan's Inheritance

"In her remarkable book, The Hundred-Year Walk, Dawn MacKeen has taken the Armenian genocide and shown us its terrifying flesh, blood, bone, and sinew. Her vehicle is her grandfather's forced deportation, and she uses it to take the reader on a horrific ride into the heart of one of history's darkest moments."
--S. C. Gwynne, author of Empire of the Summer Moon

"I am in awe of what Dawn MacKeen has done here. With the meticulousness of a historian, the courage of an investigative reporter, and the compassion of a daughter mining a fraught and cherished family legacy, MacKeen has accomplished the near impossible. She has elucidated a complicated ethnic and political history through a delightfully literary lens. Her sentences sing. Her research shines. Her readers will be rapt--and a lot smarter by the end."
--Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion

"By telling the riveting story of her grandfather Stepan, who--like the armies of refugees today--overcame daunting odds as he braved the Turkish gauntlet of death and walked across desert sands to safety, Dawn MacKeen drives home that we're all part of the human family. The Hundred-Year Walk is an unforgettable contribution to the literature of suffering and memory, and to the growing conviction that we must say 'Never again' to the mass destruction of human life and culture."
--David Talbot, author of The Devil's Chessboard

From the Back Cover:

Praise for The Hundred-Year Walk

Part family heirloom, part history lesson, The Hundred-Year Walk is an emotionally poignant work, powerfully imagined and expertly crafted. The considerable archival scaffolding remains invisible as MacKeen carries her readers on an emotional journey full of heartache and hope.
Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan s Inheritance

In her remarkable book, The Hundred-Year Walk, Dawn MacKeen has taken the Armenian genocide and shown us its terrifying flesh, blood, bone, and sinew. Her vehicle is her grandfather s forced deportation, and she uses it to take the reader on a horrific ride into the heart of one of history s darkest moments. S.C. Gwynne, author of Empire of the Summer Moon

I am in awe of what Dawn MacKeen has done here. With the meticulousness of an historian, the courage of an investigative reporter, and the compassion of a daughter mining a fraught and cherished family legacy, MacKeen has accomplished the near impossible. She has elucidated a complicated ethnic and political history through a delightfully literary lens. Her sentences sing. Her research shines. Her readers will be rapt and a lot smarter by the end. Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion

It s so easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of wars and atrocities that continually afflict our tragic species. But Dawn MacKeen has found a hauntingly personal way to evoke one such epic disaster, Turkey s mass deportation and extermination of Armenians during World War I the twentieth century s first genocide. By telling the riveting story of her grandfather Stepan, who like the armies of refugees today overcame daunting odds as he braved the Turkish gauntlet of death and walked across desert sands to safety, MacKeen drives home that we re all part of the human family. The Hundred-Year Walk is an unforgettable contribution to the literature of suffering and memory, and to the growing conviction that we must say Never again to the mass destruction of human life and culture. David Talbot, founder of Salon.com and author of The Devil s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America s Secret Government
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About this edition

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0544811941
• ISBN 13: 9780544811942
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368