Readers' Comments about Ships of Mercy

ISBN: 9781913807661
Hardcover: 280pp; Price $30.00
See more info
  • "I . . . am very impressed with the research and time you put into this valuable and true story. Congratulations on such a wonderful and accurate description of the fate of the Asia Minor Greeks. . . . Thank you for bringing your story to the general public."--Jasmine Panos Andrews, author of Demetrios the Survivor
  • "I have read your tremendous book . . . and I am thrill[ed] to know that there are people like you in the world, revealing the truth of history."--Rev. Fr. Chrysostom Manuel
  • "[We] would like to congratulate you for the beautiful job you did in your book. . . . it is an aristourgima.--Demosthenes and Angela Varipatis

  • "I . . . wish to number myself among the many persons who will congratulate you on what you have accomplished by writing such an important book. Yours is a remarkable achievement--the product of long hours of work, thoughtful research, and dedication to the cause of providing answers to lingering questions about an episode in history neglected by scholars and the world-wide public. Moreover, by your relentless pursuit of heretofore unknown factual material you have provided an important reference source for persons engaged in any future scholarship regarding the horrific Catastrophe of Smyrna.

    For the average reader such as I, you have done a number of important things. In broad brush, you painted with clarity a picture of the confusing military and political events following World War I, not only pertaining to the situation in Europe but specifically to Greece and the Balkans. You alluded to the complexity of interests of the Great Powers at that time and how Greece became embroiled in a web of Geo-political complicity. Appropriately, you spoke of the horrors that befell an innocent population, and in vivid detail you described the brutality of the Turkish armed forces. your narrative was at times riveting as the horrific events unfolded, while at moments eliciting a certain sadness from the human misery your book described. you rightfully refuted the erroneous impression of the role played by the United States during the tragedy, as well as the false credit attributed to others. You rightfully paid tribute to agencies and persons who labored on behalf of the victims. And most importantly you related the remarkable story of an amazing hero, namely Asa Jennings.

    Prior to reading Ships of Mercy, I had read Twice a Stranger by Bruce Clark, an editor of Economist magazine and a well known Philhellene. While his book deals primarly with the population exchange brought about by the Lausanne Treaty, his work and yours together compliment each other by speaking specifically of the misery experienced by the Greeks of Asia Minor--something which Marjorie Housepian Dobkin fails to emphasize in her book, Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a City. For me, reading Ships of Mercy filled a certain void in my comprehension of the events of that time. . . . Our family was touched as were thousands of others by the great Catastrophe. Ships of Mercy brought home to me the enormity of that tragedy. Thanks for writing it."--Dr. James Rouman
  • "An important contribution, it enrichens the relevant bibliography with sources and testimonies, placing the Smyrna Catastrophy momentum through a different prism. Please accept our sincere congratulations for your work. . ."--Stavros Th. Anestides and Stelios Kapsomenos, Centre d'Etudes d'Asie Mineure, Athens, Greece
  • "The book is Awesome! This is a great work to be proud of. Thank you for telling the story that the world needs to know."--Rogers Jennings, grandson of Asa Jennings
  • "[Ships of Mercy] reads great and is very informative! This book, in my opinion, carries agreat deal of historical, truth revealing value!--Professor Demetri Kantarelis


  • "[Ships of Mercy] will go a long way in dispelling the myths concerning the tragedy of September 1922. I would recommend highly to all Greeks and Philhellenes to read your stirring Ships of Mercy to better appreciate the tragic events of the Smyrna (Asia Minor) Catastrophe. I believe that a detailed understanding of those events makes us even more appreciative of our beloved United States."--Rev. Christopher P. Foustoukos
  • "[Ships of Mercy] reads great and is very informative! This book, in my opinion, carries agreat deal of historical, truth revealing value!--Professor Demetri Kantarelis
  • "What a story! I can't put the book down and when I do, I find myself thinking an awful lot about it."--Alex Panos


(Posting date 26 June 2008)

HCS encourages readers to view other articles and releases in our permanent, extensive archives at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/contents.html.

2000 © Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.HellenicComServe.com