Two Girls from Heliopolis, Seta Terzian (softcover)

Beginning in the 1920s under the shadows of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, this story is about two friends, Eugenie and Alicia, and starts in a small suburb of Cairo called Heliopolis, where their parents and many others had fled after the Soviet Union had taken over the fledgling Republic of Armenia. After an idyllic childhood among Heliopolis’ pristine white apartment buildings and ornate villas, the two girls come of age against the backdrop of the North African campaign during World War II. After the war, changes in the political climate compel them to begin anew in the United States.

The story of these two girls from Heliopolis is a story filled with personal struggles and disappointments, love and romance, cultural and political conflicts and the desire for acceptance, but most importantly it is a story about their enduring friendship. While their lives do not always turn out the way they expected or planned, they know that they can count on each other. This nostalgic coming of age tale is a reminder that the journey can be joyful, hard, exciting and intimidating, but the keys to making the journey a successful one are love and friendship.