Black Dog of Fate
A Memoir
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Black Dog of Fate
Buy for $29.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Peter Balakian
-
By:
-
Peter Balakian
About this listen
The first-born son of his generation, Peter Balakian grew up in a close, extended family, sheltered by 1950s and '60s New Jersey suburbia. He was immersed in an all-American boyhood defined by rock 'n' roll, adolescent pranks, and a passion for the New York Yankees that he shared with his beloved grandmother. But beneath this sunny world lay the dark specter of the trauma his family and ancestors had experienced: the Turkish government's extermination of more than a million Armenians in 1915, including many of Balakian's relatives, in the century's first genocide.
In elegant, moving prose, Black Dog of Fate charts Balakian's growth and personal awakening to the facts of his family's history and the horrifying aftermath of the Turkish government's continued campaign to cover up one of the worst crimes ever committed against humanity. In unearthing the secrets of a family's past and how they affect its present, Black Dog of Fate gives fresh meaning to the story of what it means to be an American.
©1998 Peter Balakian (P)2011 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Operation Nemesis
- The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide
- By: Eric Bogosian
- Narrated by: Eric Bogosian
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 317
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 287
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 291
In 1921 a small group of self-appointed patriots set out to avenge the deaths of almost one million victims of the Armenian Genocide. They named their operation Nemesis after the Greek goddess of retribution. Over several years the men tracked down and assassinated former Turkish leaders. The story of this secret operation has never been fully told until now.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Avenging Turkish Denial with Reason
- By PKsweets on 05-12-15
By: Eric Bogosian
-
History of Armenia
- A Captivating Guide to Armenian History, Starting from Ancient Armenia to Its Declaration of Sovereignty from the Soviet Union
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 64
If you want to discover the captivating history of Armenia, then pay attention...The tale of Armenia has its beginnings as a glorious ancient kingdom, one that commanded the respect of nations as mighty as Egypt and Babylonia. For a long and ugly part of its history, Armenia struggled under the yokes of one empire after another. Yet through it all, Armenia, time and time again, emerged as a nation with a powerful identity, one that caused much grief over the years, but one that still remains a pillar of strength to its people in good times and in bad.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Enjoyed
- By Carol Strube on 10-14-24
-
They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else
- A History of the Armenian Genocide
- By: Ronald Grigor Suny
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 120
Starting in early 1915, the Ottoman Turks began deporting and killing hundreds of thousands of Armenians in the first major genocide of the 20th century. By the end of the First World War, the number of Armenians in what would become Turkey had been reduced by 90 percent - more than 1,000,000 people. A century later, the Armenian genocide remains controversial but relatively unknown, overshadowed by later slaughters and the chasm separating Turkish and Armenian versions of events.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book, unbiased view finally
- By Raffy Afarian on 10-30-15
-
A Problem From Hell
- America and the Age of Genocide
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 22 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 363
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 328
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 326
In her award-winning interrogation of the last century of American history, Samantha Power - a former Balkan war correspondent and founding executive director of Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy - asks the haunting question: Why do American leaders who vow “never again” repeatedly fail to stop genocide?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A dark lesson in dramatic irony
- By Andrew Palmer on 10-04-17
By: Samantha Power
-
Ambassador Morgenthau's Story
- By: Henry Morgenthau
- Narrated by: Jack Chekijian
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
These are the memoirs of the US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I, abridged for this production in order to focus on the mass deportations and systematic killings of Turkey's Armenian population. This work is a renowned primary source for this Armenian Genocide, a crime since recognized by 29 countries. Ambassador Morgenthau offers detailed profiles of the Turkish leaders with whom he interacts, finding that they are responsible for a "death warrant to a whole race".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Remember
- By Arno on 12-15-18
By: Henry Morgenthau
-
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
- A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917--2017
- By: Rashid Khalidi
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi, Rashid Khalidi - introduction
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,267
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,147
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,143
Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members - mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists - The Hundred Years' War on Palestine upends accepted interpretations of the conflict, which tend, at best, to describe a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, Khalidi traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thoroughly Researched and Evidence-Based, but...
- By K on 05-24-21
By: Rashid Khalidi
-
Operation Nemesis
- The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide
- By: Eric Bogosian
- Narrated by: Eric Bogosian
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 317
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 287
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 291
In 1921 a small group of self-appointed patriots set out to avenge the deaths of almost one million victims of the Armenian Genocide. They named their operation Nemesis after the Greek goddess of retribution. Over several years the men tracked down and assassinated former Turkish leaders. The story of this secret operation has never been fully told until now.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Avenging Turkish Denial with Reason
- By PKsweets on 05-12-15
By: Eric Bogosian
-
History of Armenia
- A Captivating Guide to Armenian History, Starting from Ancient Armenia to Its Declaration of Sovereignty from the Soviet Union
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 64
If you want to discover the captivating history of Armenia, then pay attention...The tale of Armenia has its beginnings as a glorious ancient kingdom, one that commanded the respect of nations as mighty as Egypt and Babylonia. For a long and ugly part of its history, Armenia struggled under the yokes of one empire after another. Yet through it all, Armenia, time and time again, emerged as a nation with a powerful identity, one that caused much grief over the years, but one that still remains a pillar of strength to its people in good times and in bad.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Enjoyed
- By Carol Strube on 10-14-24
-
They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else
- A History of the Armenian Genocide
- By: Ronald Grigor Suny
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 120
Starting in early 1915, the Ottoman Turks began deporting and killing hundreds of thousands of Armenians in the first major genocide of the 20th century. By the end of the First World War, the number of Armenians in what would become Turkey had been reduced by 90 percent - more than 1,000,000 people. A century later, the Armenian genocide remains controversial but relatively unknown, overshadowed by later slaughters and the chasm separating Turkish and Armenian versions of events.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book, unbiased view finally
- By Raffy Afarian on 10-30-15
-
A Problem From Hell
- America and the Age of Genocide
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 22 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 363
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 328
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 326
In her award-winning interrogation of the last century of American history, Samantha Power - a former Balkan war correspondent and founding executive director of Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy - asks the haunting question: Why do American leaders who vow “never again” repeatedly fail to stop genocide?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A dark lesson in dramatic irony
- By Andrew Palmer on 10-04-17
By: Samantha Power
-
Ambassador Morgenthau's Story
- By: Henry Morgenthau
- Narrated by: Jack Chekijian
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
These are the memoirs of the US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I, abridged for this production in order to focus on the mass deportations and systematic killings of Turkey's Armenian population. This work is a renowned primary source for this Armenian Genocide, a crime since recognized by 29 countries. Ambassador Morgenthau offers detailed profiles of the Turkish leaders with whom he interacts, finding that they are responsible for a "death warrant to a whole race".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Remember
- By Arno on 12-15-18
By: Henry Morgenthau
-
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
- A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917--2017
- By: Rashid Khalidi
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi, Rashid Khalidi - introduction
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,267
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,147
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,143
Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members - mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists - The Hundred Years' War on Palestine upends accepted interpretations of the conflict, which tend, at best, to describe a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, Khalidi traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thoroughly Researched and Evidence-Based, but...
- By K on 05-24-21
By: Rashid Khalidi
-
Cloud Atlas (20th Anniversary Edition)
- A Novel
- By: David Mitchell, Gabrielle Zevin
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Cassandra Campbell, Kim Mai Guest, and others
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 6,986
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,747
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 5,767
Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite.... Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
thoroughly enjoyed
- By Elizabeth on 01-05-08
By: David Mitchell, and others
-
Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
- An American History
- By: Ada Ferrer
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Ada Ferrer - prologue
- Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,024
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 887
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 886
In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, where a momentous revolution had taken power three years earlier. For more than half a century, the stand-off continued—through the tenure of ten American presidents and the fifty-year rule of Fidel Castro. His death in 2016, and the retirement of his brother and successor Raúl Castro in 2021, have spurred questions about the country’s future. Spanning more than five centuries, Cuba provides us with a front-row seat as we witness the evolution of the modern nation.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
US Bash Job
- By Derek & Amber Witt on 04-14-22
By: Ada Ferrer
-
Twilight of Democracy
- The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
- By: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Anne Applebaum
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,213
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,908
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,890
From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege, while authoritarianism is on the rise. In Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum, an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West, explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy. In this captivating essay, she contends that political systems with radically simple beliefs are inherently appealing, especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Modern Dictators & President who wants to be them
- By AJ on 07-23-20
By: Anne Applebaum
-
I Hate the Ivy League
- Riffs and Rants on Elite Education
- By: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,602
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,421
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,410
Malcolm Gladwell has long relished the opportunity to skewer the upper echelons of higher education, from the institution of U.S. News & World Report’s Best College rankings to the LSATs to the luxe Bowdoin College cafeteria. I Hate the Ivy League: Riffs and Rants on Elite Education, upends the traditional thinking around how education should work and tries to get to the bottom of why we often reward the wrong people.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great content but don’t bother purchasing if you have heard the podcasts
- By katieKo on 10-23-22
By: Malcolm Gladwell
-
The Guns of August
- By: Barbara W. Tuchman
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,726
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,590
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,568
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-28-08
-
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
- A Novel
- By: Milan Kundera, Michael Henry Heim - translator
- Narrated by: Richmond Hoxie
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,199
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,915
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,922
A young woman is in love with a successful surgeon, a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing. His mistress, a free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals—while her other lover, earnest, faithful, and good, stands to lose everything because of his noble qualities. In a world where lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and fortuitous events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence we feel “the unbearable lightness of being."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Love, Politics, and Strange Bedfellows
- By Mel on 07-01-12
By: Milan Kundera, and others
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 376
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 319
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 317
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- By: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 910
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 770
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 769
Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book But First Time Listener Beware
- By Nostromo on 03-23-15
By: Stephen Kotkin
-
The Power of One
- By: Bryce Courtenay
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,467
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,873
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,874
Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, this one small boy will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships with Hymie and Gideon, Peekay gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, the Judge, Peekay will fight to the death for justice.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compelling story lifted higher by the narration
- By Bob on 05-14-09
By: Bryce Courtenay
-
The Clan of the Cave Bear
- Earth's Children, Book 1
- By: Jean M. Auel
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,465
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,849
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,850
This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love. Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Production and Narration didn't quite ruin it
- By nolagal on 07-28-14
By: Jean M. Auel
-
Middlesex
- By: Jeffrey Eugenides
- Narrated by: Kristoffer Tabori
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11,271
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,941
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,973
In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry-blonde classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them - along with Callie's failure to develop physically - leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Anything but middle.
- By Michael on 05-04-03
-
Necessary Lies
- By: Diane Chamberlain
- Narrated by: Alison Elliott
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,533
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,093
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,076
Best-selling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a breakout book about a small southern town 50 years ago, and the darkest - and most hopeful - places in the human heart. After losing her parents, 15-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister, and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness, and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give. When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Sometimes the truth is hard to hear. Listen anyway
- By Nana on 01-26-15
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Black Dog of Fate
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Colton Rogers
- 10-23-19
Eh
Eh, it was alright. I had to read it for school and audible helps. Kind of boring but it was interesting to learn about some of the stuff about the genocide.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lm
- 06-27-13
Great book!
If you could sum up Black Dog of Fate in three words, what would they be?
Memoir
History
Shocking
Who was your favorite character and why?
Peter
What about Peter Balakian’s performance did you like?
Poetic intensity
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
. . . and you thought "Stand By Me" was a good story!
Any additional comments?
Loved it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen F. Kanjian
- 01-21-23
Amazing storytelling - for an amazing story
Peter Balakian was able to recreate for the reader his own experience of discovery - of his family’s past and the terrifying and wonderful past of the Armenian people. The book asks: how could this genocide have happened—in full view of the world? How, in the face of the thousands of eyewitness accounts, is the silence and denial of governments entangled in geopolitical interests allowed to persist? These questions hang in the air for all of us, unanswered, like the ghosts of the unacknowledged and unburied.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Serro Garabedian
- 10-25-15
Story everyone should read
It's been years that I had purchased the hard copy of Balakian 's book but unfortunately I've never read it. The audio version helped me to finish it in one week. Very convenient, even though sometimes I had to redo my make up. Thanks Balakian for writing this memoir to keep your grandmother' s and your people story alive.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Janice Horowitz
- 11-02-15
Author /reader?
What did you love best about Black Dog of Fate?
I could not get past the reader's tedious monotone...if I had not needed to finish this book for a book group, I never would have made it to the end. I wanted to put it down after an hour.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lorna Boyd
- 04-27-15
couldn't put it down
this is last time I read an author-narrated book. the reading was infuriatingly bad. but in spite of his horrible & distracting phrasing, the story was so compelling that I read it straight thru. wonderfully written, lovely combination of personal family and graphic historical account of the Armenian experience.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-16-24
A story of a people’s survival against all odds.
The writer manages to intertwine the ordinary life of a seemingly ordinary American growing up in suburbia with the culture and dark history of his people—one which the reader is discovering and deciphering alongside the writer. This is an important subject, thoroughly researched and put in historic context. For anyone wishing to educate themselves about the history of the Armenian people, the barbarism of the Ottoman Empire, the often unknown tragedies that unfolded under the shadows of the First World War, the complicity of the current Turkish government, or about the unspeakable depths human of depravity while committing crimes of genocide, this is a very important, though often difficult read.
The writer’s narration lacks any performative elements, and is unfortunately mundane and even a bit annoying. His attempts at pronouncing Armenian words and names was so belabored, it was almost frustrating, since I’ve heard non-Armenians do a much better job of it. This may only register for Armenian speakers, since I imagine that others wouldn’t even know how comically “Americanized” Balakian’s pronunciations of even his own family members’ names were. I realized early on, at least for me, this would’ve been a much better read than a listen..but I stuck through it anyhow. My advice: Absolutely read it. Listen to it if you must. But, in no case, turn away from this poignant memoir. Trigger warning: for tender-hearted readers, the depictions of brutality, rape, mass murder, child abuse, and many more unspeakable crimes against humanity are exceedingly graphic and were almost too difficult for me, even though I am familiar with this history. Steel yourself.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Suren
- 03-21-18
i will read this one...difficult to listen to
What did you like best about Black Dog of Fate? What did you like least?
I have been waiting to listen to this book for a long time. Finally, it was the right time and I downloaded it. And, the author is not the person to read this. He makes it too much of a poem and the cadence is difficult.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- margarit
- 05-09-21
One of the best
I found Peter Balakian’s Black Dog of Fate to be one of the best memoirs I’ve read/listened to. As a third generation descendant of Armenian genocide survivors, this was the first time that someone had to put words to my own experience growing up in the diaspora. His words touched me so deeply, I could hardly get through the last few chapters without being moved to tears. While it might be difficult for those who did not grow up American to relate to Balakian’s depictions of American culture, I highly recommend this memoir to anyone interested in learning about the Armenian genocide. Balakian does an excellent job weaving historical facts into personal narrative; I appreciate the extensive research that went into writing this book. A must read for those who are interested in learning about the first genocide of the 20th century & Turkey’s systematic denial of committing the most atrocious crime against humanity of modern history. Trigger warning: some of his depictions retold by eye witnesses are quite explicit.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vaan
- 04-24-21
This was a privilege, thank you Peter Balakian
I loved every second of this book, and narration I’d recommend it to everyone. It spanned an increasingly geography, time, places. This is an incredible piece of a living history of our collective humanity.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful