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PATTIE'S BOOK ASKS: WHO ARE THE ARMENIANS?
AZG DAILY
24-08-2011
Dr. Susan Pattie, author of the newly-released paperback, Who are
the Armenians?, has produced a contemporary, colorful and informative
guide and accompanying CD to introduce Armenian history and culture.
When she recently spoke about the book to a full house at NASSR in
Belmont, Mass., nearly 50 copies of the book were sold that evening
alone, Nancy Kalajian reported to the Mirror-Spectator.
Aimed at children aged 5-12, the format and design of the book easily
engages readers of all ages; there are 16 sections or mini chapters,
and each section makes good use of background color, font color
changes, captions and highlighted words, to share and distinguish
related information.
Information is usually presented within a few paragraphs on each
page, or occasionally on lists, for example, on traditional Armenian
instruments or letters of the Armenian alphabet.
The readability level and font size might be a bit challenging for an
early elementary age student, though the spacing between lines of print
is generous, which can make it easier for younger readers to access.
For those youngsters who may have difficulty reading it on their own,
an older sibling or adult could easily read it to a child who could
follow along looking at the attractive visual information. Indeed,
the wonderful family photographs, illustrations, friendly and simple
captions and wealth of information will likely capture the interest
of readers of all levels.
Many of the sections include an "activity," whereupon the reader can
reflect on a personal connection and then think of that connection
outside the box, for example in a global context. In the diaspora,
for instance, the reader is asked to trace their roots, where they
have lived and changes that have taken place there. Then it asks
the reader to discover "famous" Armenians living in their country or
perhaps other diasporan countries. In religion, the activity focuses
on the Jashagestzouk prayer said before a meal; not only are the
words there in transliteration but can be heard by a group of people,
perhaps a family, in the accompanying CD.
In one of the last chapters, Armenian Children around the World,
you can meet children of Armenian descent who live throughout the
diaspora, like Anush and Felipe in Buenes Aires, Sarine and Garen
in Boston (both attend the Armenian Sisters' Academy), Dzovinar
and Chouchane in Paris, Noemi in London, Mikel in Beirut and Eduard,
Monika and brothers Vilen and Hakob in Yerevan. Living in the diaspora,
many of the featured students seem to attend Armenian, parochial or
private schools and it would have been interesting to also include
an example of a student who attends a public school in the US and
goes to Sunday School and Armenian School on weekends, as I did. But
the main focus here is on children in the diaspora and how, through
learning the Armenian language and culture, or connecting with their
friends, families and especially grandparents, students can learn
and keep their unique heritage alive and be proud of who they are
and where they have come from. Through their words, photographs and
games shared, we learn of their passions and commonality with peers
around the world, an effective approach to multicultural understanding.
The Armenian language section describes its connection to the
Indo-European language family. You can open the book to the section
and use the CD to learn how to say in Armenian the numbers 1-10, the
recited alphabet as well as an alphabet song, and most importantly,
how to say and respond in both Eastern and Western Armenian to,
"Hello. How are you?"
Reading this book took me down memory lane, especially when I read
about yadess and the custom of breaking a chicken bone; decades ago,
this game was as common an occurrence around our Sunday lunches with
our grandparents as was the bulghur pilaf I always looked forward to.
Here, the game of yadess was explained along with nardi
(tavloo/backgammon), ashik (jan) and Havgitakhagh (cracking colored
eggs during Easter).
The section titled Food Customs is one of my favorites; a recipe for
Anooshaboor, sweet soup, is included, as well as a description of
reading coffee cup grinds. The layout of Dance includes a photo of
immigrant families dancing at a picnic in the 1930s in Pennsylvania,
contrasting with a contemporary picture of women doing an Armenian
line dance in Paris. There's even a pocket guide with the CD that
describes step by step how to do the Tamzara line or circle dance,
that "originated in the Gagharkounik region near Lake Sevan in
Armenian." Tamzara music is even included in the CD.
At her talk at NASSR, the audience seemed genuinely interested in the
subject matter discussed in the presentation, thanking the author for
her careful research and well-written book. When the author discussed
writing a second children's book on a similar theme in the future,
she was receptive to audience members' feedback and some ideas she
might consider in the next go-around.
In summary, this book is a grand discovery and can meet the needs
of diverse audiences of all ages, whether you are "new" to Armenian
culture, need to be refreshed on the somewhat familiar, or simply
love to learn and want to experience Who are the Armenians? answered
in an uncomplicated, informative and enlightening manner. Who are the
Armenians? was published by the Armenian Institute in London and is
being sold and distributed in the US through NASSR.
Pattie is the director of the American Institute in London and has
a PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor. Her previous book, Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding
Community, was published in 1997.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
AZG DAILY
24-08-2011
Dr. Susan Pattie, author of the newly-released paperback, Who are
the Armenians?, has produced a contemporary, colorful and informative
guide and accompanying CD to introduce Armenian history and culture.
When she recently spoke about the book to a full house at NASSR in
Belmont, Mass., nearly 50 copies of the book were sold that evening
alone, Nancy Kalajian reported to the Mirror-Spectator.
Aimed at children aged 5-12, the format and design of the book easily
engages readers of all ages; there are 16 sections or mini chapters,
and each section makes good use of background color, font color
changes, captions and highlighted words, to share and distinguish
related information.
Information is usually presented within a few paragraphs on each
page, or occasionally on lists, for example, on traditional Armenian
instruments or letters of the Armenian alphabet.
The readability level and font size might be a bit challenging for an
early elementary age student, though the spacing between lines of print
is generous, which can make it easier for younger readers to access.
For those youngsters who may have difficulty reading it on their own,
an older sibling or adult could easily read it to a child who could
follow along looking at the attractive visual information. Indeed,
the wonderful family photographs, illustrations, friendly and simple
captions and wealth of information will likely capture the interest
of readers of all levels.
Many of the sections include an "activity," whereupon the reader can
reflect on a personal connection and then think of that connection
outside the box, for example in a global context. In the diaspora,
for instance, the reader is asked to trace their roots, where they
have lived and changes that have taken place there. Then it asks
the reader to discover "famous" Armenians living in their country or
perhaps other diasporan countries. In religion, the activity focuses
on the Jashagestzouk prayer said before a meal; not only are the
words there in transliteration but can be heard by a group of people,
perhaps a family, in the accompanying CD.
In one of the last chapters, Armenian Children around the World,
you can meet children of Armenian descent who live throughout the
diaspora, like Anush and Felipe in Buenes Aires, Sarine and Garen
in Boston (both attend the Armenian Sisters' Academy), Dzovinar
and Chouchane in Paris, Noemi in London, Mikel in Beirut and Eduard,
Monika and brothers Vilen and Hakob in Yerevan. Living in the diaspora,
many of the featured students seem to attend Armenian, parochial or
private schools and it would have been interesting to also include
an example of a student who attends a public school in the US and
goes to Sunday School and Armenian School on weekends, as I did. But
the main focus here is on children in the diaspora and how, through
learning the Armenian language and culture, or connecting with their
friends, families and especially grandparents, students can learn
and keep their unique heritage alive and be proud of who they are
and where they have come from. Through their words, photographs and
games shared, we learn of their passions and commonality with peers
around the world, an effective approach to multicultural understanding.
The Armenian language section describes its connection to the
Indo-European language family. You can open the book to the section
and use the CD to learn how to say in Armenian the numbers 1-10, the
recited alphabet as well as an alphabet song, and most importantly,
how to say and respond in both Eastern and Western Armenian to,
"Hello. How are you?"
Reading this book took me down memory lane, especially when I read
about yadess and the custom of breaking a chicken bone; decades ago,
this game was as common an occurrence around our Sunday lunches with
our grandparents as was the bulghur pilaf I always looked forward to.
Here, the game of yadess was explained along with nardi
(tavloo/backgammon), ashik (jan) and Havgitakhagh (cracking colored
eggs during Easter).
The section titled Food Customs is one of my favorites; a recipe for
Anooshaboor, sweet soup, is included, as well as a description of
reading coffee cup grinds. The layout of Dance includes a photo of
immigrant families dancing at a picnic in the 1930s in Pennsylvania,
contrasting with a contemporary picture of women doing an Armenian
line dance in Paris. There's even a pocket guide with the CD that
describes step by step how to do the Tamzara line or circle dance,
that "originated in the Gagharkounik region near Lake Sevan in
Armenian." Tamzara music is even included in the CD.
At her talk at NASSR, the audience seemed genuinely interested in the
subject matter discussed in the presentation, thanking the author for
her careful research and well-written book. When the author discussed
writing a second children's book on a similar theme in the future,
she was receptive to audience members' feedback and some ideas she
might consider in the next go-around.
In summary, this book is a grand discovery and can meet the needs
of diverse audiences of all ages, whether you are "new" to Armenian
culture, need to be refreshed on the somewhat familiar, or simply
love to learn and want to experience Who are the Armenians? answered
in an uncomplicated, informative and enlightening manner. Who are the
Armenians? was published by the Armenian Institute in London and is
being sold and distributed in the US through NASSR.
Pattie is the director of the American Institute in London and has
a PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor. Her previous book, Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding
Community, was published in 1997.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress