On the Monster's Back

In 1908, a twelve-year-old Armenian boy and his mother find themselves the only members of their family left in Turkey after the others are smuggled away to America. The two are in the city of Smyrna and watch horrified as events build toward hundreds of thousands of their fellow Armenians being caught up in the genocidal events unfolding.

By 1915, the Turkish government has ordered the elimination or deportation of all Armenians. From a nightmare dream, Souren, now nineteen, realizes that his only chance of survival is by deception of the corrupt government and military-the monster in his nightmare. As long as he remains on the monster's back it cannot devour him. His amazing journey leads him through a series of audaciously creative deceptions and daring escapes until he finds protection as a trusted aide to a German general-for a time.

Based on the personal memoirs of Souren Barkev Tahsjian and years of conversation with the author, "On the Monster's Back" is a stirring story of courage, devotion, wit, and survival that also illuminates the parallels between that one hundred year old tragedy in Turkey and present-day events.