I just read Margaret Ajemian Ahnert’s book, The Knock at the Door: A Journey Through the Darkness of the Armenian Genocide. I couldn’t put it down. This powerful and poignant book is the true story of Ester Minerajian Ahronian Ajemian, Margaret Ahnert’s mother.
Ms. Ahnert’s book relates Ester’s stories from her childhood in Amasia, Turkey (before 1915), her odyssey as a girl and young woman through the horrors of the genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks, and her ultimate escape to America from Turkey. This book is a fitting portrait of a real-life heroine, reminiscent of Celie in The Color Purple. Ester’s story is inspirational and important—and, The Knock at the Door gives us a window into a time we must never forget.
After sharing this remarkable book with one of my close friends, she had this to say:
“Margaret Ahnert brought flowers to her mother and took away true stories, unbelievable stories, that of the life of a young Armenian girl who had survived the destruction of three-quarters of the Armenian population of Turkey…Knock at the Door pulls the reader into twin realities, the horrors of loss and ongoing abuse, and amazement at the role luck, courage and the kindness of random individuals played in Ester’s survival. The book builds to a crescendo of stories played against two counterpointed refrains: ‘mortseer’ (forget) and remember, bravely carried out by two women, a mother and a daughter: remember, remember, never forget.”
To order the book or to learn more about The Knock at the Door: A Journey Through the Darkness of the Armenian Genocide, visit Margaret Ahnert’s website:
Posted by auntsherisays 
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