This book was first published as a pamphlet compiled from various archives, chiefly from the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief, and includes not only eye-witness testimonies, but correspondence from one of the Assyrian patriarchs, Mar Benyamin Shimun, and his sister Surma D'Bet Mar Shimun. It has been clearly compiled with the objective of raising awareness of the plight of the Assyrians during World War One, to propagate the relief work of the aforementioned committee, and to reiterate the need for greater financial assistance from Western Christendom.