Liminal: a refugee memoir

by Liyah Babayan, Sergio Larios (Editor)

In documenting her family's escape from the 1988-90 killings of Armenians in Baku, Azerbaijan, Liyah shares her childhood perspective of the violence and chaos experienced during her most formative years. Liyah gives a vivid account of life during the Armenian Genocide as well as her family's deep roots living the generational genocide experience. Based around journal entries written by her at a young age, she describes learning English in America and her personal experience of how becoming a refugee shaped her. She shares of her family's compounding trauma of adjusting to a new life in a new country. Liyah takes the reader into her most private and personal space along with her struggle with identity, assimilation and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her loss of innocence, longing for a childhood and survivor's guilt is conveyed through her emotional reflection about the psychology, mentality and emotions after genocide. We meet a child who finds safety in detachment from everything around her and finds peace in the stillness and liminal space of her pending identity as an adolescent. The memoir readers a glimpse of life in America and what it means to be a newcomer. On the other side of the American Dream, we learn about the mental health struggles of those arriving from war and violent conflicts and many are expected to assimilate with little or no support. This memoir captures life's inability to break us when a person is imbued with an unconditional spirit of gratitude, of humble beginnings and how the bond of pain and love between a family of refugees who are determined to survive together can never be broken. Liyah brings awareness to the mental health of genocide survivors, refugees and children of war - and shows that adoptive communities and resettlement programs can rescue the 'whole' human and not only reserve them as resources for cheap labor exploitation. In other words, the compassionate response which can serve in addressing the mental. emotional and psychological traumas of people who have suffered from torture, rape and violent crimes against humanity. Her journal entries and reflections are written in her own words (language learning-in-progress style) honoring her own process and progress with grasping the English language between the age of 10 and 18, when she graduated High School.

162 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2018

Reviews

[Sandy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant memoir written with clarity and giving me a raw insight into the plight of a refugee. I bought this book at a local author event hoping to learn more about the Armenian genocide. What I came away with was WAY more. I am buying up this book to give to close family and friends. A must read. Such great insight and understanding was gained on what is lost to a human subjected to a world of hate and despair, the importance of identity and the long-term effects that all of these carry. We may not have all the answers to our world's problems, but seeking to better understand the issues around us helps us to work together toward the common good we desire. I have often said, regardless of political or religious affiliation, if we can agree that each human life carries equal value, we are on the same page. This book exemplifies this belief and the context behind this value.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liminal is a powerful and raw telling of the refugee experience in this country. The author is fearless for putting her story out there and self publishing her book. Evidence of her strength and resilience are sprinkled throughout but in the second to last chapter she lays it out like a challenge to the world to just try and keep her down. The last chapter is a call to action for those of us who are too caught up in our own lives to listen with compassion, notice the injustices, and fight for the protections that people coming from trauma need in order to rebuild their lives.

This is likely one of countless of stories that aren’t being told because refugees are essentially voiceless until they overcome the many barriers just to survive in this new environment.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Liyah when we lived in Twin Falls at her boutique Ooh La La. Through those encounters, we talked a bit about her refugee past, particularly as it related to the refugee resettlement protests that were happening in our town at the time. However, I had no idea the details of the utter horrors she faced as a child. This book was both fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time. It is a poignant reminder of how far we, as a country, still have to go in terms of racism, the way we look at and treat refugees, and the stigma of mental health as it relates to trauma in displaced families.

[Kayce Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live near the Armenian Museum of America and after visiting wanted to learn more about the genocide through the perspectives of those displaced Armenians. Liyah shares not only the stories of what she and her family went through during her childhood but also their move to America and the discrimination and struggles they continued to face here, in different ways, as refugees. She provides a lot of great insights into what being a refugee does to you mentally and emotionally and the PTSD that comes with it. I highly recommend this memoir!

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important and relevant topic, especially in this time of wide spread hatred. I appreciated the glimpse into the struggles refugee families face and my heart broke for the young Liyah. I wish the book had been proofed a little more. Some of the repeats, story tense (past/present) changes, etc was a little distracting. But! This also lends insight into the challenges of conquering this language. I highly recommend reading it.

[Ines Sehic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read and really gives you a perspective on what displaced children go through. Their feelings, thoughts and emotions. I am lucky to share this same community with the author and I applaud the families courage and strength during such a difficult time in their lives.

[Emily Colson Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I would love a follow up from her. We live in the same area and she has done some incredible things in the area!