Born to immigrant parents from Turkey, this book is a compendium of authors' witty memoirs growing up in Cairo during World War II, Israel's independence and Egypt's transition to Republic. The Immigrants’ Daughter is about defining one’s personal identity, through the shifting politics of World War II, personal insecurity, fear of loss of traditional values and acculturation in a new environment like Cairo. The immigrant life brings about split loyalties, self-doubts, friction between family members and changes in lifestyle intolerable to older folk. They live in the shadow of a past genocide and a bleak future. Some situations could be outright comical were they not tinted with tragedy. Mary manages to continue her education in a local English school, despite Father’s vehement objections. “... the fiery argument between her father and the school's administrator is priceless... (Susan Wittig Albert, Story Circle Reviews, 3-14-06). She finally quits home -- a daring step in the Middle East for any unmarried offspring -- settles in YWCA and blooms on her own, locally and internationally, before immigrating to the United States. ... Humor, fiction, depth, psychology and irony are all intertwined in a story that is delightful to read. S. Michael Saad, Senior Editor, Watani International.                         Excerpt "As I grow up, I learn why graduation from an Armenian school, even from kindergarten, is so meaningful in our immigrant community. We represent the sprouts of a massacred generation. Every commencement is a regeneration from the the ashes and a triumph over the perpetrators who wanted to erase our nation from the face of the eath." "Between Mama's death, World War II, and the insecurities of life, childhood slips away unnoticed."

Professional Reviews
Story Circle Reviews - A question of Identity
"Where do you come from?" is the first question of Mary Terzian's absorbing memoir of her journey from her native land of Egypt to the United States. The Immigrants' Daughter is a story about personal identity: of shifting cultural contexts within which a young woman must find, and finally create, herself. . .

. . . Perhaps we can all echo Mary's credo: "Where do I come from? I come from the core of humanity, from a combination of joys and sorrows, from circumstances that fashion destiny, from experiences that forge character, from the sum total of expressed or repressed emotions that I have entertained during my life."

Mary Terzian's compelling memoir is told in the present tense, which gives it vigor and urgency. The book is a good read, a thoughtful presentation of a difficult life's passage, and a richly-colored portrait of Armenian immigrant life in pre- and post-war Egypt.

©Copyright by the author, 2002-2005. Reprint ONLY with her written permission, and with a link to http://www.storycircle.org/BookReviews Contact our Book Review Editor with your request and she will forward it to the appropriate parties.



MBR Review - Against All Odds
MBR Review, August 2006, Reviewers Bookwatch, Blake's shelf)

This is the moving dramatic story of the early life of Mary Terzian. It is told in a first person voice. The story progresses from Mary's birth and preschool through to her young adulthood. Mary Terzian spent her childhood in a community of immigrants in the city of Cairo. These people have been traumatized by genocide and deportation from Historical Armenia under Ottoman rule. This inquisitive young girl's questions go unanswered. She does not understand the "why" behind the disparity in gender roles, the importance of tradition, religious superstitions, and cultural issues . . .

. . .I found myself not wanting to miss a single word of this journey. The author has a unique way of using tongue in cheek humor to lighten the impact of hopelessness. Terzian is a talented writer with a wealth of experience to share. I hope she is working on a sequel to this captivating, heartwarming, and unforgettable book.


Reader Reviews
http://www.Readerviews.com/ReviewTerzianThe ImmigrantsDaughter.html

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (2/06)

“The Immigrant’s Daughter” is the story of Mary Terzian’s childhood in Cairo, Egypt. She is the daughter of immigrants who escaped genocide and settled in Egypt . . .

. . .From the very first page, we are able to see the spark in Ms. Terzian that no doubt helped her surpass many of the barriers she faced in her life . . .

. . . Ms. Terzian did a fine job of sharing her life with the reader. The book almost reads more like a collection of short stories than it does a traditional biography. Through her stories and anecdotes, we are treated to an insider’s view of what it was like to grow up in Mary’s world . . .

. . .Mary ultimately triumphs over the father and the culture that tried to keep her in their control. She grows into a strong, independent woman who realizes that she has as much to offer the world as it has to offer her.

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