Review of Angel of Aleppo

[Alex Reeves]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Angel of Aleppo" by Jon Cocks.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Racial genocide was a common aspect of life in the last century, as many events, including the Armenian genocide and Hitler’s holocaust, punctuated this fact. Angel of Aleppo by Jon Cocks tells of a terrible time for the people of the Armenian race, who were murdered in mass by Turks and Kurds during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. During this period of human injustice, the Armenian people were driven out of their hometowns, either to be killed or taken to a desert with nothing to feed on. Young children and mothers were mutilated and starved, all the while praying to their God to save them. Anoush is an Armenian who has to witness all these terrible things. Due to her loving and compassionate spirit and her will to help the sick and suffering, she is dubbed the "Angel of Aleppo" for helping orphans and starving children on the streets of Aleppo. In this book, we journey with her and other important characters as they endure this ugly period of life and as they hold on steadfast to their faith in the face of persecution. This book is a fascinating mind-opener, and the enlightenment I amassed from reading it can’t be described with words.
 
As I earlier stated, this book was a mind-opener that I didn’t know I needed until I opened it. Before reading this book, I tried to imagine the motive for wiping out an entire race of seemingly harmless people, but I realized that racial genocide is not an uncommon term. I recalled that the Egyptians tried to wipe out the Israelites, but still, the motive was unclear to me. This book, however, opened my eyes as to the factors that trigger distasteful events like this, as it contains the point of view of one of the oppressors, Ibrahim Bey. I enjoyed reading this book, mostly because the author seemed to relate these events as if he had actually experienced them, and the book had a touchingly realistic edge to it. I was moved, to say the least, by the absurdity of the vile treatments accorded to the Armenians, and if the author was trying to arouse my sympathy, he certainly did an excellent job of it. The script was fabulous, with an urgency to transfer the knowledge of these events into my willing mind. The characters were strong, convicted, and rigid-minded, and the angel, Anoush, stroked a deep chord in my heart with her genuine care and love. This book has many positive aspects, and I feel the aforementioned should convince you as to how much I enjoyed reading it.
 
To be honest, there is no particular negative aspect to this book. At times, however, the gruesome details of Turkish savagery towards the Armenians were overwhelming, and it felt like the book was filled with too much grief and pain. This, of course, is what the book intends to share, and therefore, I do not categorize it as negative.
 
This book was professionally edited, even though I managed to find a few errors in it. This book stands for something big as it tries to expose a heinous crime that the perpetrators still deny to this day. Since I didn’t find anything borderline negative about it and because I hope to aid in its dispersal, I’ll rate it no less than 5 out of 5 stars. Racial crimes are still being committed all over the world, and I hope this book gets to the person who needs it the most, as its message is certain to comfort victims of racial discrimination and prejudice.
 
Finally, I would appropriately recommend this book to people who’d love to dig deep into the events surrounding the Armenian genocide of the early 20th century. Even though it is primarily focused on these events, this book offers some romance, and that part definitely lit a light in my soul.

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Angel of Aleppo
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[Stephanie Stones]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It contained a lot of history and fight against discrimination. I would love to try out this book.

[Laney K]

I think that the gruesome details are too much for me. Thanks for the informative review!

[Baba Thoust]

I also wonder what would lead a person or people to assume another race doesn't deserve to exist. I would like to know the reasoning behind this. Great piece.

[holywriter]

I appreciate how you highlighted the realistic edge of the book and the author's ability to convey the emotions and experiences of the characters. It's clear that you were moved by the story and found the characters to be strong and genuine, particularly Anoush, the "Angel of Aleppo. Thanks