Local Author wins Best Books 2006 Award

Whittier, CA – On Monday, October 16, 2006, USA Book News announced their Best Books 2006 Awards. Mary Terzian, a local resident in Hacienda Heights and member of the Writers’ Club of Whittier, is the winner in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category, for her first book The Immigrants’ Daughter, published by Booklocker.com. Terzian was previously awarded a PEN USA West, Rosenthal scholarship in 2001, while her book was in progress; first prize in Literature in the Armenian Allied Arts Association’s annual contests in 1992 and 1994; and recognition from various organizations for her writing (see www.maryterzian.com). She is a distinguished speaker with a ready sense of humor. “My Toastmasters Club was the back door entry to writing,” she chuckles.

Terzian, of Armenian descent, is fluent in English and calls herself “an imported American”. She lived the first half of her life in Egypt, and arrived in the United States in the 1960s, after spending time in the Republics of Congo and Togo on assignment with the United Nations, and in Lebanon. She is well traveled, sometimes running into complex situations such as the demise of Khrushchev while visiting the Soviet Union in 1964. She lived, studied and worked in New York and Los Angeles, and took advantage of early retirement from a left-brain occupation to pursue writing. Her sideline activities include contributions to ethnic and American newspapers, magazines, books and online publications. She held several offices in professional and service organizations.

The Immigrants’ Daughter is the universal story of a displaced family, victim to ethnic cleansing, going through the phases of acculturation and adaptation with inherent problems of starting a new life in a foreign country.  It is “an easy read, not without its humorous moments...” per one reader; “captivating, heartwarming and unforgettable” per Richard R. Blake, in the August 2006 issue of the Midwest Book Review; “a compelling memoir” per Susan Wittig Albert of Story Circle Reviews; and “a fine job... reads more like a collection of short stories...” per Danielle Feliciano of Reader Views. The book has generated five-star ratings on Amazon.com. It is available in paperback in regular or online stores and it is downloadable from the publisher, Booklocker.com.

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Submitted by Sherry Barber

Publicity Director, Writers’ Club of Whittier, Inc