He Helped Build the Bridges. Now Lincoln McCurdy Preserves a Century of Turkish American History.
In “A Chronicle of Turkish American Relations, 1923–2023,” a longtime advocate brings attention to the people, institutions and connections behind the U.S.–Turkiye relationship. Some people study the relationship between the United States and Turkiye. G. Lincoln McCurdy has spent decades helping strengthen it. Through diplomacy, business leadership and Turkish American community engagement, McCurdy has worked to bring people together and encourage a deeper understanding between the two countries. His book, “A Chronicle of Turkish American Relations, 1923–2023,” carries that commitment into another important task: preserving the history that future generations will inherit. Developed to commemorate the Turkish Republic’s centennial, the chronicle examines a hundred years of relations through significant events, public figures, organizations and community stories. Its scope reaches beyond government meetings to the people and institutions that helped shape the relationship. For Turkish American readers, it offers an invitation to discover the history behind their own community—and to share that history with others.
A history that includes the community
The chronicle’s contents show why the project may resonate with Turkish Americans. The version available through ATAA includes sections on Turkish American elected officials, the establishment of key organizations and women who helped shape American perceptions of Turkiye. It also contains a foreword by Princeton University professor Michael A. Reynolds. That breadth matters. A community’s history includes the associations people founded, the public service they undertook and the cultural connections they sustained.
For younger readers, these accounts can provide a starting point for conversations about identity and belonging. For community leaders, they can offer context for understanding how earlier generations organized and built institutions. For friends and neighbors unfamiliar with Turkish American life, the book offers an opportunity to encounter a broader story than the latest diplomatic headline.
Why this book deserves a place in Turkish American homes
Preserving history requires people willing to research it—and readers willing to engage with it. McCurdy’s chronicle gives Turkish Americans a reason to pause, look back and ask meaningful questions: Who helped establish the organizations we know today? How did relationships between the two countries develop? Which contributions deserve greater recognition? Those questions can lead to family discussions, community reading groups and a better-informed understanding of the present.
Purchasing the book is one practical way to support the author’s work and encourage interest in this shared history. Consider a copy for your home, a gift for a student or friend, or a purchase for a community organization’s reading collection.
We encourage Turkish Americans and friends of Turkiye to purchase “A Chronicle of Turkish American Relations, 1923–2023,” read it and share it.
After decades spent helping connect Americans and Turks, McCurdy has given readers another way to build those connections: through the knowledge of what came before.