Tomris: October 1942

by A. Yavuz Oruç

Tomris is the story of a young girl who dreams to become a fashion designer during the early years of the Turkish republic and a family that struggles to survive against all odds and adversity. It is an epic love story of two elementary school teachers who meet in a small village in Anatolia in the midst of intense ethnic conflicts filled with love, hate, honor, trust and betrayal, all intertwined together in the curvature of time.

To Tomris, Shaziment and their friends at IPKE
—For those years that went with the wind...


"My pretty journal, my confidant, my friend, I made you sad. I buried all my heartache and sorrow into your milk-white pages. You never said a word and listened with all your patience. Your silence comforted me and made me stronger, but for now I will leave you alone for some time and I won’t batter you with my tears..."
—From Tomris’ journal.

You won’t ever know how much I longed to be on that Ankara-Amasya train you boarded in October 1942. I couldn’t, of course—Year 1953 was not yet born, and I, with it, was awaiting a turn at existence—but those letters rocked me like a cradle between Amasya and Ankara. Maybe my pounding heart can be calmed if we get on a train together and wander through some old memory lanes in the curvature of time—starting in the early 1900s. Would you come?

A. Yavuz Oruç
Dec. 10, 2013


Watch the video about Tomris at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfBSF...

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2013

About the author

Yavuz Oruc was born in Ezinepazar, a small village of about 50 households in Anatolia where his father was the only elementary school teacher and his mother was a homemaker. His father was later appointed to one of the elementary schools in Amasya—a historical city in Anatolia where the Greek geographer Strabon was born and lived. Yavuz grew up and went to school there. One of his mentors early on was his English teacher who inspired him to enjoy reading and writing. Yavuz later graduated from Amasya High School and moved to Ankara where he studied and received his B.Sc. in electrical engineering at the Middle East Technical University. He then left Turkey and earned graduate degrees in the UK and USA. After receiving his Ph.D. at Syracuse University, he taught at RPI for five years and then moved to College Park, Maryland where he now lives, and serves as full professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Maryland. He served as a program director at National Science Foundation and holds a visiting professorship at Bilkent University where he spends his summers to write books and conduct research in his field of interest.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Wonderful. This is a self published book by a University of Maryland professor of computer science. It is an historical novel centered on a young woman and her parents' lives. The author is Turkish and the story is about his mother and his grandparents after the Republic was founded. It is based on his mother's stories, diaries and letters.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!