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CITY READS 'THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS'
Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
February 12, 2014 Wednesday
by Nicole Charky, Glendale News-Press, Calif.
Feb. 12--Novelist Chris Bohjalian knows that he inherited a history
of survival.
As the descendant of Armenian genocide survivors, The New York Times
best-selling author discovered resilience was in his blood, inspiring
his epic love story "The Sandcastle Girls."
Library staff selected his work for Glendale's One Book/One City
project, an open invitation for local residents to read a novel
together.
"They found me," said Bohjalian, the first Armenian American author
to be featured in the reading event in conversation with City Clerk
Ardy Kassakhian at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Glendale Central Library.
"I'm the grandson of survivors of the Armenian genocide, so this story
has always been important to me," said the Vermont-based novelist.
"Writing 'The Sandcastle Girls,' however, helped me to discover the
part of my ancestral DNA that is deeply Armenian."
Bohjalian's historical fiction travels between present day and 1915
Aleppo, Syria. Armenian American character Laura Petrosian pursues
her heritage, discovering her grandparents' romance during World War
I and unraveling family secrets kept hidden for years.
The novel has achieved critical success both in and outside the
Armenian community for a simple reason, Bohjalian said.
"It's a love story," he said.
"The Sandcastle Girls" was translated into more than 25 languages
and read in communities without direct ties to the Armenian culture.
"I wrote this book for non-Armenians. Armenians already know this
story. Non-Armenians read it," he said.
Bohjalian's book was chosen for the city's reading project for a number
of reasons, said Chuck Wike, spokesman for the Glendale Public Library.
"His work is wildly popular," Wike said. "He's a wonderful speaker,
and this novel should resonate with our community."
Bohjalian believes the support from Armenian National Committee of
America and his Los Angeles-area friends helped propel his book to
critical acclaim, landing his novel a spot on Oprah's Book Club.
The One Book/One Glendale project now means that additional readers
in the community can find the novel and learn more about the genocide.
"I've met a lot of Armenians in Glendale, Los Angeles, who read this
book when it first came out and were deeply touched by it. That was
gratifying," he said.
Hardcover, paperback, audiobook, large type, eBook and eAudio versions
of "The Sandcastle Girls" are available online and at all Glendale
Library, Arts & Culture locations.
___
What: Chris Bohjalian in conversation with Ardy Kassakhian about
Bohjalian's book "The Sandcastle Girls"
Where: Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St.
When: Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.
Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
February 12, 2014 Wednesday
by Nicole Charky, Glendale News-Press, Calif.
Feb. 12--Novelist Chris Bohjalian knows that he inherited a history
of survival.
As the descendant of Armenian genocide survivors, The New York Times
best-selling author discovered resilience was in his blood, inspiring
his epic love story "The Sandcastle Girls."
Library staff selected his work for Glendale's One Book/One City
project, an open invitation for local residents to read a novel
together.
"They found me," said Bohjalian, the first Armenian American author
to be featured in the reading event in conversation with City Clerk
Ardy Kassakhian at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Glendale Central Library.
"I'm the grandson of survivors of the Armenian genocide, so this story
has always been important to me," said the Vermont-based novelist.
"Writing 'The Sandcastle Girls,' however, helped me to discover the
part of my ancestral DNA that is deeply Armenian."
Bohjalian's historical fiction travels between present day and 1915
Aleppo, Syria. Armenian American character Laura Petrosian pursues
her heritage, discovering her grandparents' romance during World War
I and unraveling family secrets kept hidden for years.
The novel has achieved critical success both in and outside the
Armenian community for a simple reason, Bohjalian said.
"It's a love story," he said.
"The Sandcastle Girls" was translated into more than 25 languages
and read in communities without direct ties to the Armenian culture.
"I wrote this book for non-Armenians. Armenians already know this
story. Non-Armenians read it," he said.
Bohjalian's book was chosen for the city's reading project for a number
of reasons, said Chuck Wike, spokesman for the Glendale Public Library.
"His work is wildly popular," Wike said. "He's a wonderful speaker,
and this novel should resonate with our community."
Bohjalian believes the support from Armenian National Committee of
America and his Los Angeles-area friends helped propel his book to
critical acclaim, landing his novel a spot on Oprah's Book Club.
The One Book/One Glendale project now means that additional readers
in the community can find the novel and learn more about the genocide.
"I've met a lot of Armenians in Glendale, Los Angeles, who read this
book when it first came out and were deeply touched by it. That was
gratifying," he said.
Hardcover, paperback, audiobook, large type, eBook and eAudio versions
of "The Sandcastle Girls" are available online and at all Glendale
Library, Arts & Culture locations.
___
What: Chris Bohjalian in conversation with Ardy Kassakhian about
Bohjalian's book "The Sandcastle Girls"
Where: Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St.
When: Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.