The Book Prize Index

There Was and There Was Not: A Journey Through Hate and Possibility in Turkey, Armenia, and Beyond

Meline Toumani

A young Armenian-American goes to Turkey in a 'love thine enemy' experiment that becomes a transformative reflection on how we use-- and abuse-- our personal histories.

Travel & PlaceTravel & Place · medium confidenceTravel & Place102 signalsMemoir & Autobiography71 signalsBiography61 signalsOpen Library: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs -> Memoir & AutobiographyOpen Library: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs -> BiographyOpen Library: Ethnic identity -> Race & EthnicityTravel, Exploration & PlaceRegional & Local History

Award History

0 wins · 2 total

AwardYearResultCategory / Notes
National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir and AutobiographyMajor2014FinalistSecondary source
Dayton Literary Peace Prize: Nonfiction2015FinalistSecondary source
View all award history (2)
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies

This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.

  1. 01 Central figures

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

  2. 02 Central places

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

    These suggestions did not meet the normal display threshold and are more likely to be wrong.

    • Turkey60%

  3. 03 Suggested argument

    No argument inferred with sufficient confidence.

  4. 04 Reading orientation

    30 / 100 academic

    Serious trade

    An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.

Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 55%.