WATERTOWN, Mass.—The Hairenik Association has republished As I See It: Selected Writings of Leo Sarkisian as an e-Book. As I See It can be downloaded for $9.99 on the Kindle, iTunes and Google Play stores (search for “Leo Sarkisian”). The book contains a collection of essays on Armenian-American culture, politics, and current affairs by the late Leo Sarkisian (1934-1992), a prolific writer, commentator and activist who served for many years as regional chairman of the Armenian National Committee.
As I See It reflects Sarkisian’s lifelong commitment to the Armenian cause as well as to diverse spheres of involvement. The book is accordingly arranged into six sections entitled:
- “Early Writings,”
- “Armenian-American Community Life,”
- “The Armenian Self-Image,”
- “The Armenian Genocide,”
- “International Politics,”
- “Armenian-American Culture.”
The essays contained therein were written between 1951 and 1992, during Sarkisian’s several stints as a columnist for The Armenian Weekly.
Taken together, the collection reveals a wit, worldliness, a candor, and a conviction that combines to produce a rare brand of criticism, one that is as enlivening as it is informative.
During five decades of political activism, Sarkisian became widely regarded as a leader in the effort to promote and modernize the Armenian Cause. Working on behalf of the Armenian National Committee, Sarkisian was instrumental in politicizing the Armenian Genocide issue and worked in numerous forums— the United Nations, the United States Congress, the media, public schools, and grassroots coalitions—to present the story of dispossessed people as an international question of contemporary relevance.
The book’s editor, Antranig Kasbarian, is a former editor of The Armenian Weekly and worked closely with Sarkisian in that capacity. Kasbarian received his PH.D. in Geography at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
In his introduction to As I See It, Kasbarian describes Sarkisian’s project as follows: “During his five decades of writing for The Armenian Weekly, Sarkisian not only dedicated himself to a wide range of themes and interests, but nearly always did so as a committed participant in Armenian national and community affairs, in which his involvement on the streets and in the corridors of power directly affected – and in turn were affected by – his broader reflections on our condition. Sarkisian thus acheived a rare clarity, force, and flexibility of argument, one in which he did not cloak his own values or assumptions, but instead revealed them forthrightly and sought to defend them with candor and logical persuasion.”
The book is available now for $9.99 on iTunes, Kindle and Google Play
Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.com/As-See-It-Sarkisian-ebook/dp/B00F52ZUWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380025773&sr=8-1&keywords=leo+sarkisian
iTunes Edition: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/as-i-see-it-selected-writings/id705008135?mt=11
Google Play Edition: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Leo_Sarkisian_As_I_See_It_Selected_Writings_of_Leo?id=NXy9AAAAQBAJ&hl=en
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