Former Armenian Nonprofit Director Releases New Historical Novel About Little-Known Aspects of the Armenian Genocide

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Former executive director of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and Boston-area local Sarah Ignatius is set to release her new historical fiction novel, The Kaleidoscope of Destiny, with Koehler Books on September 22, 2026. Kirkus Reviews has called it “a beautiful and poignant novel that humanizes the Armenian genocide for a contemporary audience,” and Ottoman Empire historian Dr. Khatchig Mouradian says that it “refracts one of history’s darkest chapters into a deeply moving story of friendship, courage, and hope.”

The Kaleidoscope of Destiny follows fourteen-year-old Arakel, whose life is torn apart in 1915 when Turkish officials arrest almost all of the Armenian men in his town, including his father and older brother, and order the remaining Armenians into exile. In a desperate struggle to survive, Arakel must embark on a dangerous journey, seeking help from people of different faiths and backgrounds—people he has even considered enemies. But how can he trust them?

The novel begins in Kharpert, the town where Ignatius’s grandfather was born and where her great-grandfather graduated in one of the earliest classes at Euphrates College in 1881. “Writing this book meant everything to me, although it is not the story of any one of my relatives,” says Ignatius. “They never imagined one of their descendants would return to the place they had to abandon.”

But Ignatius did just that, traveling to the region with the NAASR in 2006. “That experience opened the door to another world for me. [My family’s] memory kept me going during the years of revision and rejection.”

This unique experience brings a personal quality to her storytelling, offering a richness that can often be lost in historical fiction. For a novel that explores events so underrepresented in literature, this authenticity is particularly meaningful.

Kirkus Reviews also points to this profound aspect of Ignatius’s writing: “This moving account of the Armenian genocide highlights a period of history that’s often overlooked and deserves a place on classroom bookshelves and on reading lists next to Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl.”

In celebration of her book’s publication on September 22, Sarah Ignatius will be holding several events in the area, including her official book launch with the NAASR:
• September 22 – at NAASR with Dana Mashoian Walrath, Belmont, MA, 7:30 p.m.
• September 24 – at Belmont Books with Donna Gordon, Belmont, MA, 7:00 p.m.

For more information about Sarah Ignatius and her upcoming events, visit sarahignatius.com.

Hannah Tonsor
Koehler Books
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