UKRAINA INC IS ANNOUNCING ILHAN RYUSTEM’S JANISSARY BOOK RELEASE
Ilhan Enver Ryustam. Janissary: The White Slave. – Washington; Ukraina Inc. – 2026. – 549 p.
The book is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and electronic formats:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDKJPYXR (ISBN: 979-8191531885. Paperback)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDLFZ93F (ISBN: 979-8191541624. Hardcover)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDK928NS (eBook)
Janissary: The White Slave challenges conventional narratives about Turkish, Ottoman, and Balkan history by exploring the legacy of the Janissaries—Christian boys taken through the Ottoman devshirme system and transformed into elite soldiers of the empire. Blending historical interpretation with personal reflection, I argue that this overlooked chapter of history has left a lasting impact on identity, culture, and society across Turkey and the Balkans. In Turkey in large numbers we descend from European slaves. Yet for most of us this topic is foreign.
The book examines themes of slavery, religion, nationalism, trauma, and historical memory while questioning widely accepted views surrounding the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the formation of modern Turkey. Drawing connections between historical events and present-day cultural patterns, I present my own perspective on how centuries of conquest and forced assimilation continue to shape individuals and societies today.
Part historical study, part personal journey, part philosophical and psychological exploration, Janissary: The White Slave invites readers to reconsider the past from an unconventional viewpoint. Whether readers agree or disagree with its conclusions, the book aims to provoke discussion about history, identity, freedom, and the importance of confronting difficult chapters of the past in the search for truth and reconciliation.
Author’s Bio
I’m a Turk born in Bulgaria. I grew up in Turkey. There I went to a high school of arts where I also learned to speak English.
At age 20 I moved to Germany. I’ve learned to speak German and studied media and communication there.
After I had written a letter to my father as a trauma healing process I’ve realized I descend from janissaries (European Christian slave soldiers in the Ottoman Empire). All my life I thought I was a Turk. But I wasn’t. A DNA test confirmed I was mostly Greek, Albanian, Bulgarian. Upon which I was prompted to research my history and culture. And I’ve written two books about this subject: Janissary: The White Slave and Ataturk’s Civilization
