First Rule of Fire - Rebecca Gopoian

Compelling and heartfelt, First Rule of Fire explores the interconnected stories of three members of the Gazarian family, spanning decades and continents as they seek safety, love, and belonging.

Meet Jivan, a young teen who narrowly escapes his village in Eastern Turkey in 1915, as the Armenian Genocide gains momentum, ultimately claiming the lives of over 1.5 million people. Jumping forward to 1928, we witness a day in the life of Araxie, Jivan's future wife, determined to transform her traumatic past into a hopeful present as she navigates new motherhood, a new marriage and a new culture in America. Finally, we get to know Miriam, the half-Armenian, half-Jewish grandchild of Jivan and Araxie, as she stumbles into puberty in 1980s New Jersey, haunted by the overlapping but unspoken histories on both sides of her family.

At times dark and painful but still alight with hopeful moments, First Rule of Fire demonstrates, through one family's legacy of resilience, that history can never be fully erased, however much it is denied.