Nowhere, a Story of Exile

Gripping story of ethnic cleansing and survival in the the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nationalism in Azerbaijan gave way to ethnic cleansing of the Armenian minority in the chaos following the end of the USSR and this is the tragic story of a child caught up in events beyond her understanding which forced her to leave the homeland she loved. Fantastic read, and significant in helping to understand the after effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the frozen conflicts which grew in the wake of the collapse. Will also give insight into the present conflict in The Artsakh Republic (formerly NKR) which is based on the threat of ethnic cleansing of the indigenous ethnic Armenian people whose homeland has been in the Caucasus since before the ethnically Turkish Azeris left Central Asia. And wonderfully crafted, too.

Dear Anya, You inspired me to write my own story. I am Armenian from Karabakh and, just when you left to USA, my house was completely destroyed by a missile of mass destruction( "GRAD") which Azeris were using to kill us, Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. My parents decided, it was too dangerous to stay in Stepanakert , and my Mom and us, 3 kids left to Yerevan, leaving my Grandma and my Dad in Stepanakert. I became a "refugee". I also fell in love with Yerevan air, with freedom of being Armenian and speaking Armenian, with beautiful parks, which in front of my eyes were completely destroyed because ppl needed wood to survive. I also was standing in front of the class and reading out loud in Armenian and trying to hold my tears, and when I looked back the class was rather scared than disgusted with me not being able to read in my own language. When I was leaving to USA, I also felt that I am a selfish traitor for leaving Armenia. I also was mad at our Motherland. But I realized, that its not that our Motherland did not want to help us, its just the times were harsh back then. I came to realize that now I am a DIASPORA and can help our Motherland in so many ways... THANK YOU for your book, it took me back to my childhood to those horrible and unique, bitter-sweet times.

Once I started reading NOWHERE, I couldn't put the book down. I found the book to be both very emotional and very educational. I was taken on a journey to Baku and Armenia through this young girl's eyes... A journey that no one should ever have to go on. To read about Anna, her family and friends and what they had to endure, being separated for long periods of time, being terrorized and eventually being forced from their country was shocking. While reading the book, I felt as though I personally knew Anna and her friends during the most difficult times of their lives. It was heartbreaking to read about how Anna lost her childhood for no good reason at all. We truly are very fortunate to live in the United States of America where we enjoy many liberties and freedom. Anna and family must be very strong people, bonded by love, to be able to endure all that they did and immigrate to a foreign country and start a brand new life full of opportunities for them. Thank you for sharing your story Anna!

Thank you Anna for a great book. All of us Armenians from Baku can relate to your story. All of us, who escaped to survive, all of us who went to school and universities in Yerevan and all of us who currently live in USA. I remembered everything as if it was yesterday. We actually lived in the abandoned jail (gahut, you mentioned in your book) for 2 years, before immigrating to America. I would like to express my gratitude and thank you again for your story. Thank you for writing in English, so the kids who were born and raised in the US to Armenian refuges from Baku can read it as well. This month we commemorate the 28th anniversary of the massacre in Sumgait and pogroms in Baku. As always the crime against Armenians went unrecognized and without any consequences. Will time heal wounds, pain and sorrow of the Armenians from Azerbaijan, NEVER. The victims of the atrocities will be always remembered.

I started reading Nowhere, and I couldn't put it down. Anna does a fantastic job of describing the culture, locations and people in her book (so much so, that the reader is easily transported back to the Soviet Union of the 1980s). I found myself comparing my own life at each point in time to that of Anna and her family, and it made me realize how, as Westerners, we take so much for granted. In Nowhere, Anna does a masterful job of describing the calmness and tranquility of her early life in Baku before her family was forced to flee to Yerevan, Armenia, and then to the United States. As the book evolves, the reader is taken on the journey with her as she watches the world she has always known and loved crumble, forcing her family to move forward in the quest to find a new home. The only thing I am left wanting is MORE. SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL . . .

Reading your book is very odd to me because I was one of those many Russian watching the entire scene unfold... it was, just as for you, oddly unreal... I remember the 80s like it was yesterday... I was, of course, older than you and could understand more... yet, the book steered the same feelings I had over 20 years go - bitterness at the utter sinicism of people around me... as stories of horrors penetrated the stonewall of the Russian press, indifference was almost a welcome sign as one did not want to hear cheers of support for the aggressors... my mother's family fled the horrors of pogroms in the Ukraine and endured decades of being blamed for years of everything that was wrong in Russia... Even though it was never said out loud in my family, we all knew that it was just a matter of time before the same events started happening in Russia and the prosecution of Jews started again...the distant reaction to the event only strengthened my mother's conviction that no one would be spared... reading your book, Anna, brought back all those memories and feelings... THANK YOU, for writing the story, for trying to preserve the voice of a child... the innocence that was lost...in all of us...

The Soviet period is an odd time in history - much happened yet little was reported - and when it was, only half truths were told. Azerbaijan, their essence, didn't want them. Armenia, their blood, didn't want them. Russia, their mother, didn't want them. Although every Armenian refugee has a story of their own, Anna described a situation most found themselves in: plain and simple exile. Many won't like to hear the truth, but Anna put it out there in black and white. And I'm so glad she did. The things these people witnessed and suffered through were simply surreal, and it didn't just stop in Azerbaijan. A different kind of torture continued until their arrival to the United States. Many dealt with post traumatic stress, constant fear, discrimination, rejection...you name it. And for what? Why? For simply being born Armenian - something out of their control. More than 25 years after the fact, many cannot speak of the atrocities committed against the Armenians in Azerbaijan. Anna was gracious enough to open her wounds again and discuss what happened to her and the Astvatsaturov family, a reality many Armenians faced. These people faced a strange dichotomy: love your country yet hate it. As a child, Anna felt this twisted relationship and documented the nightmare she lived through in a detailed and captivating way. She was forced out of childhood and uprooted suddenly, yet the natural optimist in her still existed and she often wondered about her old life. Her fear turned into sadness, sadness turned into anger, and from anger blossomed hard work, dedication and will. Within a few years, she was a completely different person. That is the Anna that created this book and vowed to tell the story of a "nobody". For many of us this book will be a reminder of what the United States has represented to many immigrants: freedom from oppression and of course, opportunity for a better life. That is exactly what the case was for Anna's family. Every immigrant has a story. This is Anna's.

Affecting, detailed and dramatic memoir about a very under-reported period of guerilla war. Shocking that this is the world we live in. Very glad to have this.

Went to school with this wonderful, shy, funny person. She was quiet. I wish she would have told more of her story to her friends as we grew to adults. I now know what she went through to get to our country, which some take for granted. It is a must read. I read the whole book without wanting to put it down!

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, an Armenian author, came to the United States in 1992 as an Armenian refugee. The book "Nowhere a Story of Exile" tells her personal story of being a little girl in the middle of the massacre in Baku, Azerbaijan. As a child, Anna would journalize every day sharing her eye-witness account to the heinous crimes committed by the Azeri's on the Armenian people. Because she was so young she was unable to fully understand the atrocities, but her childhood was completely destroyed, along with her life in Baku. whether she is describing the riots taking place in the streets, the first love she has, or the loss of her grandmother, you begin to take on the perception that you are a child trapped in Baku, Azerbaijan. You feel helpless to the violence which is going on around you, and are looking desperately for a means to escape. You find refuge in the family garden, with your favorite white pomegranate tree. It is the only factor in your life that hasn't been affected by the war. Your family, who once celebrated in that garden, has now withered away. You have been left alone, and can only find comfort in your dreams of moving away. Anna's vivid details help completely immerse the reader. It truly is a remarkable story, and allows the voices of the pogrom survivors in Azerbaijan to be told through Anna.

Gripping story of ethnic cleansing and survival in the the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nationalism in Azerbaijan gave way to ethnic cleansing of the Armenian minority in the chaos following the end of the USSR and this is the tragic story of a child caught up in events beyond her understanding which forced her to leave the homeland she loved. Fantastic read, and significant in helping to understand the after effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the frozen conflicts which grew in the wake of the collapse. Will also give insight into the present conflict in The Artsakh Republic (formerly NKR) which is based on the threat of ethnic cleansing of the indigenous ethnic Armenian people whose homeland has been in the Caucasus since before the ethnically Turkish Azeris left Central Asia. And wonderfully crafted, too.

Dear Anya, You inspired me to write my own story. I am Armenian from Karabakh and, just when you left to USA, my house was completely destroyed by a missile of mass destruction( "GRAD") which Azeris were using to kill us, Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. My parents decided, it was too dangerous to stay in Stepanakert , and my Mom and us, 3 kids left to Yerevan, leaving my Grandma and my Dad in Stepanakert. I became a "refugee". I also fell in love with Yerevan air, with freedom of being Armenian and speaking Armenian, with beautiful parks, which in front of my eyes were completely destroyed because ppl needed wood to survive. I also was standing in front of the class and reading out loud in Armenian and trying to hold my tears, and when I looked back the class was rather scared than disgusted with me not being able to read in my own language. When I was leaving to USA, I also felt that I am a selfish traitor for leaving Armenia. I also was mad at our Motherland. But I realized, that its not that our Motherland did not want to help us, its just the times were harsh back then. I came to realize that now I am a DIASPORA and can help our Motherland in so many ways... THANK YOU for your book, it took me back to my childhood to those horrible and unique, bitter-sweet times.

Once I started reading NOWHERE, I couldn't put the book down. I found the book to be both very emotional and very educational. I was taken on a journey to Baku and Armenia through this young girl's eyes... A journey that no one should ever have to go on. To read about Anna, her family and friends and what they had to endure, being separated for long periods of time, being terrorized and eventually being forced from their country was shocking. While reading the book, I felt as though I personally knew Anna and her friends during the most difficult times of their lives. It was heartbreaking to read about how Anna lost her childhood for no good reason at all. We truly are very fortunate to live in the United States of America where we enjoy many liberties and freedom. Anna and family must be very strong people, bonded by love, to be able to endure all that they did and immigrate to a foreign country and start a brand new life full of opportunities for them. Thank you for sharing your story Anna!

Thank you Anna for a great book. All of us Armenians from Baku can relate to your story. All of us, who escaped to survive, all of us who went to school and universities in Yerevan and all of us who currently live in USA. I remembered everything as if it was yesterday. We actually lived in the abandoned jail (gahut, you mentioned in your book) for 2 years, before immigrating to America. I would like to express my gratitude and thank you again for your story. Thank you for writing in English, so the kids who were born and raised in the US to Armenian refuges from Baku can read it as well. This month we commemorate the 28th anniversary of the massacre in Sumgait and pogroms in Baku. As always the crime against Armenians went unrecognized and without any consequences. Will time heal wounds, pain and sorrow of the Armenians from Azerbaijan, NEVER. The victims of the atrocities will be always remembered.

I started reading Nowhere, and I couldn't put it down. Anna does a fantastic job of describing the culture, locations and people in her book (so much so, that the reader is easily transported back to the Soviet Union of the 1980s). I found myself comparing my own life at each point in time to that of Anna and her family, and it made me realize how, as Westerners, we take so much for granted. In Nowhere, Anna does a masterful job of describing the calmness and tranquility of her early life in Baku before her family was forced to flee to Yerevan, Armenia, and then to the United States. As the book evolves, the reader is taken on the journey with her as she watches the world she has always known and loved crumble, forcing her family to move forward in the quest to find a new home. The only thing I am left wanting is MORE. SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL . . .

Reading your book is very odd to me because I was one of those many Russian watching the entire scene unfold... it was, just as for you, oddly unreal... I remember the 80s like it was yesterday... I was, of course, older than you and could understand more... yet, the book steered the same feelings I had over 20 years go - bitterness at the utter sinicism of people around me... as stories of horrors penetrated the stonewall of the Russian press, indifference was almost a welcome sign as one did not want to hear cheers of support for the aggressors... my mother's family fled the horrors of pogroms in the Ukraine and endured decades of being blamed for years of everything that was wrong in Russia... Even though it was never said out loud in my family, we all knew that it was just a matter of time before the same events started happening in Russia and the prosecution of Jews started again...the distant reaction to the event only strengthened my mother's conviction that no one would be spared... reading your book, Anna, brought back all those memories and feelings... THANK YOU, for writing the story, for trying to preserve the voice of a child... the innocence that was lost...in all of us...

The Soviet period is an odd time in history - much happened yet little was reported - and when it was, only half truths were told. Azerbaijan, their essence, didn't want them. Armenia, their blood, didn't want them. Russia, their mother, didn't want them. Although every Armenian refugee has a story of their own, Anna described a situation most found themselves in: plain and simple exile. Many won't like to hear the truth, but Anna put it out there in black and white. And I'm so glad she did. The things these people witnessed and suffered through were simply surreal, and it didn't just stop in Azerbaijan. A different kind of torture continued until their arrival to the United States. Many dealt with post traumatic stress, constant fear, discrimination, rejection...you name it. And for what? Why? For simply being born Armenian - something out of their control. More than 25 years after the fact, many cannot speak of the atrocities committed against the Armenians in Azerbaijan. Anna was gracious enough to open her wounds again and discuss what happened to her and the Astvatsaturov family, a reality many Armenians faced. These people faced a strange dichotomy: love your country yet hate it. As a child, Anna felt this twisted relationship and documented the nightmare she lived through in a detailed and captivating way. She was forced out of childhood and uprooted suddenly, yet the natural optimist in her still existed and she often wondered about her old life. Her fear turned into sadness, sadness turned into anger, and from anger blossomed hard work, dedication and will. Within a few years, she was a completely different person. That is the Anna that created this book and vowed to tell the story of a "nobody". For many of us this book will be a reminder of what the United States has represented to many immigrants: freedom from oppression and of course, opportunity for a better life. That is exactly what the case was for Anna's family. Every immigrant has a story. This is Anna's.

Affecting, detailed and dramatic memoir about a very under-reported period of guerilla war. Shocking that this is the world we live in. Very glad to have this.

Went to school with this wonderful, shy, funny person. She was quiet. I wish she would have told more of her story to her friends as we grew to adults. I now know what she went through to get to our country, which some take for granted. It is a must read. I read the whole book without wanting to put it down!

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, an Armenian author, came to the United States in 1992 as an Armenian refugee. The book "Nowhere a Story of Exile" tells her personal story of being a little girl in the middle of the massacre in Baku, Azerbaijan. As a child, Anna would journalize every day sharing her eye-witness account to the heinous crimes committed by the Azeri's on the Armenian people. Because she was so young she was unable to fully understand the atrocities, but her childhood was completely destroyed, along with her life in Baku. whether she is describing the riots taking place in the streets, the first love she has, or the loss of her grandmother, you begin to take on the perception that you are a child trapped in Baku, Azerbaijan. You feel helpless to the violence which is going on around you, and are looking desperately for a means to escape. You find refuge in the family garden, with your favorite white pomegranate tree. It is the only factor in your life that hasn't been affected by the war. Your family, who once celebrated in that garden, has now withered away. You have been left alone, and can only find comfort in your dreams of moving away. Anna's vivid details help completely immerse the reader. It truly is a remarkable story, and allows the voices of the pogrom survivors in Azerbaijan to be told through Anna.

To live and die amongst foreigners may seem less absurd than to live persecuted or tortured by one's fellow countrymen. . . .But to emigrate is always to dismantle the centre of the world, and so to move into a lost, disoriented one of fragments. - John Berger Oh, a storm is threat'ning My very life today If I don't get some shelter Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away - Rolling Stones (Gimme Shelter) As a young girl, author Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte survived the pogroms against minority Christian Armenians in Azerbaijan. According to a Human Rights Watch reporter, "the action was not entirely (or perhaps not at all) spontaneous, as the attackers had lists of Armenians and their addresses." Like so many others, she and her family were forced out of the country during a firestorm of terror and violence. In an instant, the world Anna knew and loved was torn apart. She lost her country, her home, and her family and friends. Anna's book about her experiences as a refugee is both heartbreaking and triumphant. You will find yourself crying and cheering with Anna as she makes her way to sanctuary in the United States. "Nowhere, a Story of Exile" is a must read. Add it to your holiday gift list (and while you are at it buy an extra copy for yourself).

I couldn't put the book down, the story is absolutely captivating. It's hard to believe how people are treated in other countries and what a blessing it was for Anna's family to be able to immigrate to the United States. I can't wait for the next book to find out what happened to her friends and family who were left behind and to find out if the item her mother had to leave at the airport was ever returned. I highly recommend this book - people will find out how lucky they are to be citizens of the United States!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I recommend this book for all age levels and backgrounds. This is a touching and remarkable memoir written by a girl born in Baku, Azerbijan. During the late 1980s, young Anya's family is forced to flee their home in Baku to motherland Armenia as a result of Azeri violence, riots and hatred towards Armenians. After living in a freezing basement in Yerevan and facing unexpected linguistic, social and economic obstacles in the motherland, her family is finally granted refuge to the United States. Anya captivates the reader with her sensitivity, tenderness, bravery, pride, and appreciation of beauty in a world of cruelty. She approaches young adulthood with hope and longing for a better life. She recites honest and authentic appraisals of the stark realities of being a refugee, and the deep longing of a better life in a place where she is accepted for being different. I hope a sequel follows so we can hear more about this unique journey.

I read this book wanting to find out more and more and when and when (would their family make it to America). I was captivated by Anna's honesty. Not many stories are told through the eyes of children, or in Anna's case children becoming adults at such a young age. This should be required reading (for all middle school classes especially), to remind all ages - young and old- how lucky we are. I could not put this down and it left me wanting to know more about the story as it draws you in with questions and emotions. Wonderfully told. Even personally knowing Anna from her first years in America, I still found this book intriguing, and possibly more so. These kind of stories are not shared amoung youth or even adults. The story is mixed with youthfully items and such grown-up hardships, showcasing how hard it is especially to be growing personally during a time of such change. Growing up in the United States it is hard to imagine what other countries and people go through in their lifetime, still in this present time. Definately a must-read for all ages.

After reading just a few pages of this book I was overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom and sadness which is testimony to the effectiveness with which the author Anna Astvatsaturian places the reader in the world of the Armenian minority of Baku Azarbijan during the late eighties. The story begins in the year 1988 shortly before the violent anti Armenian riots started. Until then Anna's childhood was pretty much a normal and happy childhood. What follows is a startling and meticulous description of how her happy existence was slowly destroyed by state orchestrated ethnic hatred toward her people. It is not easy for the reader to be taken through the motions of loosing everything and realizing that your roots are not yours anymore but it is a story that needs to be told. I found it hard not to attempt to read this story without pause. It's a great read and a great reminder of how lost most of us would be when striped of our sense of safety, freedom and belonging.

Well told story, sort of an Anne Frank for Armenians with the addition of a coming to America story. Told from the point of view of a child, very simple and honest emotions. Speaks to personal courage and family against huge challenges.

I downloaded this book as soon as it came out hoping to read it right away to learn more about what happened in that region at that time. Unfortunately I went on to read other books while this kept popping up in cloud reader. I'm so grateful I finally clicked and began. I literally could not put it down. The history was interesting, I did learn more about the subject but what was surprising was Anna Turcotte's ability to draw you in to her world poetically but still keep a simple narrative. It's been a long time since I read a book that I enjoyed certain phrasing and nuances of vocabulary. Congratulations on a job well done!

Nowhere is much more that a reprint of a young girl's thoughts and hopes delicately captured in the pages of diary. It presents a rare and fascinating glimpse into the personal lives of an ordinary family reacting, adapting, and re-adapting over and over to meet the challenges of extraordinarily horrific circumstances, circumstances which went virtually unnoticed by ordinary citizens throughout the world. When I began to read Nowhere, I initially drew a comparison to The Diary of Anne Frank but soon realized that what I was reading was much more than a diary but an important historical document in its own right. There are are volumes written and miles of film about the Germany citizenry during WWII, but books that share the intimate story of the Armenian struggles in the later half of the 20th century are virtually non-existent ... they are Nowhere.

The story through the eyes of a child made it possible for me to understand, to a small degree, how civilian wars begin over turmoil and conflict in countries where the government wishes to control everything

I absolutely loved the book! Thank you for your story! I really appreciate your honesty in the story! It was really beautiful! Thankyou

I thoroughly loved this book. I found it both educational and emotional. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to go through this turmoil at such a young age, and I loved how strong and brave Anna was in standing up to the discrimination and bullying. I became emotionally connected to Anna's family and friends and want to learn more about them, hoping that they are all happy & safe now. I thank Anna for writing this book and educating me on this little known part of history and for giving me a glimpse of her tragic childhood. It made me so thankful for the peaceful and happy childhood that I had and, until now, took for granted.

Anna’s story of survival comes through vividly in her book. I sensed her emotions, her hopes, and her fears through her words! I would love to read a follow up to her coming to America.

this book was really well written, and so interesting. I think most of us did not know this was happening to the Armenian people. Anna's story is so sad, losing friends & family members, because of your ethnic background is so unfair. It was a disturbing look at who we are , as people of this earth. We all need to be better. So glad they finally got to the United States.

Once I started reading Nowhere I could not put it down, I was so hungry for more. As I was reading I could picture Anna's surroundings and feel her pain. Born in the late 80's and growing up in the United States I was oblivious to the term refugee, in my mind that had ended when WWII ended. For someone I know personally to be affected by such a terrible thing yet end up having such a beautiful life not only gave me a reality check that I was fortunate for my upbringing regardless of any turmoil that I may have encountered and that no matter what has happened in your past there is always hope for the future. Anna is a prime example. I am in complete awe of her strength, beauty, and intelligence.

This book was written by a high school classmate of mine who was a refugee to the United States during the 8th grade. It details her life in great detail going from Baku, Azerbaijan to Yerevan, Armenia, and finally the United States. I highly recommend reading it.

This book is truly an emotional story for anyone who reads it. The life experience that Anna shares with the world hopefully will help explain the pain and horror of persecution that went on in very recent history. This persecution and injustice continues today under the radar of public awareness and hidden under the cover of politics. We can only thank Anna for bringing into light the suffering she and many others have gone through.

This is a story that must be told, yet hasn't been until now. It is done beautifully in the voice of an innocent adolescent. The fear is balanced by strength, the sadness coupled with hope. At the time this story was written I was a college student studying international affairs in the safety of a U.S. classroom. This puts that "education" in perspective. Wonderfully written.

Amazing book! Absolutely must read!

As an Armenian born and raised in America, I was ignorant of what had happened to the Armenians in Azerbaijan. Also, found it disturbing the treatment received in Armenia and wondered about the Syrian refugees if they too are experiencing the same fate. Highly recommend this book.

Having personally known Anya for a long time, this was wonderful to read and learn so much more. Unfortunately we lost contact for some years,but now I have the pleasure to have gotten back in contact. Thank you for sharing not only with me, but the entire world!

This wonderfully detailed story takes you into Anna's life at a young age, during the massacre in Baku. As Anna struggles to escape to a better life, her strong will and strength will inspire you! This is truly a heartwarming and educational story.

Love it, Would love her to write one on what it was like when she arrived & 1st lived in the USA. Proud she came to UND, where we live.

I thought that the book was poorly written and full of typos/grammatical errors. The mistakes in the book didn't bother me too much, though they were distracting at times. What made the book good (for me) is that I am from Baku and I was able to fill in the holes that the author left empty (in terms of character development, emotion, painting the scenes, etc.). I am not sure if an Armenian outside of Baku would be able to react to the book the same way that I did, because for many of its most important points, it utterly lacked build-up. There were some areas of the plot that really could have been developed and conveyed in a more meaningful way. But as soon as they appeared, they were quickly diffused.

This book was written by a friend of my sister’s. She gave it to me for Christmas this past year. The one thing that really sticks out to me when I think about this book is the fact that I didn’t know anything about Azerbaijan or Armenia. I had to look them up in an Atlas. This is a very touching, emotional story about a young girl who lives thru the conflict that took place in this part of the former Soviet Union back in the late 80’s early 90’s. The author gave a very telling description about the impact of communism and it’s collapse: lack of housing, lack of food, lack of utilities like fuel, electricity and telephone, crowded schools, etc. I realized how little Americans know about this part of the world, especially during this tumultuous time. Anna grew up near Baku, a city on the coast of Azerbaijan. When Armenia decided to take a piece of land back from Azerbaijan that was once part of Armenia, Armenians were suddenly forced to flee their homes due to the terror and violence of the demonstrations against this take over. Anna and her family decided to go to Armenia. Interestingly enough, even though they were Armenian, they were not welcome in their home country since they were coming from Azerbaijan. Anna’s family goes thru so much suffering and heartbreak it’s amazing they were able to survive. I think they are lucky to have made it to America. After finishing this book, my first thought was, why end here? I am interested to learn how their journey went. How did Americans treat Anna and her family when they arrived? What does Anna think of the US and it’s government? I hope the next book is in the works.

Must Read “Nowhere a story of Exile” is a real story of a young girl who through her diary describes her childhood and events during the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Baku, Capital city of Azerbaijan just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. This story shares thoughts, feelings and emotions of Anna during 1988 to 1992. How she faced discrimination and was forced to emigrate from her birth place. Her description of the bitter and cruel reality of the process of ethnic cleansing is real, simple and innocent. However, between the lines one can read the bitterness of the experience which is beyond of our imagination. Of course in “Nowhere” Anna takes the reader back to 1988, when she was a ten year old girl living in Baku. But unfortunately ethnic cleansing is still continuing in different parts of the world and this story is also for all children who are the victims of ethnic cleansing and lose their childhood aspirations and dreams… This is an inspiring book providing the reader proof that purpose and persistence can yield results. "Nowhere" is an easy reading, when you start reading it is difficult to put it down.

I bought this book while traveling and thought I would leisurely read it over a few days between all the sightseeing activities. That plan failed -- I could not put the book down, and ended up reading it in one sitting, completely immersed into the world of Anna's childhood. From the first pages, Anna masterfully transports us 20 years into the past, to a little know city of Baku, where a child's memories of family, friendship and young love become overshadowed by the chaos of ethnic cleansing, heartbreak and exile. As we travel with Anna on her journey, the innocent voice of a child becomes increasingly more mature and aware of the cruel reality surrounding her. But from start to finish, Anna's amazing spirit and humanity shines through! As a former refugee from Baku, I felt that in an odd way this story was about me and about so many other people, especially children, who lived through such horrific events and lost the innocence of childhood in ethnic cleansing. I have never met Anna, but reading her book, I felt an incredible connection to her. She revived in me so many memories and feelings that were deeply tucked away, hidden, repressed, but never forgotten. I am very grateful to her for keeping record and sharing her story, and a story of Armenian survivors from Baku. Unfortunately, there are too many people around the world who have lived, or living, through the horrors of war. So in a way, the geography becomes just a minor detail of the bigger story. It is the story of people forever bearing scars (some deeply hidden) caused by the utter callousness of the fellow human beings, the people who despite all odds persevere and triumph!

To live and die amongst foreigners may seem less absurd than to live persecuted or tortured by one's fellow countrymen. . . .But to emigrate is always to dismantle the centre of the world, and so to move into a lost, disoriented one of fragments. - John Berger Oh, a storm is threat'ning My very life today If I don't get some shelter Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away - Rolling Stones (Gimme Shelter) As a young girl, author Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte survived the pogroms against minority Christian Armenians in Azerbaijan. According to a Human Rights Watch reporter, "the action was not entirely (or perhaps not at all) spontaneous, as the attackers had lists of Armenians and their addresses." Like so many others, she and her family were forced out of the country during a firestorm of terror and violence. In an instant, the world Anna knew and loved was torn apart. She lost her country, her home, and her family and friends. Anna's book about her experiences as a refugee is both heartbreaking and triumphant. You will find yourself crying and cheering with Anna as she makes her way to sanctuary in the United States. "Nowhere, a Story of Exile" is a must read. Add it to your holiday gift list (and while you are at it buy an extra copy for yourself).

I started reading Nowhere, and I couldn't put it down. Anna does a fantastic job of describing the culture, locations and people in her book (so much so, that the reader is easily transported back to the Soviet Union of the 1980s). I found myself comparing my own life at each point in time to that of Anna and her family, and it made me realize how, as Westerners, we take so much for granted. In Nowhere, Anna does a masterful job of describing the calmness and tranquility of her early life in Baku before her family was forced to flee to Yerevan, Armenia, and then to the United States. As the book evolves, the reader is taken on the journey with her as she watches the world she has always known and loved crumble, forcing her family to move forward in the quest to find a new home. The only thing I am left wanting is MORE. SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL . . .

The book, Nowhere, a Story of Exile, does an amazing job of telling the untellable. The story itself is not a new one, growing up many Armenians have heard their parents speak of the harsh days during the end of the Soviet Union, but the immediacy of Anna's feelings makes the story a unique one. Human memory is a tricky thing, we often stop remembering the difficult times and the emotions associated with them fade away with years. Anna's diary allows the reader to be an 11, 12, 13 year old and experience once again one's own feelings, while being immersed in hers. It is also notable that the child's voice allows the story to be untainted by nationalism. She loves and hates individuals who are Russian, Armenian and Azeri. Her experiences in Yerevan and Baku show her that there are good and bad people in all cultures. Many who have been raised outside of Armenia share the same mythological view of the country's and its people's perfection. I think many readers will appreciate her struggle to reconcile her image of Armenia and the reality of it, since they will find themselves in her. It is also enlightening to see the reactions of Azerbaijani-Armenians to the rise of the Karabakh conflict. "They must be out of their minds in Armenia. What in heaven's name do they think they are doing? Don't they know we live here? Don't they think about us? We are caught in the middle of this and they are staging protests and demonstrations in Yerevan" (Anna's mama, 55). "Papa says that Armenia didn't expect this many refugee's from Azerbaijan. Neither the people nor the gov't seems to have worried about the consequences of the war in Karabakh on the ordinary Armenians -over a quarter million of them -living in Azerbaijan" (147). The book made me realize that the Armenian government, though unintentionally, played a role in the torments of Azerbaijani-Armenians, and the struggle for resources pushed people of Armenia to degrade and discriminate against Azerbaijani-Armenians, who were collectively and derogatorily called "bakvetsi". Of course many extended a helping hand, but it was far from what the refugees were expecting to find in their homeland. The book makes you look beyond national boundaries and see individual' struggle for survival.

NOWHERE is a book I could not wait to pick up again when I had to put it down for a while. I found it interesting how insightful the author was for a young girl. Only 9 when the book begins, Anna seemed to immediately understand the changes that were happening in her community and that it would change her life, although of course she had no idea how and how much. It was a reminder to me as an American how little we know about other countries. I was oblivious to her story even though it happened in my adult life. It is also a reminder why the U.S. needs to welcome refugees from other countries and how much they have to offer our society. I am proud to call Anna a fellow American.

I read this book wanting to find out more and more and when and when (would their family make it to America). I was captivated by Anna's honesty. Not many stories are told through the eyes of children, or in Anna's case children becoming adults at such a young age. This should be required reading (for all middle school classes especially), to remind all ages - young and old- how lucky we are. I could not put this down and it left me wanting to know more about the story as it draws you in with questions and emotions. Wonderfully told. Even personally knowing Anna from her first years in America, I still found this book intriguing, and possibly more so. These kind of stories are not shared amoung youth or even adults. The story is mixed with youthfully items and such grown-up hardships, showcasing how hard it is especially to be growing personally during a time of such change. Growing up in the United States it is hard to imagine what other countries and people go through in their lifetime, still in this present time. Definately a must-read for all ages.

Little do we know about the many people that come from all over the world to the safety and security of America. Anna Turcott gives us a very personal look at the life of a young Armenian girl living happily in Baku until the war in Nagorno Karabakh breaks out and Armenians become routinely harassed, threatened and arrested. Along with her family she goes from Baku, to Yerevan and then to Moscow before she and her family are able to come as refuges to the US, where they are settled in North Dakota. Turcott gives us her adolescent perspective on the family's journey and trails in Yerevan. Despite her clear intelligence she struggles to learn Armenian and fit in, finally realizing that she never will. The work is from her diary and the translated text is easy to read and follow. Would recommend this book to both adults and young adults.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I recommend this book for all age levels and backgrounds. This is a touching and remarkable memoir written by a girl born in Baku, Azerbijan. During the late 1980s, young Anya's family is forced to flee their home in Baku to motherland Armenia as a result of Azeri violence, riots and hatred towards Armenians. After living in a freezing basement in Yerevan and facing unexpected linguistic, social and economic obstacles in the motherland, her family is finally granted refuge to the United States. Anya captivates the reader with her sensitivity, tenderness, bravery, pride, and appreciation of beauty in a world of cruelty. She approaches young adulthood with hope and longing for a better life. She recites honest and authentic appraisals of the stark realities of being a refugee, and the deep longing of a better life in a place where she is accepted for being different. I hope a sequel follows so we can hear more about this unique journey.

Absolutely unique, well written, and must read book by people of any nationality!!!. People need to learn what Baku Armenians went through 25 years ago during massacres and pogroms of innocent Armenian citizens that lived, worked, and enjoyed lives in the "International" city of Baku for several generations. Before negatively judging the author (if at all), remember that this book is based on true stories that were well captured in Anna's journals as a teenager girl. Also, make sure to read the proloque... I wish if this book was available in other languages and I hope the author will continue her writing on this topic.

This book reveals the part of history that is rarely talked about. It tells a story of an Armenian family, one of thousands that fled Soviet Azerbaijan in hopes of saving their lives, only to find themselves living in difficult and harsh condition in Yerevan, Armenia. It is a personal and emotional story of a young girl, as she is coming of age in a difficult time for her country. The reader is taken on an emotional journey from Baku, to Yerevan, to Moscow. A truly wonderful book, one that gives you hope and a sense of gratitude for all things taken for granted.