In the Shadow of the Fortress is the story of a young girl born in Husenig, Western or Ottoman Armenia, just before the Genocide of 1915-1917.  Bertha Nakshian Ketchian experienced the horrors of that tragedy with her mother and sister.  She witnessed and recorded in her memory the cruelty as well as devotion of neighbors, the hard choices of friends and family as she survived against all odds.  Having crossed the desert and spent time in an orphanage supported by American help, Bertha eventually joined her father in Providence, Rhode Island.

Her vivid memory, narrative ability, and strong interest in her family's past have prompted this remarkable re-creation.  The story is told in the first person. Simple and honest, the style preserves the freshness of the feelings, impressions, and thoughts of a young girl being denied her childhood.

BERTHA NAKSHIAN KETCHIAN graduated from high school but was unable to continue her education due to financial considerations.  She went to work as a teenager.  She later married Harry Tzolag Ketchian of Lowell, Massachusetts and became a full time homemaker for her children, Sonia and Philip.  After the death of her husband, Mrs. Ketchian worked at Harvard University's Widener Library.  Now retired, Bertha Ketchian resides in Belmont, Massachusetts.