'' The Road from Home : A True Story of Courage , Survival , and Hope '' , earlier titled '' The Road from Home : The Story of an Armenian Girl '' , is a non-fiction book written by David Kherdian , originally published in 1979 . It is based on the life of the author 's mother , Veron Dumehjian ( 1907-1981 ) , who survived the Armenian Genocide . During the deportations , the rest of her immediate family died . She returned to her native town , only to be displaced again by the Greco-Turkish War ( 1919 – 22 ) . After settling in Smyrna , she was forced to flee once more due to the Great Fire of Smyrna . Veron escaped to ultimately settle in the United States . The book is widely read by middle school children throughout the U.S. and has been published throughout Europe . It has received a number of prestigious awards
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Road from Home