Thoughts on the Book ‘There Was and There Was Not’

Cover of Toumani's There Was and There Was Not
Cover of Toumani’s There Was and There Was Not

I did not buy Meline Toumani’s book, There Was and There Was Not; instead, I checked it out of the public library and read it. The author states early on in her book that she wants to make a name for herself. She describes the Armenian immigrants and other immigrants as “embarrassing.” Of the Eastern and Western Armenian dialects, she exaggerates the differences between the two so much that one would think they are two different languages. She writes negatively of her time as a camper in an Armenian summer camp—a camp where children enjoy the friendship of fellow Armenians, and where, besides enjoying the usual summertime activities, the children learn about their language, history, religion, and culture. Time and time again throughout the book she denigrates and belittles the Armenians—the people that she claims are her people.

The author describes her interview with Armenian Genocide survivors in a nursing home in a detached, callous, and mocking manner, and describes the appearance of one of the survivors, a 98-year-old woman, in the following manner: “The bags under her eyes hung halfway down her cheeks, elongating her face in a way that reminded me of Munch’s The Scream.” If only she could have known some of the survivors, spent time with them, and learned, even a little, about who they were, what they had suffered, and how they had put their great sorrows and losses aside to give of themselves in order to build the Armenian Diasporan communities we all enjoy. If only she had had the opportunity to look into their eyes, those sorrowful eyes that still held glimmers of hope in them even after all they had suffered. If only she had had an opportunity to listen—truly listen—to them as they spoke or as they sang their songs—songs that revealed much, some of Gomidas, who had witnessed and endured the horrors inflicted on his people.

The author writes of the Armenian Patriarch in Turkey and the patriarchs before him in a negative and disrespectful light without comprehending what their situation has always been under oppressive Turkish rule. Immediately, Patriarch Khrimian Hayrik came to mind when I read her reproachful words, and I thought, How sad that the author could not, for even a second, have stopped to think of the enormous difficulties, pressures, and worries these Armenian spiritual leaders in Turkey have always had to endure.

The author ridicules the appearance and mannerisms of the Hayastantsie Armenians (Armenians from present-day Armenia) during the time she was conducting, as she describes, her “experiment.” If only she had spent just a little time—a fraction of the time she spent in Turkey—with the people in Armenia, had done some sort of volunteer work there, particularly in the country’s earthquake zone and remote regions, to understand and experience a small part of what they have had to come to know as “life.” If only she had spent time with the Armenians in Karabagh to see how they lived; if only she could have looked into the eyes of the children and elderly there—in short, lived with and helped these people, whom she claims are her people. These are people who lived, and in many cases still do, through incredible hardships, deprivations, and uncertainty. These Armenians lived through depressing darkness, crippling cold, hunger, and illness for years. If only she could have witnessed and experienced some of these things, especially during Armenia’s “dark days” and beyond. Perhaps then she would not have written that when she and her non-Armenian journalist friend visited Armenia for the first time in 2003, that she was “embarrassed” by what Yerevan looked like at that time. Perhaps then, as she wrote her book, she would have better understood the true meaning of those plastic bags she had seen Armenians carrying at the airport in Turkey. They were her “people’s” only source of bread and butter, shoes and clothes and shelter.

In several instances, it seems that the author deliberately uses certain examples and specific words in such a manner as to portray the Armenians in an extremely negative light, and maintains that the lives of Armenians revolve around genocide recognition, that they are obsessed with it. Sadly, there are very few instances where anything positive is said about the Armenians. The author concludes her book, and thus her “experiment,” with the following words: “And if we move on from genocide recognition, with or without Turkey’s olive branch, what holds us together then? If there is no better answer to this question, maybe the answer is simply, nothing. Nothing holds us together; we are no longer together at all. Now all possibilities are available to us, and that is terrifying. We become individuals.”

Such an ending begs a description of who and what the Armenians are. David Marshall Lang, author of Armenia—Cradle of Civilization, says it best: “The Armenian is one of nature’s individualists, a leaven for the conformist mass of the human race. Logically he should have given up the struggle and lain down to die long ago. But he refuses to surrender, and here lies the key to understanding the nature of this dogged, invincible, little people, whose contributions to human civilization is out of all proportion to its numerical strength.”

***

In addition to reading Toumani’s book, I attended one of her recent book readings, which included a panel discussion praising her work. It was sponsored by the Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where the author’s book is being used in a couple of the university’s classes. As the author read from her book, I noticed that when a non-Armenian asked a question, she answered the person with smiles and sweetness, but when the person asking a question was an Armenian, the smiles and sweetness were quickly replaced with coldness followed by the question: “Did you read my book?”

After the event, as I thought about what the author had written (essentially saying to forget about genocide recognition), which included inaccuracies and degradations, and, in my opinion, some hateful and libelous statements, I came away hoping that perhaps, in time, she will grow to realize what an incredible and wonderful culture she was fortunate enough to have been born into.

Knarik O. Meneshian

Knarik O. Meneshian

Knarik O. Meneshian was born in Austria. Her father was Armenian and her mother was Austrian. She received her degree in literature and secondary education in Chicago, Ill. In 1988, she served on the Selection Committee of the McDougal, Littell “Young Writers” Collection—Grades 1–8, an anthology of exemplary writing by students across the country.” In 1991, Knarik taught English in the earthquake devastated village of Jrashen (Spitak Region), Armenia. In 2002–2003, she and her late husband (Murad A. Meneshian), lived and worked as volunteers in Armenia for a year teaching English and computer courses in Gyumri and Tsaghgadzor. Meneshian’s works have been published in "Teachers As Writers, American Poetry Anthology" and other American publications, as well as Armenian publications in the U.S. and Armenia. Knarik is the author of A Place Called Gyumri: Life in the Armenian Mountains. She has also authored a book of poems titled Reflections, and translated from Armenian to English Reverend D. Antreassian’s book titled "The Banishment of Zeitoun" and "Suedia’s Revolt" She began writing at the age of 12 and has contributed pieces to The Armenian Weekly since her early teens.
Knarik O. Meneshian

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8 Comments

  1. Wow. It is hard for me to imagine two people having such dramatically different experiences from reading the same book. But here we are. You and me. I thought the book was wonderful: a thoughtful and tender portrayal of one woman’s experience growing up in the Armenian-American community and her search for answers to questions about genocide recognition, individual agency, and other issues that are central to the lives and psyches of people who grow up and live in this community. I tried to read the book innocently without any preconceived notions of what I might find. It saddens me that you experienced so much negativity from the book.

  2. Patrick,

    I did not read the book, but I read many excerpts, reviews, and I heard Ms. Toumani at least three times. I condemn her book and the presumptuousness of using her ethnicity to gain credibility in the wider world when her work entitles her to none. If her name was Callahan, and she did not purport to speak for secret Armenian experience, her book would not have been published.

    Whatever excesses may (or may not exist) in our community do not come from pathology within us. The Armenians suffered losses in land, physical culture and lives which no reparations or apologies can heal. If Armenians, like other victims of such crimes now guard their meager physical patrimony, and inveigh against the criminals, who can blame them?

    Ms. Toumani did a disservice bordering on insult to us and to our nation, but she also did a disservice to the truth. Armenians are not full of hate against modern Turks, neither are Armenians obsessed with Genocide; we are always so very careful to distinguish between the state actors who killed, raped, stole, enslaved etc., and the private Moslem actors who, hid, warned and saved.

    For the Odars who want us to back off calling Genocide Genocide, Toumani’s book is very useful. It implies that we are not worthy to receive reparations or acknowledgment even if the charge is true.

    Let her focus her work on the American Turkish Diaspora, whose leaders daily call Armenians a criminal, Nazi race. Doubt it? look at Tall Armenian Tale or the ATAA website which links you to it.

    • {For the Odars who want us to back off calling Genocide Genocide, Toumani’s book is very useful. It implies that we are not worthy to receive reparations or acknowledgment even if the charge is true.}

      When you learn who financed the publication of her book and is promoting her, you will learn why the book was written: “we are not worthy to receive reparations or acknowledgment”.
      That’s it.

  3. Patrick Jones: “I tried to read the book innocently without any preconceived notions of what I might find”.

    Perhaps you are the perfect target audience for Mrs Toumani… non-Armenians who are in no position, nor have the acumen to suspect any nefarious intent.

    “It saddens me that you experienced so much negativity from the book.”

    And it saddens me that you are willing to take one lousy opinion from one lousy book and use it as an idealistic model for an entire community of Armenians who have not yet received justice for the crimes perpetrated against their family and have rejected this book and opinion piece as a self-serving, desperate attempt at throwing a monkey wrench at the as-yet justice-deprived Genocide.

    This article, and others like it which were critical of this ridiculous book, was beautifully written and completely true, and in fact, nothing about it was “negative”, because you have taken the wrong side, and the wrong perspective. You tried to read this book without preconceived notions, and that is reasonable, but how about also approaching our community with the same benefit and giving it an honest shot at understanding why this book is not and never will be accepted within our community?

  4. If you doubt that Ms. Toumani’s little red book is the latest accoutrement for the well-dressed denialist, please watch this unendurable conference hosted by our friends at the American Turkish Nazi party, err, the ATAA. At 1:08, the noted scholar from someplace state college mentions her wonderful book and even shows its image:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXKGu6oe4m4

    In what will be a great disappointment for all concerned, this YouTube video of Turkish denialist hi-jinx has only 23 views, of which I am responsible for maybe five. But do some research and see how many Generals, Ambassadors and CEO’s are linked to ATAA and its affiliates. Open minds and even more open palms explain the ranks of these worthies.

  5. “And if we move on from genocide recognition, with or without Turkey’s olive branch, what holds us together then? If there is no better answer to this question, maybe the answer is simply, nothing. Nothing holds us together; we are no longer together at all. Now all possibilities are available to us, and that is terrifying. We become individuals.”

    These are the author’s own words and there is so much wrong in it.

    “Turkey’s olive branch”
    The assumption presented in those words is that the “olive branch” from Turkey, for the whole world to see, is an honest and one. How does she know that Turkey is sincerely trying to reconcile with us? Turkey has tried so many different tactics since the genocide to cover it up, prevent people talking about it, misrepresent it, blame the victims, present it as something inevitable and had to be done and so on. At this stage where more and more people are aware and talking about it, even including in Turkey, they have again changed the way they combat their own history. Turkey’s own behavior has shown that any “olive branch” should not be taken at face value. There simply is no trust. If Turkey wants us to take them seriously, they need to take major steps to earn our trust, without waiting for us to respond. But the current Turkish leadership, like all of them before, have no intention of this.

    And this idea that the genocide is the only identity we have is the same line that Turkey and odars use to demean us. The condescending and insulting tone is a cheap way to undermine the genocide recognition by attacking us Armenians. Seriously, what were we before the genocide living under different empires? Were there no Armenians then? What we had before is still here with us.

    I was following media coverage around April 24th like most of us. What coverage I did see was positive and respectful. I did not hear at all of Ms. Toumani’s book. Only when it first came out. So it appears to not have had an impact. At least from my impressions.

    • Actually NPR did have a piece on her book as it came out. But NPR also had quite a few news pieces on the genocide anniversary, as well several radio talk shows or long interviews carried on NPR. I did not see any impact of her book on the coverage.

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