Peter Balakian’s book, Black Dog of Fate (1997), recounts his upbringing in a comfortable New Jersey suburb within a family that had endured the 1915 Turkish genocide against the Armenians—an experience similar to that of Saroyan’s family. Balakian describes how he overcame his family’s hesitation to discuss their past in Armenia, allowing him to discover his heritage and family history.

Clifford Odets and Saroyan both wrote plays during the late 1930s and early 1940s, yet Odets was far more politically explicit than Saroyan. A collection of Odets’s works, Waiting for Lefty and Other Plays (1993), provides a comprehensive look at the radical leftist playwright's contributions. The titular play, depicting a New York City cabdrivers’ strike, was first staged in 1935.

Last Rites: The Death of William Saroyan (1982) is a journal kept by Aram Saroyan during the final five weeks of his father’s life. The book details the reconciliation between father and son, who had previously been estranged.

Saroyan’s short story collection, The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze and Other Stories (1934), was the work that launched his career and brought him national literary acclaim. In these stories, Saroyan portrays characters of diverse backgrounds, including Armenians, Jews, Chinese, Poles, Africans, and Irish.

The William Saroyan Reader (1958) encompasses the first half of the author’s career, featuring selections from the early 1930s through the early 1940s. The original edition includes an introduction by Saroyan titled ‘‘Why I Write.’’