An appropriate way to characterize the content of this book, "The Way We Were - The Way We Are," would be to say that it is a collection of heritage stories about people, places and happenings Vahe H. Apelian has known of or experienced mostly first hand. It is a colorful tapestry of such stories that depict the life-experiences and encounters emanating mostly if not wholly from Kessab, the mostly Armenian inhabited ancient enclave in Northwestern Syria. Each story is unprecedented, each encounter is unique, and each character is a remarkable real life people. The stories are woven in such detail and in such an authentic style that gives the reader the feeling of "I was also there, I was part of it too...."
The book appears on literary scene at a time when the continual social unrest in the restive Middle Eastern countries threaten a way of life and rites of passages that have been transmitted from one generation to the next. Consequently the recollections captured in the stories of this book have the aroma of those times that sadly are coming to a rapid end and would be lost forever if not captured within the covers of a book.
Even though the stories in this book are mostly about by gone days but they still retain freshness in them that will resonate well with reader, hence the seemingly contradictory title of this very readable book. The Way We Were is in essence The Way We Are.