Demetrios the Survivor

About the Book

This novel is based on a true story about my parents Demetrios Parianoglou  (James Panos) and Marianthe Leondis (Mary Panos) and their families

At age fifteen, Demetrios escapes from Asia Minor, Turkey and the Ottoman rule during the 1914 ethnic cleansing (Diogmo) as the Greeks called it and makes a new life in America.  He is an ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life.  His family, who escaped to the Greek Island of Chios , returned to their homes in Asia Minor after World War I only to face another “Diogmo” in 1922.  His sisters are raped and Maria is abducted.  His parents are beaten and his father is missing for several months.  His youngest brother Constantine is captured and sold as a slave in Turkey and lives in captivity for seventeen months.

Demetrios visits the Island of Chios, Greece where his family has taken refuge once again, and marries Marianthe Leondis originally from Alatsata, Asia Minor his hometown.  Marianthe’s family has also suffered rape, decapitation and homelessness.

He brings his bride to America and settles down first in Somerville, MA and then in Watertown, MA where Armenian families had escaped Genocide in Turkey, raising his family supporting his five children as an iceman.  He has a brief, but memorable friendship with Babe Ruth, who has shown him kindness.  He also shows affection and friendship to a visiting Greek Orthodox priest from Cyprus, who becomes Archbishop Makarios III and later the first President of Cyprus—President Makarios.

Survival in the streets of Boston is his next challenge.  Follow him as he meets each challenge and tragedy. He is a man who learned to meet each day with energy and with a renewed spirit.  “Demetrios the Survivor ‘‘ shows how a man because of his deep faith in God faced each day with a grateful thank you for the good things in life and for the strength to survive adversity with courage and hard work.

I am proud of my parents and am grateful they taught their family the Greek language and customs and never forgot their roots, yet showed a great deal of love for their adopted country.

This story is as new today with ethnic conflicts continuing in Yugoslavia, Palestine, Africa, Ireland and throughout the world.  It shows how ordinary people are swept up and become victims when their leaders fail them or make the wrong decisions.  Demetrios Parianoglou a survivor, was the last of his clan to die at age 97.

Actual names and places have been used whenever possible, otherwise I have used fictitious names.  Interviews with family members and other Asia Minor victims have brought forth these true events which happened to the Parianoglou and Leondis families—ordinary people who lived unusual lives.  I take great pride in being a member of such a courageous family.

Interviews with family members have brought forth these true events which happened to the Parianoglou and the Leondis family—ordinary people who lived unusual lives.  I take great pride in being a member of such a courageous family.

About the Author

Jasmine Panos Andrews was born in Boston and grew up in Watertown, MA where she attended High School. At Boston University she received an Associate Degree and worked at the Student Activities Office while continuing her studies. She began teaching Greek Cuisine in Belmont, Winchester, and Cape Cod and wrote "My Greek Heritage Cookbook". Researching her family background, she wrote "Demetrios the Survivor" as a tribute to her courageous family. She travelled with her elderly father to Greece and Turkey where she obtained additional first-hand information about her parent's experiences. Jasmine currently lives in Waquoit, MA a village in Falmouth, Cape Cod with her husband Paul A. Andrews, a former fighter pilot in the United States Air Force who began a company "Aerial Photo of Cape Cod" from a studio in their home.