My Name is Aram

Aram Garoghlanian is a young Armenian boy growing up in the agricultural landscape of Fresno, California, during the early twentieth century. This collection of linked short stories follows his interactions with an eccentric extended family of immigrants who maintain their cultural heritage while navigating American life. Aram participates in various mishaps, such as helps his cousin Mourad hide a "borrowed" white horse and navigating the unpredictable tempers of Uncle Khosrove. These vignettes document a childhood defined by poverty, dignity, and the dry heat of the San Joaquin Valley.

Readers interested in the immigrant experience and regional American literature choose this book to observe the friction between Old World traditions and New World realities. It appeals to those who appreciate prose focused on character quirks and small-town dynamics rather than complex plots. Readers walk away with a specific understanding of how memory and family loyalty shape an individual’s identity within a diaspora. The book provides a window into the daily survival and humor of a specific ethnic community during the Great Depression era.