Armaveni, Graphic Novel

If you aren’t paying attention to what is taught in our schools, that is just fine with many other nations. They aren’t necessarily friendly, which is why they are so eager to shape our lesson plans and curriculums. Some whistle-blowers have called attention to tremendous sums spent by China and Qatar, but our NATO “ally” Turkey also conducted similar propaganda operations. If your kids weren’t taught about the Armenian Genocide, maybe that wasn’t an accident. For an Armenian American like Nadine, having a history teacher corrupted by foreign money is not merely a pedagogical issue. It denies her family’s history and trauma. However, Nadine and her brother Sayat learn the truth for themselves in Nadine Takvorian’s graphic novel Armaveni, which is now on-sale.

Nadine’s parents never spoke of what happened to the family during the Genocide and her grandmother Armaveni, a survivor, is no longer alive to give her testimony. Her parents believe they are protecting their children, but their reticence frustrates Nadine, especially when she realizes her history teacher, Mr. Ward is spinning and even censoring his lessons, to favor the Turkish nationalist version of history, even including Genocide denial.

Eventually, her mother relents, explaining Armaveni’s story as best she knows it. Nadine and Sayat get a fuller historical grounding during their Church-sponsored tour of Armenia. However, she initially clashes with Ani, her roommate, who resents Nadine and her family for their perceived Turkishness. Yet, the siblings really receive an education when they make a stopover in Turkey to visit surviving relatives. There they find a climate of fear, where they must not speak Armenian or discuss sensitive subjects (most definitely including the Genocide).

Armaveni is not autobiography per se, but just about everything is based on actual events in her life and her family’s history, so it is entirely grounded in truth. Regrettably, that also includes Mr. Ward. Indeed, the extent that Turkey seeks to influence the American educational system will be an eye-opener for many readers. Ironically, the Institute for Turkish Studies (directly cited in the graphic novel) was defunded by the Turkish government in 2020, due to maverick board members who supported historical research on the Armenian Genocide and perhaps for not adequately valorizing Erdogan. However, it is safe to assume such efforts continue, from other, less publicized agents of the Turkish government.

Takvorian also illustrates the horrors of the 1915 Genocide (literally so, since this is a graphic novel). Hopefully, better educated readers will not be totally unfamiliar with the rudimentary facts, but there is far less media attention devoted to the Armenian Genocide, compared to other notorious historical atrocities. Consequently, much of Armaveni will be revelatory for younger readers (who will also more readily identify with Nadine). The very term “genocide” was coined to describe the Ottoman Empire’s systematic slaughter of Christian Armenians. This was a true genocide, unlike recent attempts to redefine and invert the word into meaninglessness, which is another reason why this graphic novel feels so timely.

Takvorian’s art nicely captures the Byzantine-era art and architecture of Armenia and Turkey. Nevertheless, characterization sometimes plays a subservient role, for the sake of advancing the message. Nadine has a lot of realistic teen neuroses and anxieties, while her difficult but evolving relationship with Ani makes some smart points regarding rigid us-vs-them world views. However, the rest of the characters are somewhat thinly sketched, rather than fully developed—even including the titular Armaveni.

Yet, Armaveni offers much for readers to digest. Fundamentally, it dramatically shows how “contested” history is not merely dry academic controversies. Such bad faith revisionism often holds significant real-world implications for average people. The graphic novel also shines an illuminating light on contemporary Turkey’s alarming turn towards authoritarianism. Highly recommended for teen readers, Armaveni is now available at book and comic retailers.