Author Ajemian Ahnert Presents Book- “The Knock at the Door”

Tatevik Hovhannisyan
Staff Writer

Author Margaret Ajemian Ahnert visited Fresno State on Thursday, November 1, to share her inspiration and insight on her book The Knock At The Door: A Mother’s Survival of the Armenian Genocide, in a lecture sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program and cosponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Greater Fresno chapter.

Ahnert, a talented writer, based the theme of the book on her mother Ester’s stories and memories as a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. For Ahnert, the book is more than a work of art, rather it is a way to raise awareness about the atrocities of the past.

“I don’t want land back. I only want them [the Turkish government] to recognize what they have done to the Armenians, and how they killed the young kids, raped the woman, and massacred the men. They forcibly made the Armenian young women get married to them and converted them into Islam. It was prohibited for the Armenians to speak their own language—they [the Turkish government] wanted to eliminate the Armenians from the world,” stated Ahnert.

Writing the book and then speaking to audiences around the country became a reason for Ahnert’s activism. The title of the book itself reflects how the Turkish military literally knocked on the doors of Armenian families and deported them, often on short notice. Even as Ahnert described her visits to different cities around the United States, she significantly used the term “marching” as a metaphor for the people who were forced to march in the deserts and were later killed by the Ottoman Turks.

Ahnert has received many awards for her book, among which are, “Best Book of 2007” and “Best Historical Memoir of 2008.” Her book has been translated into many languages, including Armenian, Italian, French and even Turkish.

To open doors for future generations of Armenian girls, Ahnert has established a scholarship in the Republic of Armenia for young women who are interested in pursuing journalism and writing as a career.

Ahnert made her lecture emotional, yet engaging and funny. She amazed the audience with her courage and love toward her mother and her people.