15th Annual Virginia Festival of the Book!

Join us March 18-22, 2009 for the 15th Annual Virginia Festival of the Book! These five days of mostly free literary events are open to the public as we honor book culture and promote reading and literacy.

More information can be found here at the Virginia Festival of the Book website.

 "Yesterday's Children is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the cultural legacy behind the civil and political conflict that erupted in Iraq following the United States lead invasion. The story is set in northwestern Iran, near Tabriz, in the early 20th century. The tribes that had dominated the Middle East for millennia were living the last decades of traditional lives whose foundations stretched back to the classical era. Yesterday's Children is the true, and intimate story of a large, young Christian family growing up in an overwhelmingly Muslim region. The family is headed by a doctor whose services are in great demand by Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Russian, Assyrian and Persian factions living in very close quarters. All the factions are very cognizant that their life is a struggle to preserve traditions, a struggle that history often saw fall into war or obscurity. Now they face the intimate presence of western culture, pressed onward by the emergence of the oil economy."
S.R.A. Shelburne, VT




    "I began reading Yesterday's Children and it almost felt like I was listening to a lullaby as I read the first two chapters. A very pleasurable experience. I will most definitely recommend it to my book club."
M.B.M. Stamford, CT


"I have been reading Yesterday's Children slowly, enjoying it like a cup of soothing tea."
L.G. Charlottesville, VA


"The stories have a wonderful timeless quality, even when they have dates attached to them, as, for example the ones that are specifically during wartime WWI. They have a marvelous natural style that lack sentimentality and convey the remarkable feeling of a time and place."
N.V. Ontario, Canada

" I really enjoyed the book. Such care was obviously taken with every aspect of it, and apart from the fact that it was an excellent read, I learned about a group of people UNKNOWN to me. Why weren't we taught history that way instead of memorizing dates and battles?!!!"
J.R. London, England

Professional Reviews