In 1915 the Ottoman Empire falters after dominating the Mediterranean region for six hundred years. As World War I explodes through Europe and heads east, the empire sides with the Central Powers, aligning itself against the United States. Ibrahim Öztürk, scion of a prominent Turkish family and proponent of democracy, will spend the next seventy-five years fighting to erase totalitarianism in the fledgling Turkish nation.
The fight for a new Turkey will take Ibrahim, his sister Nebile, and his uncle, Rauf, across three continents. They'll see the historic city of Constantinople transform into the modern metropolis of Istanbul. Through it all Ibrahim must stand against those who would thrust his nation back into the past, including the Öztürks' ancient enemies, the powerful and wealthy Galip family. Ibrahim, Nebile, and Rauf each have one great love, and the triumphs and heartbreaks of those legendary romances exist alongside sensitive diplomatic missions, religious conflicts, and political maneuvering.
Ibrahim, the Turk, is a meticulously researched and vividly imagined exploration of the origins of one of America's great allies. Many would say Islam and democracy are mutually exclusive, but in Turkey, and through the long struggles of the Öztürk family, it's evident all people desire freedom, dignity, and opportunity.
About the Author: Julian Bauer has held multiple leadership roles in private industry and the public sector. He's studied at DePaul University, the George Washington University School of Finance, and the University of Maryland School of Law. A meticulous historian he wrote Ibrahim, the Turk, after reading a biography of Mustafa Kemal, the father of modern Turkey. He was struck by the similarities between Kemal and George Washington and sought to explore the origins of the Turkish state through the experiences of a democratically inclined family.
Ibrahim, the Turk, is Bauer's third historical novel. He lives in Maryland with his wife of fifty-six years. He has three children and eight grandchildren.
