My Name Is Aram facts for kids
My Name is Aram is a collection of short stories written by William Saroyan. It was first published in 1940. The book is about a boy named Aram Garoghlanian. He is of Armenian descent and grows up in Fresno, California. The stories share his adventures with his big family and friends. Many schools use this book for reading.
Contents
Stories in the Book
This book contains fourteen different short stories. Each one tells a unique part of Aram's life.
- "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse"
- "The Journey to Hanford"
- "The Pomegranate Trees"
- "One of our Future Poets, You Might Say"
- "The Fifty-Yard Dash"
- "A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance, With Love Lyrics and Everything"
- "My Cousin Dikran, the Orator"
- "The Presbyterian Choir Singers"
- "The Circus"
- "The Three Swimmers and the Grocer from Yale"
- "Locomotive 38, the Ojibway"
- "Old Country Advice to the American Traveler"
- "The Poor and Burning Arab"
- "A Word to Scoffers"
Aram's Adventures
Even though it's a collection of short stories, My Name is Aram feels like a novel. All the stories feature Aram as the main character. They are written in a similar style. The events also happen in order, from when Aram is young to when he's a bit older. The first story starts when Aram is 9 years old. The last story shows him as a young man. He is leaving his hometown for the first time. In each story, Aram interacts with his large family or other people in Fresno.
Early Adventures
In the first story, "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse," Aram and his wild Cousin Mourad "borrow" a horse. It belongs to their neighbor. In "The Journey to Hanford," Aram goes with his Uncle Jorgi. Jorgi is lazy but plays the zither. He is supposed to find work as a day laborer. This story also shows Aram's grandfather. He is supposedly the head of the family. But his bickering wife easily opposes him.
Growing Up with Family
In "The Pomegranate Trees," Aram helps his Uncle Melik. They try to grow a pomegranate orchard in the desert. It is a poetic but unlucky plan. "One of our Future Poets, You Might Say" is about Aram's school check-up. In "The Fifty-Yard Dash," Aram looks at Lionel Strongfort bodybuilding ads. Meanwhile, Uncle Gyko tries out Eastern religions.
School and Community
"A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance, With Love Lyrics and Everything" tells how Aram's cousin Arak gets him into trouble at school. "My Cousin Dikran, the Orator" is admired by all the Armenian farmers in Fresno. But Aram's grandfather shares a deeper wisdom. In "The Presbyterian Choir Singers," Aram and his friend Pandro are asked to sing in a church choir. An older church-going woman recruits them. She also tries to stop them from using bad words. In "The Circus," the circus comes to town. Aram and his friend help set up the circus tent.
New Friends and Journeys
In "The Three Swimmers and the Grocer from Yale," Aram, Cousin Mourad, and their friend Joe Bettencourt go swimming. They swim in Thompson's Ditch in cold weather. They amaze the grocery store owner they visit afterward. He asks them many questions. He also uses colorful words to show his surprise. In "Locomotive 38, the Ojibway," Aram becomes friends with a Native American man. His name is Locomotive 38. Aram helps him buy a car. He then becomes his driver for a summer.
Life Lessons and Wisdom
In "Old Country Advice to the American Traveler," Uncle Melik goes on a train trip. He completely ignores all advice from his Uncle Garro. Because of this, he has a great time. In "The Poor and Burning Arab," "crazy" Uncle Khosrove befriends an Arab man. The Arab misses his family and home country. Uncle Khosrove brings him home for dinner. Aram asks too many questions. In "A Word to Scoffers," Aram meets a traveling preacher. The preacher gives him wise advice. This happens as Aram leaves the San Joaquin Valley for the first time.
